S u m m a r y

 

Weizmann-Henelius G (2005)

Violent female offenders in Finland &endash; personality and life situation

Psykologia 40:177-180. Vammala ISSN 0355-1067.

 

The aim of the study was to examine background characteristics, personality and life events of violent female offenders. A national sample of women (n = 61), who were incarcerated or hospitalised in Finland during the year of the study (1999&endash;2000) were examined using a structured interview, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID II), the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), the Rorschach Comprehensive System (RCS), the Revised Blame Attribution Inventory (BAI), the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R).

In the cases of homicide the victims were mostly male and emotionally close to the perpetrator, and in the cases of assault they were women, who either were or were not previously known to the offender. The motives of the offences were related to interpersonal conflicts and alcohol consumption.

The profile that emerged outlined the following characteristics: the offender was unmarried or divorced, unemployed, had a history of violent and non-violent criminality, a personality disorder with comorbid substance abuse and psychiatric problems. The offenders had had adverse experiences in childhood and adulthood and problems in their current partner relationships significantly more often than a comparison group of female non-offenders (n = 30). They also revealed social ineptness and a reduced capacity to deal with stress. The women who had victimised a live-in companion evidenced personality disorders, substance misuse and prior criminality.

The results confirmed that female violent offence stems from interpersonal conflicts, but the common view that the offence is made in self-defence or a consequence of prior victimisation by the victim was not supported. The findings of the study indicate that psychopathy is less prevalent in women than in men. Cultural and gender differences in psychological methods ought to be taken into consideration in further studies.

 

 

 

Key words: psychopathy, Rorscach test, aggression, offenders

 

 

Ghitta Weizmann-Henelius, Ph.D (psych.), Vanha Vaasa Hospital, PO Box 13, FIN-65380 Vaasa, Finland.