Psychometric Characteristics of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory in a Dutch-Speaking Population

Abstract

The Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI) is a self-report measure developed by Lilienfeld and Andrews (1996). The PPI is based on the personality-based approach of psychopathy and it aims to measure the core personality traits of psychopathy in criminal, clinical, noncriminal, and nonclinical populations. In this study, the Dutch adaptation of the PPI was administered to a nonclinical sample of 314 participants representative of the Flemish general population in Belgium. The factorial structure of the Dutch adaptation of the PPI and its scale characteristics were investigated. Its convergent and divergent validity were examined by exploring correlations both at the total score level and at the subscale score level, with self-report questionnaires measuring aggressiveness, impulsiveness, and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) personality disorders. Associations with 3 demographic variables were inspected as well. Most of the PPI subscales were found to have fairly high internal consistency coefficients. They were also found to refer to different but interrelated aspects of psychopathy. The PPI subscales were found to reflect not just personality traits, but also aspects of behavior. Most PPI subscale scores seemed to be affected by gender and age, but not by educational level.