Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Investigating the Components of Psychopathic Traits in Youth Offenders

  • Published:
Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Despite widespread acceptance of the importance of psychopathic traits in youth, the relative importance of different components of psychopathy remains controversial. This study was conducted to examine whether the interpersonal and lifestyle facets of psychopathy as measured with a valid clinical measure of psychopathic traits contribute to predicting relevant external criteria on top of the contributions of the affective facet. To address this issue, we conducted multiple regressions predicting antisocial behavior, exposure to violence, and psychopathology in a sample of 225 incarcerated adolescents. Results indicated that ratings on the affective component of psychopathy were important in helping to explain variance in many of the external criterion variables but that ratings on the interpersonal and lifestyle facets also helped to explain unique variance in a range of criteria including violent and non-violent crime, exposure to violence, impulsivity, and anger expression. These studies suggest that multiple components of psychopathy are likely to be important both in predicting real world outcomes and in understanding mechanisms involved in the development and manifestation of these traits.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andershed, H., Hodgins, S., & Tengstrom, A. (2007). Convergent validity of the youth psychopathic traits inventory (YPI): Association with the psychopathy checklist: Youth version (PCL:YV). Assessment, 14, 144–154.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bernstein, D. P., Stein, J. A., Newcomb, M. D., Walker, E., Pogge, D., & Ahluwalia, T. (2003). Development and validation of a brief screening version of the childhood trauma questionnaire. Child Abuse & Neglect, 27, 169–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruehl, S., Chung, O. Y., & Burns, J. W. (2006). Anger expression and pain: An overview of findings and possible mechanisms. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 29, 593–606.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carey, M. P., Faulstich, M. E., Gresham, F. M., Ruggiero, L., & Enyart, P. (1987). Children’s depression inventory: Construct and discriminant validity across clinical and nonreferred control populations. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 755–761.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chinchilla, M. A., & Kosson, D. S. (2016). Psychopathic traits moderate relationships between parental warmth and adolescent antisocial and other high-risk behaviors. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 43(6), 722–738.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christian, E. J., Meltzer, C. L., Thede, L. L., & Kosson, D. S. (2017). The relationship between early life events, parental attachment, and psychopathic tendencies in adolescent detainees. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 48, 260–269.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cleckley, H. (1976). The mask of sanity (5th ed.). St. Louis: C. V. Mosby.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colins, O. F., Andershed, H., Frogner, L., Lopez-Romero, L., Veen, V., & Andershed, A. K. (2014). A new measure to assess psychopathic personality in children: The child problematic traits inventory. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 36, 4–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cooke, D. J., & Michie, C. (2001). Refining the construct of psychopathy: Towards a hierarchical model. Psychological Assessment, 13, 171–188.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Corrado, R. R., Vincent, G. M., Hart, S. D., & Cohen, I. M. (2004). Predictive validity of the psychopathy checklist: Youth version for general and violent recidivism. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 22, 5–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donenberg, G. R., Emerson, E., Bryant, F. B., Wilson, H., & Weber-Shifrin, E. (2001). Understanding AIDS-risk behavior among adolescents in psychiatric care: Links to psychopathology and peer relationships. Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 642–653.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Edens, J. F., Skopp, N. A., & Cahill, M. A. (2008). Psychopathic features moderate the relationship between harsh and inconsistent parental discipline and adolescent antisocial behavior. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37, 472–476. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374410801955938.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forgays, D. G., Forgays, D. K., & Spielberger, C. D. (2010). Factor structure of the state-trait anger expression inventory. Journal of Personality Assessment, 69, 497–507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forth, A. E., & Book, A. S. (2010). Psychopathic traits in children and adolescents: The relationship with antisocial behaviors and aggression. In R. T. Salekin, D. R. Lynam, R. T. Salekin, & D. R. Lynam (Eds.), Handbook of child and adolescent psychopathy (pp. 251–283). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forth, A. E., Kosson, D. S., & Hare, R. D. (2003). The psychopathy checklist: Youth version. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J. (2009). Extending the construct of psychopathy to youths: Implications for understanding, diagnosing, and treating antisocial children and adolescents. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry/La Revue del’Association des psychiatres du Canada, 54, 803–812.

