Nicholas D Thomson
Biographic Data
| ID | 389256 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nicholas D Thomson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nicholas D |
| FAMILY NAME | Thomson |
| SIGNATURE | THOMSON N D |
| AFFILIATIONS | Virginia Commonwealth University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5127-8174 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 9 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
History of Child Maltreatment and Suicide Risk Among Individuals Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence: Examining the Role of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms
Survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) experience significant psychological consequences including high rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. A history of child maltreatment (CM) is also prevalent among IPV survivors and has been identified as a significant risk factor for suicide. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have been proposed as a mechanism by which CM leads to suicide risk; however, this association has yet to be ev…
Youths Beliefs About Guns: Exploring Their Impact on Offensive and Defensive Gun Behaviors
This study explored the association between youth gun beliefs, behaviors, and violence. Hierarchical regression examined whether gun beliefs predicted defensive and offensive gun behaviors and gun violence. The EFA confirmed gun belief subscales and indicated two gun behavior subscales. Emotional risk beliefs were negatively related to all outcomes, social perception related to defensive behavior, gun presence related to offensive behavior, and n…
Callous–Unemotional Traits and Gun Violence: The Unique Role of Maternal Hostility
Background/Objectives: Conduct Disorder (CD) involves persistent behavior violating societal norms and others' rights. A subgroup of adolescents with CD exhibits callous-unemotional (CU) traits, which are linked to severe antisocial behavior and poorer long-term outcomes. Research suggests parenting plays an important role in the development of CU traits. However, few studies have explored the role of maternal and paternal parenting practices med…
A new treatment approach to conduct disorder and callous-unemotional traits: An assessment of the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of Impact VR
Findings revealed that youth with CD and key stakeholder groups rate Impact VR favorably and positively. Future research is needed on the effectiveness of Impact VR in improving emotion recognition and reducing CD symptoms
An Exploratory Retrospective Analysis of Racial Disparities in Fall-Related Injuries Among Black and White Breast Cancer Survivors Receiving Chemotherapy
This study highlights racial differences in chemotherapy-associated fall risk. While the findings are observational and limited by data availability, they underscore the need for more inclusive survivorship care and further investigation using detailed clinical and contextual variables. Real-world platforms like TriNetX can help identify early signals of disparities that merit prospective study
Exploring the Association Between Suicidality and Firearm Violence Among Injured Adults
Purpose: Both firearm violence and suicidal behavior have increased over time and pose a serious public health concern. However, few studies have examined the link between the two. This study examined the link between suicidal behaviors, firearm beliefs, and firearm violence. Methods: This study included 371 violently injured adults ( M age = 32.58). Most participants were male (72%) and identified as African American (80%). Recruitment occurred …
Exploring the link between the risk of violent injury in adolescents and historic redlining practices
Violent injuries tend to cluster together geospatially. The discriminatory housing practice of redlining undertaken by the United States federal government in the 1930s has been repeatedly linked with various contemporary community‐level disparities. However, no known work has explored the association between historical redlining and the risk of violent injuries among adolescents. To this end, we utilized surveillance data of adolescent patients …
The Impact of Media Violence, Narcissism and Sex on Reactive and Proactive Aggression in Adolescents: A One-Year Follow-Up Study
Clarifying the relationship between trait aggression and self‐control using random item slope regression
OBJECTIVE: Myriad psychological research evinces a negative association between self-control and aggression with some arguing for self-control failure as a cause of aggression. Recent literature suggests that the relationship between aggression and self-control is likely more complex and even positive in some cases. One source of such conflict in the literature could be the presence of unaccounted for random item slopes in commonly used measures …
Examining the Intersection of Radicalism, Activism, and Gun Violence
Radicalism has been connected to violence, and firearms have become widely used in political violence. However, research has yet to examine radicalism in relation to firearms. This study fills this gap by examining whether radicalism and activism are related to gun beliefs and gun violence. This study included 372 high-risk adults (Mage = 32.66). Most participants were male (72 percent), and African American (80 percent). Studying violently injur…
Relations Between Developmental Assets and Youth Gun Violence
This study investigates the potential promotive effects of developmental assets (e.g., strengths and resources) on youth gun violence. Guided by resilience theory and the social-ecological model, this study examines the associations between developmental assets (e.g., strengths and resources) across multiple ecological contexts and gun violence among a hospital-based sample of violently injured youth ( n = 69) and a community-based sample of yout…
The Interplay between Fear Reactivity and Callous–Unemotional Traits Predicting Reactive and Proactive Aggression
