Reliability and Construct Validity of Psychopathy Checklist

Abstract

Although recent studies have demonstrated the utility of assessing psychopathic traits in adolescent males, there is substantially less evidence on the utility of assessing psychopathic traits in adolescent females. This study investigated the reliability and construct validity of the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PLC:YV) among a sample of 80 incarcerated adolescent females. Reliability analyses indicated high interrater agreement and internal consistency for PCL:YV scores. Consistent with research on adults and adolescent male offenders, psychopathic traits were associated with a greater number of conduct disorder and alcohol dependence symptoms, earlier onset of criminal behavior, a propensity toward institutional violence, and interpersonal behaviors associated with psychopathy. Consistent with some prior studies of youth, there were no negative relationships between PCL:YV scores and internalizing disorder diagnoses and some positive associations between psychopathy ratings and negative affectivity. Results suggest that assessing psychopathic traits in adolescent females provides meaningful information regarding criminal behavior, patterns, and personality traits in youth.

Attentional bias following frustration in youth with psychopathic traits

“…2. Whereas some studies report relationships between psychopathic traits and antisocial and violent behavior and psychopathology in females similar to those observed in males (Bauer et al, 2011;Marsee, Silverthorn, & Frick, 2005), others suggest lower predictive validity among female adolescents (Odgers, Repucci, Moretti, 2005;Schmidt et al, 2006;Vincent et al, 2008). 3.…”

“…There is substantial evidence that psychopathy ratings in adolescent males provide valid indicators of a syndrome comprised of psychopathic features. Although less extensive and consistent than in males, there is also evidence for the validity of psychopathy in adolescent females (Bauer, Whitman, & Kosson, 2011;Vincent, Odgers, McCormick, & Corrado, 2008). 2 A similar factor structure seems to underlie psychopathy scores in both youth and adults; in both adolescents and adults, variance in clinical measures of psychopathy appears to reflect a constellation of core affective and interpersonal traits (commonly referred to as Factor 1) and a group of antisocial and lifestyle traits (commonly referred to as Factor 2; Jones, Cauffman, Miller, & Mulvey, 2006;Kosson et al, 2013;Neumann, Kosson, Forth, & Hare, 2006; see Frick, Bodin, & Barry, 2000, for evidence of a somewhat similar set of dimensions in parent-and teacher-ratings of psychopathic traits in youth).…”

“…Additional relevant evidence was presented by Levenston, Patrick, Bradley, and Lang (2000). 4 In addition to this variability, the relationship between negative affectivity and psychopathic traits is different in children, where it is often positive (e.g., Bauer et al, 2011;Kubak & Salekin, 2009;Schmidt, McKinnon, Chattha, & Brownlee, 2006), than in adults, where there is usually no significant zeroorder relationship between negative affectivity and psychopathy (Hale, Goldstein, Abramowitz, Calamari, & Kosson, 2004;Hare, 2003;Schmitt & Newman, 1999). In fact, two recent longitudinal studies report that greater negative affectivity and fear reactivity in the second year of life is associated with higher levels of psychopathic traits in the sixth year of life (Gorin et al, 2018;Mills-Koonce et al, 2015).…”

Can callous-unemotional traits enhance the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of serious conduct problems in children and adolescents? A comprehensive review.

“…Four studies summarized in Table 7 reported that CU traits were more common in youths with childhood-onset to their antisocial behavior compared to those with an adolescent-onset (Bauer, Whitman, & Kosson, 2011;Brandt, Kennedy, Patrick, & Curtin, 1997;Dandreaux & Frick, 2009;Silverthorn, Frick, & Reynolds, 2001). However, five studies reported results showing that psychopathic or CU traits predicted more severe antisocial outcomes, even when controlling for age of onset (Basque, Toupin, & Cote, 2012;Loeber et al, 2005;McMahon, Witkiewitz, Kotler, & The Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group, 2010;Stickle et al, 2009;Vitacco, Caldwell, Van Rybroek, & Gabel, 2007).…”

Psychopathic features in young incarcerated females

“…Bauer et al (2011) found F3 to be significantly related to scores on both the Beck Depression Inventory and the Welsh Anxiety Scale (r ¼ 0.41, 0.49, respectively) for young women. Furthermore, they found the number of violent charges to be positively related to F2, and diagnoses of common externalising disorders, such as attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder, to be related to F3.…”