  • Frick, P. J., & Hare, R. D. (2001). The antisocial process screening device. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., & Viding, E. M. (2009). Antisocial behavior from a developmental psychopathology perspective. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 1111–1131.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., O'Brien, B. S., Wootton, J. M., & McBurnett, K. (1994). Psychopathy and conduct problems in children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103(4), 700–707.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., Ray, J. V., Thornton, J. C., & Kahn, R. E. (2014). A developmental psychopathology approach to understanding callous-unemotional traits in children and adolescents with serious conduct problems. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55, 532–548.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hare, R. D. (2003). The psychopathy checklist—Revised (2nd ed.). Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hemphälä, M., & Hodgins, S. (2014). Do Psychopathic Traits Assessed in Mid-Adolescence Predict Mental Health, Psychosocial, and Antisocial, Including Criminal Outcomes, Over the Subsequent 5 Years? Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 59(1), 40–49.

  • Jezior, K. L., McKenzie, M. E., & Lee, S. S. (2016). Narcissism and callous-unemotional traits prospectively predict child conduct problems. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 45, 579–590.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, S., Cauffman, E., Miller, J. D., & Mulvey, E. (2006). Investigating different factor structures of the psychopathy checklist: Youth version: Confirmatory factor analytic findings. Psychological Assessment, 18, 33–48.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kerig, P. K., & Stellwagen, K. K. (2010). Roles of callous-unemotional traits, narcissism, and Machiavellianism in childhood aggression. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 32(3), 343–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klingzell, I., Fanti, K. A., Colins, O. F., Frogner, L., Andershed, A., & Andershed, H. (2016). Early childhood trajectories of conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits: The role of fearlessness and psychopathic personality dimensions. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 47, 236. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-015-0560-0.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kosson, D. S., Cyterski, T. D., Steuerwald, B. L., Neumann, C., & Walker-Matthews, S. (2002). The reliability and validity of the psychopathy checklist: Youth version in non-incarcerated adolescent males. Psychological Assessment, 14, 97–109.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kosson, D. S., Neumann, C. S., Forth, A. E., Salekin, R. T., Hare, R. D., Krischer, M. K., & Sevecke, K. (2013). Factor structure of the hare psychopathy checklist: Youth version (PCL:YV) in adolescent females. Psychological Assessment, 25, 71–83.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs, M. (1982). The Children's Depression Inventory: A self-rated depression scale for school-aged youngsters. Unpublished manuscript, University of Pittsburgh.

  • Kubak, F. A., & Salekin, R. S. (2009). Psychopathy and anxiety in children and adolescents: New insights on developmental pathways to offending. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 31, 271–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynam, D. R., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., Loeber, R., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (2007). Longitudinal evidence that psychopathy scores in early adolescence predict adult psychopathy. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116, 155–165.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Longman, T., Hawes D.J., & Kohlhoff J. (2016). Callous-Unemotional Traits as Markers for Conduct Problem Severity in Early Childhood: A Meta-analysis. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 47(2), 326–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-015-0564-9.

