Psychopathy Checklist Scores Research Articles

How do childhood conduct problems, callousness and anxiety relate to later offending and adult mental disorder?

Various combinations of childhood conduct problems, callous traits and anxiety may confer increased risk of offending, psychopathic traits and mental disorders. Knowledge of these outcomes in adulthood is limited. To compare adult criminal convictions, psychopathy checklist scores and mental disorders between five groups of men, variously defined in childhood by: (1) callous traits, (2) conduct problems, (3) conduct problems and callous traits, (4) conduct problems and callous traits and anxiety or (5) developing typically. Teachers rated conduct problems, callous traits and anxiety at ages 6, 10 and 12 years. Criminal convictions from age 12 to 24 were extracted from official records. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and diagnostic interviews were completed at age 33. Relative to the typically developing group, the groups with conduct problems, with and without callous traits and anxiety, showed 5-fold elevations in risks of violent convictions and 3 to 4-fold elevations in risk for antisocial personality disorder, while the groups with conduct problems only and with conduct problems plus callous traits plus anxiety were at increased risk for borderline personality disorder. All risk groups obtained higher PCL-R total scores than the typically developing childhood group. It is widely accepted that childhood conduct problems in boys are associated with increased risks of criminal convictions and poorer mental health, but our findings suggest that teachers can identify different subgroups and these have different trajectories. As some subgroups were small, replication is recommended, but our findings offer preliminary support for trialling specific interventions for at risk boys.

Comparing the stability of psychopathy scores in adolescents versus adults: How often is “fledgling psychopathy” misdiagnosed?

Author(s): Cauffman, E; Skeem, J; Dmitrieva, J; Cavanagh, C | Abstract: Can psychopathy be identified as accurately during adolescence as adulthood? To address this developmental question, this study compared the stability of scores on the leading measure of psychopathy, the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL), among 202 adolescent (M = 15.8 years, SD = 0.89) and 134 adult (M = 27.5, SD = 1.08) offenders. Over a 2-year period, adolescents' total scores on the PCL (r =.33) were less stable than those of adults (r =.71). Adolescents' baseline PCL scores also weakly predicted psychopathy classifications 2 years later (AUC =.62), particularly compared with those of adults (AUC =.85). Finally, increases in psychosocial maturity over time predicted decreases in PCL scores for adolescents, but not adults. These results raise questions about reliance upon psychopathy measures to inform decisions about youthful offenders that will have long-term consequences.

Quality of Life—Towards an understanding of individuals with psychopathic tendencies

AbstractThe objectives are to explore: (1) the association between psychopathy and self‐rated quality of life; and (2) the possible role of childhood hyperactivity on the relationships between Psychopathy Checklist (PCL) scores and self‐rated domains of Quality of Life (QoL). Male subjects with a history of criminality at age 11–14 years (n = 108) and matched controls (n = 59) from a Swedish longitudinal project were studied. Self‐rated QoL domains of psychological health, family relationships and work satisfaction were dichotomized and used as dependent variables in calculations of odds ratios (ORs) with dichotomized PCL scores as the independent variable, as assessed at age 38–41. The results showed that for each of the three QoL domains, the proportion of individuals that reported dissatisfaction was significantly higher in both criminals and controls characterized by psychopathic tendencies (PT) compared with the groups with no psychopathic tendencies. Furthermore, the results revealed higher strata‐specific risk of dissatisfaction among the PT individuals for two of the domains: psychological health (OR = 6.58) and work satisfaction (OR = 7.98). Childhood hyperactivity individuals were overrepresented in the PT group. However, hyperactivity did not confound the association between PCL and QoL. The results are discussed in the light of possible treatment implications. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Does interrater (dis)agreement on Psychopathy Checklist scores in sexually violent predator trials suggest partisan allegiance in forensic evaluations?

Many studies reveal strong interrater agreement for Hare's Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) when used by trained raters in research contexts. However, no systematic research has examined agreement between PCL-R scores from independent clinicians who are retained by opposing sides in adversarial legal proceedings. We reviewed all 43 sexual-offender civil-commitment trials in one state and identified 23 cases in which opposing evaluators reported PCL-R total scores for the same individual. Differences between scores from opposing evaluators were usually in a direction that supported the party who retained their services. These score differences were greater in size than would be expected based on the instrument's standard error of measurement or the rater agreement values reported in previous PCL-R research. The intraclass correlation for absolute agreement for the PCL-R Total score from a single rater (ICC 1,A = .39) was well below levels of agreement observed for the PCL-R in research contexts, and below published test-retest values for the PCL-R. Results raise concerns about the potential for a forensic evaluator's "partisan allegiance" to influence PCL-R scores in adversarial proceedings.

