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Journal of Personality Disorders, 8(3), 169-180, 1994
1994 The Guilford Press
We examined the association between psychopathy, assessed using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R Hare, 1991), and substance use in a sample of 200 male federal prison inmates. Psychopathy diagnoses were not significantly
comorbid with alcohol or drug use disorders. However, dimen
sional PCL-R scores were correlated with DSM-III-R diagnoses
of drug abuse/dependence, the number of different drugs
tried, age at first alcohol intoxication, and the number of drug-
related charges and convictions. A meta-analysis of four stud ies looking at dimensional PCL-R scores and substance use
revealed that the association was highly consistent across stud ies and moderate in magnitude for drug use disorders but somewhat inconsistent and weaker in magnitude for alcohol
use disorders. Analyses using the PCL-R factors yielded results
consistent with the suggestion that substance use is associ
ated with an unstable, antisocial life-style rather than with the
interpersonal and affective characteristics of psychopathy.
It is well known that substance use disorders and antisocial personality
disorder (APD) frequently co-occur in psychiatric patients (see Grande,
Wolf, Schubert, Patterson, 6k Brocco, 1984, for a review; see also Schubert, Wolf, Patterson, Grande, 6k Pendleton, 1988, for a meta-analysis). However, several researchers have concluded that the traditional clinical construct of psychopathy has two correlated facets (e.g., Hare et al., 1990; Harpur,
Hakstian, 6k Hare, 1988; Livesley 6k Schroeder, 199 1). The first facet reflects the interpersonal and affective characteristics central to most clinical
descriptions of the psychopath; it has been referred to as "callous, selfish, and remorseless use of others" (Harpur et al., 1988) or "interpersonal
disesteem" (Livesley &. Schroeder, 1991). The second facet reflects impul-
James F. Hemphill is with Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia. Stephen
D. Hart is with Mental Health, Law. & Policy Institute, Simon Fraser University. Robert D. Hare
is with Department of Psychology. University of British Columbia.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Stephen D. Hart at the
Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute, Simon Fraser University, Bumaby. British Columbia,
Canada, V5A 1S6.
Preparation of this article supported by Medical Research Council of Canada grant
(MT-451 1) awarded to Robert Hare. We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of the Correc tional Service of Canada and the staff...