Psychological pathways of violent and non-violent criminals: an exploration combining network analysis and Bayesian modeling
Abstract Criminal behavior poses a significant threat to social security and public health, with notable psychological differences between violent and non-violent offenders. However, current research lacks a systematic investigation into multidimensional psychological variables and their interaction...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05310-z |
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| author | Wang-Cheng Cen Cheng-Han Li Yu-Hao Cui Wen-Jing Yan |
| author_facet | Wang-Cheng Cen Cheng-Han Li Yu-Hao Cui Wen-Jing Yan |
| author_sort | Wang-Cheng Cen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Criminal behavior poses a significant threat to social security and public health, with notable psychological differences between violent and non-violent offenders. However, current research lacks a systematic investigation into multidimensional psychological variables and their interactions. This study explored differences in key psychological variables and their interactions between violent and non-violent offenders using network analysis and Bayesian network modeling. Psychological assessments were conducted on 749 male incarcerated individuals (335 violent, 414 non-violent offenders), covering impulsivity, personality traits, mindfulness, reinforcement sensitivity, childhood trauma, moral disengagement, criminal cognition, and risk attitudes. Results indicated mindfulness significantly influenced neuroticism and openness in non-violent offenders but not in violent offenders. Reinforcement sensitivity had a stronger impact on neuroticism among violent offenders. Criminal cognition significantly affected risk-taking via moral disengagement, with different pathways between groups. In non-violent offenders, criminal cognition was negatively moderated by agreeableness and positively related to reinforcement sensitivity; these effects were absent in violent offenders. This study highlights distinct psychological pathways between offender types, suggesting mindfulness-based interventions for non-violent offenders and emotional regulation training for violent offenders, providing practical implications for correctional interventions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dcb6fc02a17d4c20819a15e115bd7871 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-9992 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-dcb6fc02a17d4c20819a15e115bd78712025-08-20T03:31:42ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922025-06-0112111010.1057/s41599-025-05310-zPsychological pathways of violent and non-violent criminals: an exploration combining network analysis and Bayesian modelingWang-Cheng Cen0Cheng-Han Li1Yu-Hao Cui2Wen-Jing Yan3 School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical UniversityThird Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical UniversityAbstract Criminal behavior poses a significant threat to social security and public health, with notable psychological differences between violent and non-violent offenders. However, current research lacks a systematic investigation into multidimensional psychological variables and their interactions. This study explored differences in key psychological variables and their interactions between violent and non-violent offenders using network analysis and Bayesian network modeling. Psychological assessments were conducted on 749 male incarcerated individuals (335 violent, 414 non-violent offenders), covering impulsivity, personality traits, mindfulness, reinforcement sensitivity, childhood trauma, moral disengagement, criminal cognition, and risk attitudes. Results indicated mindfulness significantly influenced neuroticism and openness in non-violent offenders but not in violent offenders. Reinforcement sensitivity had a stronger impact on neuroticism among violent offenders. Criminal cognition significantly affected risk-taking via moral disengagement, with different pathways between groups. In non-violent offenders, criminal cognition was negatively moderated by agreeableness and positively related to reinforcement sensitivity; these effects were absent in violent offenders. This study highlights distinct psychological pathways between offender types, suggesting mindfulness-based interventions for non-violent offenders and emotional regulation training for violent offenders, providing practical implications for correctional interventions.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05310-z |
| spellingShingle | Wang-Cheng Cen Cheng-Han Li Yu-Hao Cui Wen-Jing Yan Psychological pathways of violent and non-violent criminals: an exploration combining network analysis and Bayesian modeling Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| title | Psychological pathways of violent and non-violent criminals: an exploration combining network analysis and Bayesian modeling |
| title_full | Psychological pathways of violent and non-violent criminals: an exploration combining network analysis and Bayesian modeling |
| title_fullStr | Psychological pathways of violent and non-violent criminals: an exploration combining network analysis and Bayesian modeling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychological pathways of violent and non-violent criminals: an exploration combining network analysis and Bayesian modeling |
| title_short | Psychological pathways of violent and non-violent criminals: an exploration combining network analysis and Bayesian modeling |
| title_sort | psychological pathways of violent and non violent criminals an exploration combining network analysis and bayesian modeling |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05310-z |
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