Youth with psychopathy features are not a discrete class: a taxometric analysis.
BACKGROUND
Recently, researchers have sought to measure psychopathy-like features among youth in hopes of identifying children who may be progressing toward a particularly destructive form of adult pathology. However, it remains unclear whether psychopathy-like personality features among youth are best conceptualized as dimensional (distributed along a continuum) or taxonic (such that youth with psychopathic personality characteristics are qualitatively distinct from non-psychopathic youth).


METHODS
This study applied taxometric analyses (MAMBAC, MAXEIG, and L-Mode) to scores from two primary measures of youth psychopathy features: the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (N = 757) and the self-report Antisocial Process Screening Device (N = 489) among delinquent boys.


RESULTS
All analyses supported a dimensional structure, indicating that psychopathy features among youth are best understood as existing along a continuum.


CONCLUSIONS
Although youth clearly vary in the degree to which they manifest psychopathy-like personality traits, there is no natural, discrete class of young 'psychopaths.' This finding has implications for developmental theory, treatment, assessment strategies, research, and clinical/forensic practice.
Murrie
Daniel C
DC
Sam Houston State University, USA. Murrie@shsu.edu
Marcus
David K
DK
Douglas
Kevin S
KS
Lee
Zina
Z
Salekin
Randall T
RT
Vincent
Gina
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D011329:Prisoners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*