Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD): Factor structure and psychometric properties in a residential school...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Forensic Psychology

Background:

• Psychopathy assessment in youth is crucial for understanding and intervening in conduct problems.
• Existing measures may not fully capture the multifaceted nature of psychopathic characteristics in adolescents.
• The Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder scale (PSCD) offers a novel approach to assessing these traits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the psychometric properties of the self-report version of the Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder scale (PSCD) in a sample of adolescents.
• To validate the four-factor structure of the PSCD: Grandiose-manipulative (GM), Callous-unemotional (CU), Daring-impulsive (DI), and Conduct Disorder (CD).
• To assess the convergent and discriminant validity of the PSCD with externalizing and internalizing disorders.

Main Methods:

• A large sample of adolescents (n = 409; ages 16-19) in a military-style residential facility completed the self-report PSCD.
• Factor analysis was used to evaluate the scale's factor structure.
• Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the relationship between the PSCD and delinquency history.

Main Results:

• Factor analysis supported a four-factor model of the PSCD, consistent with previous research.
• A superordinate PSCD factor significantly predicted self-reported delinquency history.
• The PSCD demonstrated good internal consistency and strong convergent and discriminant validity.

Conclusions:

• The self-report Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder scale shows promise as a valid measure of psychopathic propensities in youth.
• The PSCD's four-factor structure is supported in this adolescent sample.
• Further research is needed to establish the temporal stability of the PSCD.