Predictive Validity of the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version for Intramural Behaviour in Violent Offenders—A Prospective Study at a Secure Psychiatric Hospital in Germany

To consider the extent to which the presence of psychopathy, as indicated by the psychopathy checklist: screening version (PCL:SV), can predict intramural behaviour in offenders with mental disorders serving compulsory treatment at a German forensic psychiatric hospital. The PCL:SV was used with 48 offenders detained at a forensic psychiatric hospital in Germany. In a prospective design, objective and subjective measures of behaviour were compared for those identified as high and low scorers on the PCL:SV. Data were obtained from hospital records of disciplinary incidents (objective) and from interviews with case managers and therapists (subjective), according to predefined criteria and in standardized forms. The hospital records of the high scorers indicated they had been involved in significantly more disciplinary incidents than low scorers. Their behaviour was also rated significantly more negative by therapists than the low scorers. Numeorus studies found the psychopathy checklist (PCL) score to be a reliable predictor of recidivism in offenders after release. The present study has demonstrated that the PCL score has also predictive validity for intramural behaviour problems in individuals serving compulsory treatment at a forensic psychiatric hospital. As a result, we recommend the routine use of the PCL with offenders starting a period of compulsory detention to identify those at increased risk for problem behaviour.

Psychopathy Checklist Score Predicts Negative Events during the Sentences of Prisoners with Hare Psychopathy: A Prospective Study at a German Prison

This study examined the predictive validity of the German translation of the Psychopathy Checklist-Screening Version (PCL-SV) for negative events during the course of the prison sentence of German prisoners. Using the PCL-SV, we investigated 145 offenders in a German prison at the start of their sentences. We then compared the extreme groups identified by the PCL-SV--the high and low scorers--using a prospective design with respect to negative events and factors during the course of the sentences. This involved the standardized collection of data on both objective records of disciplinary incidents and subjective impressions from prison staff on the basis of operationalized criteria. The high scorers were involved in significantly more disciplinary incidents and were also rated significantly less favourably by prison staff than the low scorers. Until now, the PCL has only been shown to predict recidivism following release from prison. The results of our study show that the PCL also has predictive validity for problems during the course of the sentence. It is therefore recommended that the PCL be used routinely at the start of the prison sentence to estimate the likelihood of subsequent difficulties.

Adult psychopathy and violent behavior in males with early neglect and abuse

Within a Swedish longitudinal project, possible implications of childhood neglect and/or abuse on adult psychopathy checklist (PCL) scores and violent offending were studied. The subjects were males (n=199), recruited from a socially high-risk neighborhood and grouped on an index variable of victimization, yielding high (n=110) and low victimization (n=89) groups. To highlight a possible comorbidity of all three problems in the same persons, a combined dimensional and categorical (configural frequency analysis, CFA) approach was applied. The high victimization subjects exerted significantly more violence, as did subjects with high PCL scores. Furthermore, in the CFA two significant 'types' were found: one type indicating that 'high' victimization in childhood is closely linked to later 'extensive' violence and 'high' PCL scores at adult age in the same individuals; the other supporting a frequent co-occurring of 'low' victimization in childhood, 'none or minor' later indications of violence and 'low' adult PCL scores. The results point to possible underlying mechanisms linked to all three problems characterizing the affected subjects.

The Ray-Osterrieth complex figure test as a neuropsychological measure in criminal offenders

What does the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (CFT) measure in criminal offenders? This study examined neuropsychological and personality test correlates of performance on the Complex Figure Test in a sample of 110 incarcenated criminal offenders. Three standard CFT scores-copy accuracy, memory recall accuracy, and organizational quality-did not discriminate between violent and nonviolent offenders, and were not correlated with either Psychopathy Checklist scores or self-reported anger using the Novaco Anger Scales. CFT performance was significantly correlated with two other standard neuropsychological measures, a short form of the Category Test and the Trail Making Test. As might be expected, CFT scores were positively correlated with WAIS-R Block Design, and to a lesser extent Vocabulary. Organizational quality scores were significantly correlated with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Approximately 27 to 36% of the variance in CFT scores could be explained by the combination of minority status, measures of nonverbal cognitive performance, and self-reported impulsivity.

The Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test as a neuropsychological measure in criminal offenders

What does the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (CFT) measure in criminal offenders? This study examined neuropsychological and personality test correlates of performance on the Complex Figure Test in a sample of 110 incarcerated criminal offenders. Three standard CFT scores-copy accuracy, memory recall accuracy, and organizational quality-did not discriminate between violent and nonviolent offenders, and were not correlated with either Psychopathy Checklist scores or self-reported anger using the Novaco Anger Scales. CFT performance was significantly correlated with two other standard neuropsychological measures, a short form of the Category Test and the Trail Making Test. As might be expected, CFT scores were positively correlated with WAIS-R Block Design, and to a lesser extent Vocabulary. Organizational quality scores were significantly correlated with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Approximately 27 to 36% of the variance in CFT scores could be explained by the combination of minority status, measures of nonverbal cognitive performance, and self-reported impulsivity.

