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Testing Factorial Structure and Validity of the PCL:SV in Lithuanian Prison Population

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Abstract

This study examined the factorial structure and validity of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV) in a European forensic context. A random sample of 257 criminal offenders from the Lithuanian prison population were administered the PCL:SV (Hart et al. 1995). The pattern of validity coefficients in this sample was comparable to other North American and non-North American samples. Several theoretical factorial structures for the PCL:SV were tested and compared. The two-factor model was not supported, while three- and four-factor models provided an acceptable fit to Lithuanian data. The four-factor model showed significantly better fit compared to the two-factor model. Correlations between PCL:SV factors and demographic variables confirm construct validity. However in the four-factor model, when controlling for correlations of the remaining three factors, only the Antisocial factor significantly correlated with variables related to criminal activity. It was concluded that the overall results of the PCL:SV in a male sample of Lithuanian offenders support cross-cultural generalizability of the construct of psychopathy as measured by the PCL:SV.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Robert D. Hare, Ronald Roesch and Craig S. Neumann for their advice and assistance. This study was supported by the Prison Department under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Mykolas Romeris University, Ateities str. 20, LT-08303, Vilnius, Lithuania

    Rita Žukauskienė, Alfredas Laurinavičius & Ilona Čėsnienė

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  1. Rita Žukauskienė
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  2. Alfredas Laurinavičius
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  3. Ilona Čėsnienė
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Correspondence to Rita Žukauskienė.

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Žukauskienė, R., Laurinavičius, A. & Čėsnienė, I. Testing Factorial Structure and Validity of the PCL:SV in Lithuanian Prison Population. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 32, 363–372 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-009-9176-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-009-9176-7

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