Monica Epstein

Using the PCL-R to Help Estimate the Validity of Two Self-Report Measures of Psychopathy With Offenders

Two self-report measures of psychopathy, Levenson’s Primary and Secondary Psychopathy scales (LPSP) and the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI), were administered to a large sample of 1,603 offenders. The most widely researched measure of criminal psychopathy, the Hare Psychopathy Checklist—Revised (PCL-R), served as a provisional referent for estimating the construct validity of these self-report measures with offenders. Compared with the LPSP, the PPI displayed higher zero-order correlations with the PCL-R, better convergent and discriminant validity, and more consistent incremental utility in predicting PCL-R scores. Furthermore, using a variant of Westen and Rosenthal’s approach to evaluating the construct validity of a new measure, compared with the LPSP, the PPI’s pattern of associations with measures of 35 external criterion variables was more similar to the pattern observed for the PCL-R. Results generally provide stronger support for the validity of the PPI than the LPSP in offender populations using the PCL-R as a provisional benchmark, particularly for assessing interpersonal and affective features of psychopathy.

Identifying Subtypes Among Offenders With Antisocial Personality Disorder: A Cluster-Analytic Study

The question of whether antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and psychopathy are largely similar or fundamentally different constructs remains unresolved. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994), many of the personality features of psychopathy are cast as associated features of ASPD, although the DSM-IV offers no guidance as to how, or the extent to which, these features relate to ASPD. In a sample of 691 offenders who met DSM-IV criteria for ASPD, we used model-based clustering to identify subgroups of individuals with relatively homogeneous profiles on measures of associated features (psychopathic personality traits) and other constructs with potential etiological significance for subtypes of ASPD. Two emergent groups displayed profiles that conformed broadly to theoretical descriptions of primary psychopathy and Karpmans (1941) variant of secondary psychopathy. As expected, a third group (nonpsychopathic ASPD) lacked substantial associated features. A fourth group exhibited elevated psychopathic features as well as a highly fearful temperament, a profile not clearly predicted by extant models. Planned comparisons revealed theoretically informative differences between primary and secondary groups in multiple domains, including self-report measures, passive avoidance learning, clinical ratings, and official records. Our results inform ongoing debates about the overlap between psychopathy and ASPD and raise questions about the wisdom of placing most individuals who habitually violate social norms and laws into a single diagnostic category.

The connections between adolescents' perceptions of parents, parental psychological symptoms, and adolescent functioning

A total of 150 biological mother–father–adolescent triads were interviewed to investigate adolescents’ perceptions of parents with and without high levels of psychological symptoms in relation to adolescents’ emotional/behavioral functioning. There was a more consistent pattern for sons to show greater externalizing emotional/behavioral problems in relation to levels of adolescents’ perceptions of maternal behaviors (i.e., lower acceptance and higher negative affect toward mother). Daughters, however, appeared to show greater internalizing emotional/behavioral problems in relation to higher levels of paternal depression and anxiety and lower levels of maternal control. Furthermore, both sons and daughters showed evidence of higher emotional/behavioral problems (especially internalizing problems) in relation to triangulation and interparental conflict. The complex patterns of the findings relating to the mother–father–adolescent triads emphasize the importance of including both mothers and fathers in future research of adolescents’ perceptions of parents. D 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Self-Report Measures of Child and Adolescent Psychopathy as Predictors of Offending in Four Samples of Justice-Involved Youth.

The authors examined the relation between self-report psychopathy measures and o ficial records of o fending in four samples of justice-involved youth (total N = 447). Psychopathy measures included the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) and a modified version of the Childhood Psychopathy Scale (mCPS). Measures of o fending included the total number of preadmission arrest charges for three samples (n = 392) and the total number of o fenses in the year following release for two samples (n = 138). Neither measure was a strong correlate of preadmission o fenses. Although mCPS scores were associated with postrelease o fending in one sample, e fects for the APSD were observed only when reo fending was conceptualized as a dichotomous variable, indicating a lack of robustness in this association. The findings suggest caution in the use of self-report measures of psychopathic features for decision making with respect to issues of delinquency risk among justice-involved youth.

The Self-Report Psychopathy Scale and Passive Avoidance Learning: A Validation Study of Race and Gender Effects.

The reliability and validity of the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (SRPS) was examined in a noninstitutionalized offender sample of mixed gender and race. Adequate alpha coefficients were obtained for the total sample and across gender and race. The SRPS was compared to measures of trait anxiety and passive avoidance errors. SRPS total, primary, and secondary scores were positively and significantly correlated with trait anxiety and passive avoidance (commission) errors, but not omission errors. Employing hierarchical regression models, no anxiety, gender, or ethnic effects were found. Intelligence confounded the relationship between psychopathic traits and passive avoidance errors. Findings provide tentative support of the SRPS as a valid measure of psychopathy.

Interparental Conflict, Adolescent Behavioral Problems, and Adolescent Competence: Convergent and Discriminant Validity.

To address the lack of studies examining the convergent and discriminant validity of cross-informant ratings, several statistical approaches were used in this study to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity for ratings of interparental conflict, adolescent behavioral problems, and adolescent competence. A total of 272 adolescent-motherfather triads completed measures assessing interparental conflict, adolescent behavioral problems, and adolescent competence. The validity of these measures appeared questionnable when relationships were examined using Campbell and Fiske’s criteria and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. In contrast, analyses demonstrated adequate fit of cross-informant ratings in a correlated uniqueness model, supporting convergent and discriminant validity. Overall, results suggested that informant effects should be analyzed when examining interparental conflict and adolescent adjustment. These findings emphasize the importance of considering the measurement issues of cross-informant ratings when examining interparental conflict, adolescent behavioral problems, and adolescent competence.

Formal Assessment of Voluntariness With a Three-Part Consent Process

Informed consent that is voluntary and made by an individual who is knowledgeable and competent is a foundational requirement for protecting human subjects from harm and exploitation that could result from research participation. In 1974 Miller and Willner proposed a two-part consent process that involved disclosure of information and assessment of comprehension. The authors propose a brief third component to the consent process: assessment of voluntariness. Three steps are involved: generate a list of potential coercive influences on the basis of the research population and the study context, develop a set of questions to assess the presence and intensity of the impact of these influences, and identify alternative courses of action should coercion be identified.