Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) scale: A Latent Profile Analysis with At-Risk Adolescents

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Psychopathology

Background:

• The Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) scale assesses psychopathic traits in youth.
• Previous variable-centered studies support a four-factor structure of the PSCD.
• Understanding distinct subtypes of psychopathic traits in adolescents is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine latent profiles of psychopathic traits in adolescents using the PSCD scale.
• To identify theoretically meaningful and empirically robust subtypes of psychopathic traits in a diverse adolescent sample.
• To investigate the clinical correlates of identified PSCD subtypes.

Main Methods:

• Latent profile analysis was used to analyze PSCD domain scores in a diverse sample of 409 adolescents (modal age 17) from a residential facility.
• The sample was 70.9% White, 20.1% Black, 3.6% Hispanic, and 5.4% other; 80.6% were male.
• PSCD subtype profiles were examined for uniformity across sex and race/ethnicity.

Main Results:

• A four-class solution best represented the data, consistent with adult psychopathy research.
• The identified PSCD subtype profiles were consistent across sex and race/ethnicity.
• Adolescents in the psychopathic trait propensity profile (elevated on all four PSCD domains) had the highest number of arrests and greater externalizing psychopathology.

Conclusions:

• The PSCD is a valid measure for assessing psychopathic trait propensities in youth.
• The study identified distinct, clinically relevant subtypes of psychopathic traits in adolescents.
• These findings offer a person-centered approach to understanding adolescent psychopathy and may inform targeted treatment strategies.