title: Psychological and behavioral adjustment in female youths with high or low psychopathic traits.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to analyze the role of psychopathic traits in female juvenile delinquency. Using a sample of 236 young females from the Juvenile Detention Centers of the Portuguese Ministry of Justice and schools in the Lisbon area, a group of female youths with high psychopathic traits (n=118; M=15.84 years of age; range=14-18 years of age) and a group of female youths with low psychopathic traits (n=118; M=15.77 years of age; range=14-18 years of age) were formed based on the Portuguese version of the Antisocial Process Screening Device-Self-report (APSD-SR). The results showed that young females with high psychopathic traits start engaging in criminal activities and come into contact with the justice system earlier in life; exhibit higher levels of behavioral problems, conduct disorder, delinquent behaviors and serious criminality; and demonstrate lower levels of self-esteem and pro-social behavior. The importance of some variables in predicting group membership (high versus low psychopathic traits) was established through a binary logistic regression. Our findings reinforce the importance of the psychopathy construct for the early identification of potentially high-risk female youths and for the assessment of female youths who have already come into contact with the judicial system.
authors.affiliation: University of Algarve (UAlg), Portugal. Electronic address: ppechorro@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pedro Santos
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Pechorro
authors.affiliation: Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias (ULHT), Portugal.
authors.forename: Carlos Alberto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Poiares
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa (FM-UL), Portugal.
authors.forename: Rui Xavier
authors.initials: RX
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.affiliation: ISPA-Instituto Universitário (ISPA-IU), Portugal.
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marôco
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Spatial and Organizational Dynamics (CIEO)-University of Algarve (UAlg), Portugal.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Spatial and Organizational Dynamics (CIEO)-University of Algarve (UAlg), Portugal.
authors.forename: Saul Neves
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: de Jesus
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D010556:Personality Tests; D011174:Portugal; D012649:Self Concept
keywords: Behavioral problems; Conduct disorder; Female juvenile delinquency; Psychopathic traits; Self-esteem