A major study into incels has identified the key personality traits that tend to appear in men who are part of the women-hating group.

Incels – short for 'involuntary celibates' – advocate for violence and rape against women, often as retribution for their own lack of romantic and sexual success. This community of young, mostly heterosexual men share their hatred of women with each other online.

The new study was conducted by researchers from the University of Rome, who found that incels often scored highly for anxiety and paranoia.

They also tended to have higher depression scores which could lead to feelings of self-hate and a tendency for suicidal and violent actions.

Incels discuss their hatred of women online. Credit: EyeEm / Alamy Stock Photo.

Many of the incels who took part in the study also displayed a ‘fearful attachment style’ which manifested as clingy or emotionally absent behaviour.

An attachment style is how a person behaves in relationships with others and they are based on the bond an individual had with their parents or primary caregiver during childhood.

A secure attachment style describes when an individual feels protected by their parents or primary caregiver, which leads to them feeling comfortable in relationships in adulthood.

The study identified the personality traits of incels. Credit: Volha Charkashyna / Alamy Stock Photo.

An incel's hatred of women comes from a fear of trusting others and getting hurt which may originate from abuse and emotional neglect during childhood, according to the study.

Paranoia is the mistrust of people, even if there is no evidence that there is a threat – and this can also include jealousy.

Incels tend to be mistrustful of women and they show feelings of hatred towards men who are able to successfully have romantic relationships with women, researchers said.

Anxiety and depression can also contribute to an incel's mode of thinking as both can created feelings of low self-esteem and isolation.

Elliot Rodger shared his hatred of women online before going on a killing spree in 2014. Credit: Facebook.

Researchers behind the study hope that their findings can be used by doctors as a scale to identify men at risk of becoming part of the Incel community, MailOnline reports.

The Incel Trait Scale (ITS) was developed by Dr. Scaptura and Dr. Boyle 2019 and was used in the new study.

Some 770 males aged 18-69, with a median age of 29, were given a series of questionnaires to investigate demographic information, incel traits, depression and anxiety levels, and attachment styles.

The study was published in the The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Incel culture has been linked to violent crimes, including mass killer Elliot Rodger who murdered six people and injured 14 others in Isla Vista, California.

Before committing the crimes, Rodger shared a video to YouTube titled ‘Elliot Rodger’s Retribution’ which outlined his motives. He explained he wanted to punish women for rejecting him and sexually active men who he envied.

He also wrote a 141-page 'manifesto' which detailed his hatred of women, in which he said he couldn’t understand why women didn’t want to have sex with him.