Research has indicated that youths with CU traits are fearless, and this fearlessness plays a bidirectional role in both the development of CU traits and engagement in aggressive behavior. However, research specifically testing the role of fear in the association between CU traits and aggression is scarce. The goal of the current study was to test if fear reactivity, both conscious (self-report) and automatic (skin conductance reactivity; SCR), m…
Exploring changes in violence across two waves of the Covid‐19 pandemic in Richmond, VA
The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic carried with it an increase in violence in the United States and abroad. The proportion of violence cases involving firearms also increased during this time, yet little research has examined these effects using data from the second wave of COVID infections. Explanations for these documented increases in gun violence put forward by scholars include increased firearm purchases, alcohol consumption, unemployme…
Anxiety Mediates the Link Between Psychopathy and Aggression in NGRI Acquittees
Psychopathy has been long associated with anxiety, and anxiety has been argued to play an important role in psychopathy-related behaviors, such as aggression. However, these associations have not yet been explored in Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) Acquittees. The goals of the present study were to test the correlations between the 4-facet psychopathy construct and anxiety, and to assess whether anxiety mediates the association between ps…
Effects of Psychopathy on Neurocognitive Domains of Impulsivity in Abstinent Opiate and Stimulant Users
Background: Psychopathy and substance use disorders (SUDs) are both characterized by neurocognitive impairments reflecting higher levels of impulsivity such as reward-driven decision-making and deficient inhibitory control. Previous studies suggest that psychopathy may exacerbate decision-making deficits, but it may be unrelated to other neurocognitive impairments among substance dependent individuals (SDIs). The aim of the present study was to e…
Interpersonal Trauma Among Women and Men Receiving Buprenorphine in Outpatient Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
People with opioid use disorder (OUD) are vulnerable to negative health outcomes related to substance use and psychosocial issues, such as interpersonal trauma (IPT). Participants receiving buprenorphine completed a cross-sectional survey (July-September 2019). OUD outcomes were prospectively abstracted over a 28-week timeframe. More than a third reported recent IPT (40% women, 36% men). Sexual violence was more common among women than men ( p = …
The Impact of Parental Incarceration on Psychopathy, Crime, and Prison Violence in Women
There is a growing interest in understanding the consequences of parental incarceration. Unfortunately, research exploring the long-term criminological and personality effects in female offspring is limited, particularly among second-generation female offenders. In a sample of 170 female offenders, we first assessed the correlations between psychopathy facets, prison violence, and types of crime. Next, we tested the association between childhood …
Reliability and validity of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised in the assessment of risk for institutional violence: A cautionary note on DeMatteo et al. (2020)
A group of 12 authors (GA) shared a statement of concern (SoC) warning against the use of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991, 2003) to assess risk for serious institutional violence in US capital sentencing cases (DeMatteo et al., 2020). Notably, the SoC was not confined to capital sentencing issues, but included institutional violence in general. Central to the arguments presented in the SoC was that the PCL-R has poor pre…
The PCL–R and capital sentencing: A commentary on “Death is different” DeMatteo et al. (2020a)
DeMatteo et al. (2020a) published a Statement in this journal declaring that the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) “cannot and should not” be used in U.S. capital-sentencing cases to assess risk for serious institutional violence. Their stated concerns were the PCL-R’s “imperfect interrater reliability,” its “variability in predictive validity,” and its prejudicial effects on the defendant. In a Cautionary Note, we (Olver et al., 2020) raised…
Sex differences on the four‐facet model of psychopathy predict physical, verbal, and indirect aggression
Psychopathy is a multifaceted construct that has been linked to aggression. Yet, few studies have explored the association between physical, verbal, and indirect aggression using the 4-facet model of psychopathy in community samples, and to date, no studies exist that test for male and female differences. The present study aimed to understand what facets of psychopathy predict aggressive behavior for men and women, while controlling for important…
Proactive and Reactive Aggression Subgroups in Typically Developing Children: The Role of Executive Functioning, Psychophysiology, and Psychopathy
This study aimed to assess whether groups of aggressive children differed on psychopathic traits, and neuropsychological and neurobiological measures of prefrontal functioning consistent with the objectives of their aggression-reactive or proactive. Including 110 typically developing children (9-11 years), a latent class analysis identified a low aggression group, a high reactive aggression group, and a mixed (high reactive and proactive) aggress…
Reliability and validity of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised in the assessment of risk for institutional violence: A cautionary note on DeMatteo et al. (2020)
A group of 12 authors (GA) shared a statement of concern (SoC) warning against the use of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991, 2003) to assess risk for serious institutional violence in US capital sentencing cases (DeMatteo et al., 2020). Notably, the SoC was not confined to capital sentencing issues, but included institutional violence in general. Central to the arguments presented in the SoC was that the PCL-R has poor pre…
Sex differences on the four‐facet model of psychopathy predict physical, verbal, and indirect aggression
