A prevailing view among researchers and mental health clinicians is that symptoms of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)/psychopathy decrease as affected individuals reach middle age. In the current investigation, informants were surveyed about the behavior of individuals who they believed showed traits of ASPD/psychopathy and were over the age of 50. A final sample of 1,215 respondents rated the index individuals according to the ASPD/psychopathy traits derived from the pre-publication first draft of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition, revealing high endorsement of traits associated with ASPD. Survey respondents reported their observations that individuals who met a threshold for putative ASPD/psychopathy continued to engage in antisocial behavior after age 50, and as a result the respondents endured significant harm, including material losses, financial losses, and various self-reported mental health problems. Those who knew the index individuals both before and after the age of 50 were specifically asked whether there was a change in the individual’s engagement in manipulation, deceit, and antisocial behavior; 93% of respondents reported that the behavior was just as bad or worse after age 50. Other researchers have suggested that the DSM diagnostic criteria do not accurately describe ASPD/psychopathy symptoms and behavior in older adults, and that the disorder remains stable, but its manifestation changes with age. This study supports those conclusions.

研究人员和心理健康临床医生普遍认为，随着受影响的个体达到中年，反社会人格障碍 (ASPD)/精神病的症状会减少。在当前的调查中，调查对象对他们认为具有 ASPD/精神病特征且年龄超过 50 岁的个人的行为进行了调查。1,215 名受访者的最终样本根据来自精神疾病诊断和统计手册第五版预出版初稿，揭示了对与 ASPD 相关的特征的高度认可。调查受访者报告了他们的观察结果，即达到推定 ASPD/精神病阈值的个人在 50 岁后继续从事反社会行为，因此受访者遭受了重大伤害，包括物质损失、经济损失和各种自我报告的心理健康问题。专门询问那些在 50 岁之前和之后都认识指数个体的人，他们在参与操纵、欺骗和反社会行为方面是否发生了变化；93% 的受访者报告说，50 岁后行为同样糟糕或更糟。其他研究人员认为，DSM 诊断标准不能准确描述老年人的 ASPD/精神病症状和行为，并且这种疾病保持稳定，但其表现会随着年龄的增长而变化。这项研究支持这些结论。