The Psychopathy Checklist and non‐violent offender groups

Cleckley’s concept of psychopathy includes characteristics such as superficial charm, unreliability, and affective poverty. In this study, the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL) and personality questionnaires (MMPI, CPI, EPQ, and SSS) were used to assess 92 non‐violent male offenders. The variable‐based approach was applied in order to study the structure of the PCL and the relationships between the PCL, the PCL factors and the personality questionnaire scores. The results indicated that the personality scale scores failed to correlate positively with the PCL score, with the exception of the MMPI hypomania score. Two PCL factors emerged: factor 1 related to the core personality characteristics of the Cleckley psychopath, and factor 2 referred to a chronically unstable and antisocial lifestyle. In the person‐oriented approach, three offender groups were distinguished based on the cluster analysis of the PCL items; cluster 1 subjects scored high on factor 1 items describing the personality characteristics of Cleckley’s psychopathy. They were psychopaths with a high level of fraud‐like offences. Severely antisocial offenders, starting their criminal behaviour early and having an active criminal lifestyle, comprised cluster 2. Cluster 3 was a group of non‐psychopathic but antisocial and experience‐seeking offenders. The overall results advocated the importance of the PCL as a method of assessing the Cleckley psychopaths and the usefulness of personoriented analysis in differentiating them from others.

Personality and psychopathy of males with a history of early criminal behaviour

Data from three personality inventories—the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) including an Impulsivity scale from the IVE inventory, a short version of two Chapman scales, and the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP)—were studied for a group of 199 male subjects (age range 32–40 years) subdivided ( 1 ) according to the level of Psychopathy Check List (PCL) scores at adult age and (2) according to criminal activity during the age period of 11–14 years. Intelligence scores from the age of 11–14 and ratings of mental health, both from age 11–14 and from adult life, were examined in relation to the PCL and early criminal groupings, respectively. Furthermore, a dimensional description of the PCL was performed on the total sample. Subjects with high PCL scores formed a risk group for developing ‘disinhibitory psychopathology’. They manifested a personality pattern of markedly high impulsivity, monotony avoidance, and psychoticism, and low socialization in combination with high proneness to somatic anxiety. A significant quadratic trend was found for PCL group on the IVE Impulsiveness scale. The early ‘high criminal’ and early ‘low criminal’ groups had significantly lower socialization scores and higher PCL impulsivity item scores than the control group indicating ‘vulnerability’ for developing psychosocial disorders. Furthermore, the early ‘high criminal’ group displayed higher scores on the three PCL factors obtained, denoted ‘Sensation seeking and impulsivity’, ‘Callousness/lack of deep emotions’, and ‘Narcissistic appearance/manipulative’. The results are discussed in terms of usefulness of a classification according to PCL scores, as compared with early criminal activity, when focusing on risk subjects for disinhibitory tendencies.

A Rorschach Investigation of Attachment and Anxiety in Antisocial Personality Disorder

We investigated the constructs of anxiety and attachment in a group of 42 offenders who met the DSM-III-R criteria for antisocial personality disorder. Each antisocial subject's level of psychopathy was assessed with the Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL). Three Rorschach variables related to attachment, anxiety, and coping were compared between subjects scoring greater than or equal to 30 (N = 21) on the PCL and subjects scoring less than 30 (N = 21). Comparison Rorschach variables are also presented from a sample of 60 antisocial personality-disordered offenders. Moderate psychopaths (PCL score, less than 30) produced texture and diffuse shading responses at a significantly greater frequency than severe, or primary, psychopaths (PCL score, greater than or equal to 30). There was no significant difference in the two groups' propensity for producing vista responses. Although there were no significant differences between the coping index scores, the trend suggests less conflictual functioning in the severe psychopaths. A virtual absence of texture responses in the severe psychopaths, and a significantly greater frequency of diffuse shading responses in the moderate psychopaths, add construct validity to the lack of attachment in psychopaths and the role of anxiety in differentiating secondary from primary psychopathy. We view the presence of vista responses in this population as a measure of a failed grandiose self-structure, and note that it often occurs in the records of moderate psychopaths who also present achromatic color responses.

Treating criminal psychopaths in a therapeutic community program

AbstractA Therapeutic Community (TC) treatment program for adult male offenders is summarized and treatment outcome data are discussed. Psychopaths showed less clinical improvement, displayed lower levels of motivation and were discharged from the program earlier than non‐psychopaths. There were significant positive treatment effects for the non‐psychopaths and a mixed group. Psychopathy Checklist scores (Hare, 1985) consistently postdict and predict treatment outcome and attrition from the program.

Psychopathy checklist scores in mentally abnormal offenders: A re-examination

Results of a recent factor analysis of Psychopathy Checklist (PCL) data by Harpur, Hakstian and Hare ( Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 741–747, 1988) enabled a re-examination of results from a previous study using the PCL in a sample of mentally abnormal offender admissions to an English Special Hospital. The latter found that the PCL (15-item version) was unable to satisfactorily discriminate psychopathic from schizophrenic offenders. Two alternative explanations for this were tested. One states that schizophrenic and psychopathic offenders share a common affective deficit. The other alternative states that both schizophrenic and psychopathic offenders share a common propensity to chronic antisocial behaviour. Scores on items from the 15-item version of the PCL which loaded on Harpur et al.'s Factor 1 (selfish, callous and remorseless use of others) and Factor 2 (chronically unstable and antisocial lifestyle) were aggregated. Results of between-group comparisons confirmed the ‘common affective deficit’ explanation and disconfirmed the alternative explanation.