Psychopathy is a multifaceted construct that has been linked to aggression. Yet, few studies have explored the association between physical, verbal, and indirect aggression using the 4-facet model of psychopathy in community samples, and to date, no studies exist that test for male and female differences. The present study aimed to understand what facets of psychopathy predict aggressive behavior for men and women, while controlling for important…
Exploring changes in violence across two waves of the Covid‐19 pandemic in Richmond, VA
The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic carried with it an increase in violence in the United States and abroad. The proportion of violence cases involving firearms also increased during this time, yet little research has examined these effects using data from the second wave of COVID infections. Explanations for these documented increases in gun violence put forward by scholars include increased firearm purchases, alcohol consumption, unemployme…
Proactive and Reactive Aggression Subgroups in Typically Developing Children: The Role of Executive Functioning, Psychophysiology, and Psychopathy
This study aimed to assess whether groups of aggressive children differed on psychopathic traits, and neuropsychological and neurobiological measures of prefrontal functioning consistent with the objectives of their aggression-reactive or proactive. Including 110 typically developing children (9-11 years), a latent class analysis identified a low aggression group, a high reactive aggression group, and a mixed (high reactive and proactive) aggress…
Sex differences on the four‐facet model of psychopathy predict physical, verbal, and indirect aggression
Psychopathy is a multifaceted construct that has been linked to aggression. Yet, few studies have explored the association between physical, verbal, and indirect aggression using the 4-facet model of psychopathy in community samples, and to date, no studies exist that test for male and female differences. The present study aimed to understand what facets of psychopathy predict aggressive behavior for men and women, while controlling for important…
The Impact of Parental Incarceration on Psychopathy, Crime, and Prison Violence in Women
There is a growing interest in understanding the consequences of parental incarceration. Unfortunately, research exploring the long-term criminological and personality effects in female offspring is limited, particularly among second-generation female offenders. In a sample of 170 female offenders, we first assessed the correlations between psychopathy facets, prison violence, and types of crime. Next, we tested the association between childhood …
Reliability and validity of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised in the assessment of risk for institutional violence: A cautionary note on DeMatteo et al. (2020)
A group of 12 authors (GA) shared a statement of concern (SoC) warning against the use of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991, 2003) to assess risk for serious institutional violence in US capital sentencing cases (DeMatteo et al., 2020). Notably, the SoC was not confined to capital sentencing issues, but included institutional violence in general. Central to the arguments presented in the SoC was that the PCL-R has poor pre…
The PCL–R and capital sentencing: A commentary on “Death is different” DeMatteo et al. (2020a)
DeMatteo et al. (2020a) published a Statement in this journal declaring that the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) “cannot and should not” be used in U.S. capital-sentencing cases to assess risk for serious institutional violence. Their stated concerns were the PCL-R’s “imperfect interrater reliability,” its “variability in predictive validity,” and its prejudicial effects on the defendant. In a Cautionary Note, we (Olver et al., 2020) raised…
Anxiety Mediates the Link Between Psychopathy and Aggression in NGRI Acquittees
Psychopathy has been long associated with anxiety, and anxiety has been argued to play an important role in psychopathy-related behaviors, such as aggression. However, these associations have not yet been explored in Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) Acquittees. The goals of the present study were to test the correlations between the 4-facet psychopathy construct and anxiety, and to assess whether anxiety mediates the association between ps…
Effects of Psychopathy on Neurocognitive Domains of Impulsivity in Abstinent Opiate and Stimulant Users
Background: Psychopathy and substance use disorders (SUDs) are both characterized by neurocognitive impairments reflecting higher levels of impulsivity such as reward-driven decision-making and deficient inhibitory control. Previous studies suggest that psychopathy may exacerbate decision-making deficits, but it may be unrelated to other neurocognitive impairments among substance dependent individuals (SDIs). The aim of the present study was to e…
Interpersonal Trauma Among Women and Men Receiving Buprenorphine in Outpatient Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
People with opioid use disorder (OUD) are vulnerable to negative health outcomes related to substance use and psychosocial issues, such as interpersonal trauma (IPT). Participants receiving buprenorphine completed a cross-sectional survey (July-September 2019). OUD outcomes were prospectively abstracted over a 28-week timeframe. More than a third reported recent IPT (40% women, 36% men). Sexual violence was more common among women than men ( p = …
Exploring changes in violence across two waves of the Covid‐19 pandemic in Richmond, VA
The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic carried with it an increase in violence in the United States and abroad. The proportion of violence cases involving firearms also increased during this time, yet little research has examined these effects using data from the second wave of COVID infections. Explanations for these documented increases in gun violence put forward by scholars include increased firearm purchases, alcohol consumption, unemployme…
The Interplay between Fear Reactivity and Callous–Unemotional Traits Predicting Reactive and Proactive Aggression