  • McCord, W., & McCord, J. (1964). The psychopath: An essay on the criminal mind. Princeton: Van Nostrand.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neumann, C. S., Kosson, D. S., Forth, A. E., & Hare, R. D. (2006). Factor structure of the hare psychopathy checklist: Youth version (PCL: YV) in incarcerated adolescents. Psychological Assessment, 18, 142–154.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Porter, S. (1996). Without conscience or without active conscience? The etiology of psychopathy revisited. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 1, 179–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salekin, R. S. (2008). Psychopathy and recidivism from mid-adolescence to young adulthood: Cumulating legal problems and limiting life opportunities. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 117, 386–395.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salekin, R. T. (2016). Psychopathy in childhood: Why should we care about grandiose– Manipulative and daring–impulsive traits? The British Journal of Psychiatry, 209, 189–191.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salekin, R. T., Neumann, C. S., Leistico, A. R., DiCicco, T. M., & Duros, R. (2004). Construct validity of psychopathy in a young offender sample: Taking a closer look at psychopathy’s potential importance over disruptive behavior disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 113, 416–427.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salekin, R. T., Brannen, D., Zalot, A., Leistico, A. R., & Neumann, C. S. (2006). Factor structure of psychopathy in youth: Testing the applicability of the new four-factor model. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 33, 135–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, D., & Proctor, L. J. (2000). Community violence exposure and children’s social adjustments in the school peer group: The mediating roles of emotion regulation and social cognition. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 670–683.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sevecke, K., Pukrop, P., Kosson, D. S., & Krischer, M. K. (2009). Factor structure of the hare psychopathy checklist: Youth version in German female and male detainees and community adolescents. Psychological Assessment, 21, 45–56.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spielberger, C. D., Johnson, E. H., Russell, S. F., Crane, R. J., Jacobs, G. A., & Worden, T. J. (1985). The experience and expression of anger: Construction and validation of an anger expression scale. In M. A. Chesney & R. H. Rosenman (Eds.), Anger and hostility in cardiovascular and behavioral disorders (pp. 5–30). Washington, DC: Hemisphere Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanaka-Matsumi, J., & Kameoka, V. A. (1986). Reliabilities and concurrent validities of popular self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and social desirability. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 328–333.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, J. A. (1953). A personality scale of manifest anxiety. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 48(2), 285–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vitacco, M. J., & Kosson, D. S. (2010). Understanding psychopathy through an evaluation of interpersonal behavior: Testing the factor structure of the interpersonal measure of psychopathy in a large sample of jail detainees. Psychological Assessment, 22, 638–649.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Vitacco, M. J., Neumann, C. S., Caldwell, M. F., Leistico, A. M., & van Rybroek, G. J. (2006). Testing factor models of the psychopathy checklist: Youth version and their association with instrumental aggression. Journal of Personality Assessment, 87, 74–83.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walsh, Z., Allen, L. C., & Kosson, D. S. (2007). Substance use disorders and the dimensions of psychopathy :Beyond social deviance. Journal of Personality Disorders, 21, 273–288.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walsh, Z., Swogger, M. T., & Kosson, D. S. (2009). Psychopathy and instrumental violence: Facet level relationships. Journal of Personality Disorders, 23, 416–424.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Whiteside, S. P., Lynam, D. R., Miller, J. D., & Reynolds, S. K. (2005). Validation of the UPPS impulsive behavior scale: A four-factor model of impulsivity. European Journal of Personality, 19, 559–574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, H. W., Woods, B. A., Emerson, E., & Donenberg, G. R. (2012). Patterns of violence exposure and sexual risk in low-income, urban African American girls. Psychology of Violence, 2, 194–207. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027265.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The research and preparation of this article were supported in part by a Pilot Grant from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science to David S. Kosson and Cami K. McBride. We wish to thank Susan G. Korpai, Rosemarie Gray, Louise Loud, Leonard Young, Michael Fletcher, Robert Cesar, the correctional officers, and the adolescents at the Depke Juvenile Justice Complex in Illinois for their consistent support and cooperation of the research reported here. We thank Rachel Tercek, Lindsay Allen Whitman, Josh Greco, Cody Schraft, Sarah Hampton, Melanie Chinchilla, and Hillary Gorin for interviewing the participants.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA

    Kristin A. Ridder & David S. Kosson

Authors
  1. Kristin A. Ridder
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David S. Kosson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David S. Kosson.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

Kristin A. Ridder declares that she has no conflict of interest. David S. Kosson declares that he has no conflict of interest although he receives some royalties from the sale of the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version Technical Manual.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Institutional Review Board of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Experiment Participants

Informed consent was obtained from the parents or guardians of all individual participants included in the study, and informed assent was obtained from the adolescent participants themselves.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ridder, K.A., Kosson, D.S. Investigating the Components of Psychopathic Traits in Youth Offenders. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 40, 60–68 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-018-9654-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-018-9654-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation