The use of a screening device to assess psychopathy in young offenders

The utility of self-reported psychopathic traits in predicting recidivism among a sample of incarcerated female youths

Only a few studies have prospectively examined the utility of self-reported measures of psychopathic traits in predicting criminal behavior among forensic samples of female youth offenders. The main aim of this study is to compare the utility of two self-report measures of psychopathic-like traits in predicting criminal recidivism among a sample of incarcerated female youths. Participants (N = 76) from the three nation-wide Portuguese juvenile detention centers that admit female youths were followed over two years and prospectively classified as recidivists versus non-recidivists. Logistic regression models controlling for crime frequency and ethnicity revealed that neither the Antisocial Process Screening Device - Self-Report (APSD-SR) nor the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI) and their respective dimensions significantly predicted one- and two-year general recidivism and violent recidivism. Findings mostly suggest there are clear limitations in terms of the incremental utility of self-report measures of psychopathic traits in predicting criminal recidivism among incarcerated female juveniles.

A Prospective Study on Self-Reported Psychopathy and Criminal Recidivism Among Incarcerated Male Juvenile Offenders

The present study examines the utility of three self-report measures of psychopathic traits in predicting recidivism among a sample of incarcerated male juvenile offenders. Participants (N = 214, M = 16.40 years, SD = 1.29 years) from seven Portuguese juvenile detention centers were followed and prospectively classified as recidivists versus non-recidivists. Area under the curve (AUC) analysis revealed that the Antisocial Process Screening Device-Self-Report (APSD-SR) presented the best performance in terms of predicting general recidivism, with the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI) and the Childhood and Adolescent Taxon Scale-Self-Report (CATS-SR) presenting much poorer results. However, logistic regression models controlling for past frequency of crimes and age of first incarceration found that none of these self-report measures significantly predicted 1- or 3-year recidivism, whether general or violent. Findings suggest there are limitations in terms of the incremental utility of self-report measures of psychopathic traits in predicting recidivism among juveniles.

Impulsiveness and Child-to-Parent Violence: The Role of Aggressor's Sex

The aim of the present study was to analyze the role of minors' impulsiveness in the perpetration of child-to-parent violence (CPV), controlling for sex, age, interest allocated to studies, and participant´s and parent´s drug consumption habits, as well as to test the moderating role of the aggressor's sex on impulsiveness. The sample comprised 934 students from high school centers (438 boys and 496 girls), aged between 13 and 21 years. Impulsiveness was assessed through the Barratt's Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), whereas CPV perpetration was assessed employing the Child-to-Parent Aggression Questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that both attentional (β = .09, p < .05; β = .12, p < .001) and motor impulsiveness (β = .26, p < .001; β = .25, p < .001) were related to the perpetration of CPV. Interaction analyses showed a moderating role of the aggressor's sex over motor impulsiveness in the case of CPV towards the father (β = .29, p < .05), and over attentional impulsiveness in the case of CPV towards the mother (β = .45, p < .001). Results confirm the idea that minors' impulsiveness has an effect on the probability of CPV perpetration, which differs according to the sex of the perpetrator.