Research has indicated that youths with CU traits are fearless, and this fearlessness plays a bidirectional role in both the development of CU traits and engagement in aggressive behavior. However, research specifically testing the role of fear in the association between CU traits and aggression is scarce. The goal of the current study was to test if fear reactivity, both conscious (self-report) and automatic (skin conductance reactivity; SCR), m…
Youths Beliefs About Guns: Exploring Their Impact on Offensive and Defensive Gun Behaviors
This study explored the association between youth gun beliefs, behaviors, and violence. Hierarchical regression examined whether gun beliefs predicted defensive and offensive gun behaviors and gun violence. The EFA confirmed gun belief subscales and indicated two gun behavior subscales. Emotional risk beliefs were negatively related to all outcomes, social perception related to defensive behavior, gun presence related to offensive behavior, and n…
Callous–Unemotional Traits and Gun Violence: The Unique Role of Maternal Hostility
Background/Objectives: Conduct Disorder (CD) involves persistent behavior violating societal norms and others' rights. A subgroup of adolescents with CD exhibits callous-unemotional (CU) traits, which are linked to severe antisocial behavior and poorer long-term outcomes. Research suggests parenting plays an important role in the development of CU traits. However, few studies have explored the role of maternal and paternal parenting practices med…
A new treatment approach to conduct disorder and callous-unemotional traits: An assessment of the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of Impact VR
Findings revealed that youth with CD and key stakeholder groups rate Impact VR favorably and positively. Future research is needed on the effectiveness of Impact VR in improving emotion recognition and reducing CD symptoms
An Exploratory Retrospective Analysis of Racial Disparities in Fall-Related Injuries Among Black and White Breast Cancer Survivors Receiving Chemotherapy
This study highlights racial differences in chemotherapy-associated fall risk. While the findings are observational and limited by data availability, they underscore the need for more inclusive survivorship care and further investigation using detailed clinical and contextual variables. Real-world platforms like TriNetX can help identify early signals of disparities that merit prospective study
Exploring the Association Between Suicidality and Firearm Violence Among Injured Adults
Purpose: Both firearm violence and suicidal behavior have increased over time and pose a serious public health concern. However, few studies have examined the link between the two. This study examined the link between suicidal behaviors, firearm beliefs, and firearm violence. Methods: This study included 371 violently injured adults ( M age = 32.58). Most participants were male (72%) and identified as African American (80%). Recruitment occurred …
Exploring the link between the risk of violent injury in adolescents and historic redlining practices
Violent injuries tend to cluster together geospatially. The discriminatory housing practice of redlining undertaken by the United States federal government in the 1930s has been repeatedly linked with various contemporary community‐level disparities. However, no known work has explored the association between historical redlining and the risk of violent injuries among adolescents. To this end, we utilized surveillance data of adolescent patients …
The Impact of Media Violence, Narcissism and Sex on Reactive and Proactive Aggression in Adolescents: A One-Year Follow-Up Study
Clarifying the relationship between trait aggression and self‐control using random item slope regression
OBJECTIVE: Myriad psychological research evinces a negative association between self-control and aggression with some arguing for self-control failure as a cause of aggression. Recent literature suggests that the relationship between aggression and self-control is likely more complex and even positive in some cases. One source of such conflict in the literature could be the presence of unaccounted for random item slopes in commonly used measures …
Examining the Intersection of Radicalism, Activism, and Gun Violence
Radicalism has been connected to violence, and firearms have become widely used in political violence. However, research has yet to examine radicalism in relation to firearms. This study fills this gap by examining whether radicalism and activism are related to gun beliefs and gun violence. This study included 372 high-risk adults (Mage = 32.66). Most participants were male (72 percent), and African American (80 percent). Studying violently injur…
Relations Between Developmental Assets and Youth Gun Violence
This study investigates the potential promotive effects of developmental assets (e.g., strengths and resources) on youth gun violence. Guided by resilience theory and the social-ecological model, this study examines the associations between developmental assets (e.g., strengths and resources) across multiple ecological contexts and gun violence among a hospital-based sample of violently injured youth ( n = 69) and a community-based sample of yout…
History of Child Maltreatment and Suicide Risk Among Individuals Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence: Examining the Role of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms
Survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) experience significant psychological consequences including high rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. A history of child maltreatment (CM) is also prevalent among IPV survivors and has been identified as a significant risk factor for suicide. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have been proposed as a mechanism by which CM leads to suicide risk; however, this association has yet to be ev…
Poison control (15 works) · Psychology (15 works) · Medicine (14 works) · Injury prevention (12 works) · Clinical Psychology (11 works) · Medical emergency (10 works) · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending (10 works) · Social Psychology (10 works) · Suicide prevention (9 works) · Clinical Psychology (8 works)