Assessing the triarchic model of psychopathy in adolescence: Reliability and validity of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) in three samples of Italian community-dwelling adolescents.

Abstract

To assess the psychometric properties and construct validity of the Italian translation of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) in adolescents, we administered the inventory to 3 independent samples of Italian high school students (Ns = 609, 618, and 1,142). Cronbach's alpha values greater than .80 were observed for the TriPM scale scores in all samples. In Sample 1, overall scores on the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory correlated substantially with TriPM total scores, r = .77, p < .001. Data from Study 1 also demonstrated adequate 3-month test-retest reliabilities for the 3 TriPM subscales. In Study 2, TriPM scores significantly predicted scores on a self-report measure of delinquent behaviors, Radjusted2 = .25, p < .001. In Study 3, five-factor domain scores showed significant relations with TriPM scale scores consistent with results reported for adults. Consistent with a hypothesized role of fearlessness in psychopathy, adolescents at high psychopathy risk (i.e., >97th percentile on the TriPM) reported lower fear in response to emotion-eliciting movie clips than low-psychopathy participants. In addition, scores on a measure of hedonistic moral tendencies discriminated between adolescents at high as opposed to low psychopathy. Similarly, scores on the Reflective Function Questionnaire for Youths were negatively correlated with TriPM scores. As a whole, our findings provide further support for the reliability and validity of the TriPM and its cross-cultural utility, and provide initial evidence of its effectiveness with community-dwelling adolescents.