Psychopathy in 3D : using three dimensions to model psychopathic traits in youth

Abstract

This dissertation aimed to study

how to best conceptualize psychopathy in youth, to clarify the role of

adolescents’ socioeconomic background in the manifestation of psychopathy, and

validate the distinction between primary and secondary psychopathy. Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by a constellation of interpersonal, affective, and behavioral characteristics. In short, a bifactor model for psychopathy, examined with the Youth Psychopathic traits Inventory, was superior over other factor structures. That is, psychopathy is represented by a General Psychopathy factor related to all traits, and in addition, three Specific Dimensional factors. This bifactor model showed that the YPI was primarily unidimensional, and invariant for gender, ethnic background, and age. Moreover, socioeconomic status was not a simple risk factor for General Psychopathy, and in youth high on all three dimensions of psychopathic traits, a group with high levels of anxiety (i.e., secondary psychopathy) could be distinguished from a group with low levels of anxiety (i.e., primary psychopathy), with the former showing the most behavior problems. This group seems important targets for intervention and treatment programs. An important finding from these studies is that it is important to consider all three dimensions (i.e., interpersonal, affective, and behavioral) when studying psychopathy in youth.