The role of impulsivity and sensation seeking in associations between empathy and crime

The current study tested the role of impulsivity and sensation seeking in the association between empathy and crime. In prior research, the association between empathy and crime was attenuated with the inclusion of measures of risk taking and impulsivity (Hirtenlehner, H., Trivedi-Bateman, N., Baier, D., & Strohmeier, D. (2021). Does empathy attenuate the criminogenic effect of low self-control in late life?. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 47(1), 1–21.). Results varied across empathy dimensions and with the measure of impulsivity. Negative bivariate associations between cognitive empathy and both general crime and violent crime were attenuated in multivariate models with the inclusion of sensation seeking and non-planning impulsivity (an inability to make planful deliberate decisions) but survived the inclusion of sensation seeking and attentional impulsiveness (deficits in attention and cognitive hyperactivity). Affective empathy was not associated with violent crime at the bivariate or multivariate level. A negative bivariate association between affective empathy and general crime was attenuated in multivariate models including demographic controls and measures of impulsivity and sensation seeking. Results indicate impulsivity and sensation seeking play an important role in the association between empathy and crime.