The Role of Empathy and Alexithymia Dimensions in Predicting Psychopathy Traits: A Cross-Cultural Study

Psychopathy is a complex personality trait involving emotional and behavioral deficits that often overlap with alexithymia and reduced empathy. While it is reasonable to assume that the cognitive and behavioral traits associated with this construct may be influenced by specific sociocultural factors, research examining these cross-cultural variations remains scarce. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the relationship between psychopathy traits, empathy, and alexithymia in Brazilian (n = 171) and British (n = 167) adults. Participants completed the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, the Basic Empathy Scale, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. British participants scored significantly higher on primary, secondary, and total psychopathy, as well as on difficulties describing feelings, compared to Brazilians. Regression analyses indicated that affective empathy and alexithymia dimensions were statistically associated with psychopathy scores in both groups. The regression models accounted for substantially more variance in primary psychopathy, marked by narcissism, grandiosity, and emotional detachment, in the British group than in the Brazilian one (36.4% vs. 13.4%, p < 0.05). Our findings are consistent with sociocultural differences in psychopathy traits and highlight the importance of investigating these constructs from a cross-cultural perspective to better characterize contextual differences and refine assessment and intervention.