Construct validity of psychopathy in a female offender sample: a multitrait-multimethod evaluation

Area of Science:

• Forensic Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Psychopathy is a complex construct often studied in male populations.
• Understanding psychopathy in female offenders is crucial for accurate assessment and treatment.
• Previous research has primarily focused on the factor structure of psychopathy in males.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the construct of psychopathy in a sample of 103 female offenders.
• To evaluate the criterion-related validity of psychopathy measures against staff ratings of behavior.
• To explore the factor structure of the Psychopathy Checklist--Revised (PCL-R) in female offenders.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the multitrait-multimethod matrix approach.
• Employed the Antisocial Scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI).
• Administered the Psychopathy Checklist--Revised (PCL-R) and the Antisocial scale of the Personality Disorder Examination (PDE).

Main Results:

• Demonstrated significant convergence and divergence across instruments, supporting the psychopathy construct in female offenders.
• Found moderate convergence between psychopathy measures and staff ratings of violence, aggression, manipulativeness, lack of remorse, and noncompliance.
• An exploratory factor analysis of the PCL-R revealed a different factor structure for women compared to previously established male structures.

Conclusions:

• The findings support the validity of the psychopathy construct in female offenders.
• Psychopathy assessment in women may require consideration of sex-specific factor structures.
• Further research is needed to refine psychopathy assessment tools for female populations.