Cross-Validation of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits Across Reporters and Genders in a Sample of Detained Youth

Abstract

The development of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) has contributed importantly to research on the role of callous-unemotional traits in youth offending. However, findings from recent studies have raised questions about the measure’s psychometric properties by yielding discrepant findings about how best to optimize the ICU for capturing meaningful variability in callous-unemotional traits across genders, reporters, and samples. The present study drew data from a sample of justice-involved adolescents and examined the psychometric properties of the ICU across caregiver- and youth self-report versions as well as across genders. Findings suggested that the ICU functioned differently across caregiver- and youth self-report versions and, thus, that different scale variations may better optimize the use of the ICU for caregiver versus youth self-reports. Specifically, findings from the current study supported the use of a youth self-reported ICU scale excluding reverse-coded items and the caregiver-reported full scale. Minimal gender differences emerged. Continued efforts to optimize the psychometric qualities and functional significance of the ICU, particularly the youth self-report form, may enhance efforts both to identify and intervene with the subgroup of youth at particular risk for recidivism.