Validation of the Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) Scale in a Sample of Italian Students.

Pietro Muratori,Valentina Levantini,Gianluca Sesso,Annalaura Nocentini,Giuseppe Grossi,Simone Pisano,Gabriele Masi,Annarita Milone,Anna Gallani,Carlo Buonanno,Randall T Salekin

doi:10.3390/children8111020

Abstract

This study aimed to further validate the self-reported version of the Proposed Specifiers Conduct Disorder (PSCD) scale, testing the associations between the PSCD with a scale that measures emotional/behavioral difficulties and prosocial behaviors (Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, SDQ). A total of 536 Italian students (47.76% male; 11–14 years) completed the PSCD, while their caregivers and teachers completed the SDQ. A series of confirmatory factor analyses to test the best fitting model were run. The internal consistency of the PSCD was evaluated, and the correlations between the PSCD self-reported scores and SDQ Parent and Teacher report scores were examined. A bi-factor model was fitted with a refined 19-item version of the scale, which showed adequate fit indices. The PSCD total score was strongly associated with higher parent- and teacher-rated conduct problems, hyperactivity, and lower prosocial behavioral symptoms. In conclusion, this study indicated that the self-report PSCD shows preliminary promise as a reliable, easy-to-use tool, for measuring psychopathic traits in Italian children and young adolescents.

Highlights

Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R; [1]), in its revised version, describes psychopathy as a multidimensional construct encompassing at least four components: Interpersonal; Affective; Lifestyle/Behavioral; and Antisocial
We evaluated the internal consistency of the Proposed Specifiers Conduct Disorder (PSCD) score using the mean interitem correlations (MIC) and the ωH for the general factor [33,34]
The ωH represents the ratio of the variance of the general factor compared to the total test variance, which reflects the percentage of systematic variance in unit-weighted total scores that can be attributed to the individual differences on the general factor

Summary

Introduction

Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R; [1]), in its revised version, describes psychopathy as a multidimensional construct encompassing at least four components: Interpersonal (i.e., superficial charm, grandiose self, manipulative tendencies); Affective (i.e., lack of guilt and remorse, shallow affects); Lifestyle/Behavioral (i.e., parasitism, sensation seeking, impulsivity); and Antisocial (i.e., delinquency, criminality). This general multidimensional structure has been replicated in factor analysis-based studies in adults [2,3], and similar findings have been confirmed in children and adolescents [4,5]. Some tools have been developed for assessing all dimensions of psychopathy in childhood and adolescence

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Discussion

Conclusion