Psychopathy Screening of Incarcerated Juveniles: A Comparison of Measures

• NCJ Number: 204327
• Journal: Psychological Assessment Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: 2002 Pages: 390-396
• Author(s): Daniel C. Murrie; Dewey G. Cornell
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 7 pages
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded February 24, 2004.

Annotation

This study compared how well brief screening measures corresponded with full-scale assessment of psychopathy among juvenile offenders.

Abstract

The use of full-scale assessment of psychopathy in juvenile offenders is labor-intensive and complex, requiring a lengthy clinical interview and review of records by a well-trained clinician. As such, several screening measures have been developed to identify youths who may warrant a more comprehensive and labor-intensive evaluation. However, more research is being called for on the reliability and validity of these measures because of the ominous connotations that come from the label of psychopath. This study addressed two questions: 1) what is the correspondence among three brief measures of adolescent psychopathy; and 2) can the briefer measures be used to screen for the presence of psychopathic traits that might be further assessed with the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV), a full-scale assessment of psychopathy in juveniles. The researchers studied 117 male juvenile offenders, ages 13–18, recently placed in the intake center for the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice. Among the participants, 59 were African-American, 50 were White, 7 were Hispanic, and 1 was Asian. The studies compared how well the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) Self-Report, the APSD Staff Rating, and Psychopathy Content Scale on the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) corresponded with the PCL:YV. Results of regression analysis found modest correlations between score of the three screening measures and those of the PCL:YV. In addition, there was moderate accuracy, ranging from 67 percent for APSD Staff Rating to 82 percent for APSD Staff Rating and MACI Psychopathy Content Scale, in identifying youth who scored relatively high (>25) on the PCL:YV. These findings provide support for the construct validity of adolescent psychopathy, but raise concern about the correspondence among psychopathy measures. The researchers suggest that further work is needed on the long-term stability and predictive value of the psychopathy construct in adolescents. 4 tables, 1 figure, and 26 references