Abstract
The present study examined the incremental validity of four self-report measures of adolescent psychopathy [i.e., Antisocial Process Screening Device self-report version (APSD), Childhood Psychopathy Scale (CPS), Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI), and the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU)] with particular interest in their assessment of callous-unemotional (CU) traits in a sample of 279 (246 males, 33 females) at-risk adolescents (ages 16–18). Analogous subscales across the four measures were weakly to moderately interrelated with no evidence of a true gold-standard self-report assessment of CU traits. Results indicate that CU traits are a multifaceted construct, with specific CU dimensions predicting differential aspects of antisocial behavior. Most notably, callousness predicted aggression incrementally above other CU domains, but not other forms of antisocial behavior. The implications of a multi-dimensional conceptualization of CU traits are discussed.
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Notes
Exploratory correlational analyses of separate callous (2 items), uncaring (3 items), and unemotional (1 item) components of the APSD were also conducted. APSD Callous items were significantly correlated with all 3 CU dimensions on the CPS, with YPI Callous and Remorselessness, and with ICU Callousness and ICU Uncaring. APSD callous items had the largest magnitude of association with ICU Uncaring. APSD Uncaring items were significantly correlated with all CPS and ICU CU dimensions and with YPI Unemotional and Remorselessness. The APSD Unemotional item was only significantly negatively correlated with YPI Unemotional. Regarding behavioral criteria, APSD callous items were significantly correlated with aggression, uncaring items were correlated with all three behavioral criteria, and the APSD unemotional item was not correlated with any of the behavioral criteria. Further examination of these underlying APSD items may be warranted, as research to date has conceptualized APSD CU as unidimensional.
The regression analyses were repeated after removing female participants from the analyses, given the large proportion of male participants in the sample. The pattern of results for each regression model noted above was unchanged.
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Conflict of Interest
Lisa L. Ansel declares that there is no conflict of interest, Christopher T. Barry declares that there is no conflict of interest, Christopher T. A. Gillen declares that there is no conflict of interest, Lacey L. Herrington declares that there is no conflict of interest.
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This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the authors’ affiliated university. Written informed consent was obtained from all parents and assent obtained by all adolescent participants.
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Ansel, L.L., Barry, C.T., Gillen, C.T.A. et al. An Analysis of Four Self-report Measures of Adolescent Callous-Unemotional Traits: Exploring Unique Prediction of Delinquency, Aggression, and Conduct Problems. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 37, 207–216 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-014-9460-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-014-9460-z