Evaluation of validity and applicability of the Self-Report Psychopathy scale in a Dutch-speaking community sample
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2015-09-25
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en
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Abstract
Psychopathy is a disorder characterized by deficits in personality and behavior and is one of the most important psychological constructs in legal settings since predictive utility for recidivism is high. Findings demonstrate that psychopathic traits are distributed normally in the general population. The Self-Report Psychopathy scale is a self-report questionnaire based on the widely known four-factor model of psychopathy by Hare and colleagues. The present study evaluates the validity and applicability of the SRP-SF scale in a group of 430 Dutch participants. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and the Bayesian Constraint-based Causal Discovery (BCCD) algorithm were used to evaluate the construct of psychopathy and how the four-factor model is reflected in our sample. CFA showed good model fit, with all items making important contributions. Latent correlations among factors were high. BCCD is independent of a priori hypothesis and is able to show causality between variables. It showed a highly interrelated network of items for the SRP-SF where Antisocial items were clustered and lacked direct associations with the other Factor 2 facet, Lifestyle. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) identified five subtypes that indicated an important role for antisocial behavior. These findings are in line with literature on psychopathy, where the role of antisocial behavior in psychopathy has been an issue for a long time. The profiles that were identified with LPA could be explained by findings in literature. Taken together, the present findings support the four-factor solution and indicate that the SRP-SF is a useful measure for psychopathic traits in the general population.
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Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen