Associations between triarchic traits and mental health symptoms: the role of coping styles as mediators

Abstract Objectives We investigated relationships between the triarchic model of psychopathy, coping styles, and externalizing and internalizing symptoms, and verified the mediating effect of coping styles. Methods Participants were 957 adults who answered the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM), the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms Expanded Version (IDAS-II), and the Crime and Analogous Behavior Scale (CAB). Results Data were analyzed using four path analyses to test our hypotheses, indicating each triarchic trait is differently associated with psychological symptoms and coping styles. We also observed preferences for some coping styles affecting the association between triarchic traits and psychological symptoms. Conclusion Our findings suggest that coping styles only affect the interaction between boldness and distress, as well as between boldness and fear, indicating that specific coping strategies can account for variations in distress and fear linked to boldness.