Therapeutic Alliance Moderates Psychopathy-Outcome Relation in Treatment of Substance-Abusing Offenders
The present study attempts to clarify the relationship between psychopathy, the therapeutic alliance, and success of offender treatment. In a German sample of n = 89 convicted men in addiction treatment, we examined whether early therapeutic alliance ratings moderated the relationship between psycho...
| Autores principales: | ; |
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| Tipo de documento: | Electrónico Artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
2026
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| En: |
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology
Año: 2026, Volumen: 70, Número: 2/3, Páginas: 228-243 |
| Acceso en línea: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Verificar disponibilidad: | HBZ Gateway |
| Palabras clave: |
| Sumario: | The present study attempts to clarify the relationship between psychopathy, the therapeutic alliance, and success of offender treatment. In a German sample of n = 89 convicted men in addiction treatment, we examined whether early therapeutic alliance ratings moderated the relationship between psychopathy, as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist – Revised (PCL-R), and treatment success within the first 6 months. Results indicated that a moderation model is appropriate, as the association between total PCL-R and treatment success differed as a function of perceived therapeutic alliance. Specifically, high psychopathy impaired treatment success when the alliance was simultaneously poor. Conversely, a good alliance seemed to buffer the adverse effects of psychopathy. No differential associations were found for PCL-R Factor 1 and Factor 2, and the moderation model held for both client-rated as well as therapist-rated alliance. Implications for improving treatment programs for psychopathic patients are discussed. |
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| ISSN: | 1552-6933 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0306624X251337484 |
