Triarchic psychopathic traits versus self-control: Comparing associations with youth antisocial outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Psychopathy and low self-control are useful constructs for understanding antisociality/criminality. The triarchic model of psychopathy in particular is a recent and promising conceptualisation, composed of boldness, disinhibition, and meanness - three personality traits that have never been studied in tandem with low self-control. AIMS: To test relationships between the triarchic personality traits of boldness, disinhibition and meanness and low self-control with delinquent or antisocial acts. METHODS: In a cross-sectional, self-report study a schools' cohort of 14- to 18-year-olds (Mean 15.91 years, SD = 0.99 years) was recruited from regions in South Portugal and Lisbon, representative of the general population of this age in sex distribution and education. After parental consent, teenage volunteers in small groups completed psychopathy and self-control self-rating scales and then a questionnaire about their criminal or delinquent activities, all on one single occasion and in confidence from school staff or parents. Path analysis was used to test relationships. RESULTS: 567 young people, 256 (45%) of them girls, completed all ratings, 89% of those invited to do so. Low self-control had the strongest relationship with antisocial/criminal acts, followed by the disinhibition or meanness traits of the triarchic psychopathy construct. The boldness trait of the triarchic psychopathy construct had the weakest relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the most effective targets for intervention to prevent or limit antisocial behaviours by young people are likely to be self-control and disinhibition. Behavioural interventions that improve social skills and verbal problem-solving that encourage listening and waiting in response to environmental stimuli are likely to effect reduction of impulsive and aggressive reactions to others and so reduce conduct problems. Since disinhibition and self-control are such overlapping constructs, improvements in one area will generally facilitate improvements in the other area.

Children Exposed to Interparental Violence: A Study of Portuguese Children from 7-9 Years of Age / Niños expuestos a violencia interparental: un estudio de niños portugueses de 7 a 9 años

Abstract Introduction: Exposure to interparental violence is a type of child maltreatment linked to a higher risk of physical and mental health problems. This research considers the experiences of young Portuguese children exposed to interparental violence. The goal is to explore the associations between interparental conflict in children, their perceptions of conflict properties, threat, self-blame, and the relationship with their parents. Method: The research protocol was applied to 888 Portuguese children between 7 and 9 years of age, of whom 123 are victims of interparental violence. Results: The results showed that witnessing interparental conflict is positively correlated with children's self-blame and insight into conflict properties and negatively correlated with children's insight into the parent-child relationship. Conclusion: These results provide strong support for the hypothesis that witnessing interparental conflict is associated with adverse outcomes in young children. Findings highlight the importance of identifying children exposed

Resumen Introducción: La exposición a la violencia interparental es un tipo de maltrato infantil, y está relacionada con mayor riesgo de desarrollo de problemas de salud física y mental. Esta investigación analiza las experiencias de los niños portugueses expuestos a la violencia interparental. El objetivo es explorar la relación entre el conflicto interparental en los niños, sus percepciones sobre las propiedades del conflicto, la amenaza, la culpabilidad y la relación con sus padres. Método: Se ha aplicado el protocolo de investigación a 888 niños portugueses de entre 7 y 9 años, no víctimas (n = 765) y víctimas de la violencia interparental (n = 123). Resultados: Los resultados mostraron que presenciar el conflicto interparental está positivamente asociado a la percepción de culpabilidad de los niños y la percepción de las propiedades del conflicto y negativamente correlacionada con su percepción de la relación padre-hijo. Conclusión: Estos resultados soportan la hipótesis de que presenciar un conflicto interparental está asociado al desarrollo de problemas en niños pequeños. Los resultados destacan la importancia de identificar a los niños que han presenciado el conflicto interparental para desarrollar programas de intervención adecuados.

The Dickman Impulsivity Inventory: Validation and measurement invariance among Portuguese young adults.

The Dickman Impulsivity Inventory (DII) measures impulsive personality related to both negative and positive behaviors and characteristics. The main aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the DII among a Southern-European sample of Portuguese young adults. Our convenience sample (N = 429, M = 22.11 years, SD = 3.35, range = 18-42), composed of women (n = 237, M = 22.08 years, SD = 3.35, age range = 18-42) and men (n = 192, M = 22.14 years, SD = 3.34, range = 18-35), was collected from a university context. The two-factor latent structure of the DII composed of functional and dysfunctional impulsivity was supported, although three items had to be removed due to low standardized loadings, and strong cross-gender measurement invariance was established. Our analyses of the DII also provided evidence of criterion-related validity, known-groups validity, and internal consistency/reliability. Our findings support the use of the DII among Portuguese young adults.

The Role of Low Self-Control as a Mediator between Trauma and Antisociality/Criminality in Youth.

Trauma exposure and low self-control are robustly associated with youth antisocial/criminal problems, but the interrelation of these constructs is unclear when taking into account both traumatic events and reactions. The objective of the present study is to examine self-control mediation effects related to trauma and juvenile delinquency, conduct disorder, crime seriousness, and aggression outcomes. The sample consisted of N = 388 male youth from Portugal (age, M = 16.01 years, SD = 1.03, age range = 13-18 years). Path analysis procedures revealed that self-control partially mediates the relation between trauma events and the examined outcomes and fully mediates the relation between trauma reactions and the examined outcomes. Research on youth trauma should examine both trauma events and trauma reactions because they have differential effects on low self-control and antisocial/criminal outcomes.

A perpetração dos comportamentos antissociais em jovens cabo-verdianos: um estudo preditivo / The perpetration of antisocial behaviours in young cape verdean: a predictive study

Resumo Em Cabo-Verde, desde finais dos anos 90 tem-se assistido a um aumento crescente dos comportamentos antissociais cometidos por jovens com idades compreendidas entre os 12 e os 21 anos. Todavia, o conhecimento acerca dos fatores que estão na génese e manutenção de tais comportamentos revela-se, ainda, incipiente. Neste estudo procurou-se identificar os fatores que predizem comportamentos antissociais auto relatados, recorrendo-se, para o efeito, aoInternational Self-Report DelinquencyStudy (ISRD-3). A amostra foi constituída por 535 alunos de ambos os sexos a frequentar o ensino público secundário em Cabo Verde, sendo 284 (53%) do sexo feminino e 247 (46.25%) do sexo masculino. A idade dos jovens varia entre os 13 e os 21 anos, tendo uma média de idade de 16.66 e um desvio padrão de 2.04. Os resultados indicam que o sexo é um forte preditor da perpetração de comportamentos antissociais, sendo que indivíduos do sexo masculino revelam maior probabilidade de envolvimento em comportamentos antissociais. Os adolescentes com menos atitudes antissociais são também aqueles com menor probabilidade de se envolverem em comportamentos antisociais. Da mesma forma, e ainda que apenas se revele marginalmente significativa, os adolescentes que relatam maior envolvimento em atividades antissociais evidenciam uma maior probabilidade de se envolverem em atividades de ocupação dos tempos livres disruptivas. Estes resultados são analisados em termos das suas implicações para a prevenção da delinquência.

Abstract In Cape Verde, since the end of the 1990s years there has been a significant increase of antisocial behaviors committed by young people (aged 12 and 21). Nevertheless, knowledge of factors that lie at the origin and maintenance of such behaviors still reveals incident or are still at an early stage. In this study, we tried to identify possible risk factors that forecast antisocial behaviour, self-reported by using, for this purpose, the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD-3).The sample consisted of 535 students from both sexes attending public secondary education in Cape Verde, of which 284 (53%) were females and 247 (46.25%) males. The age of young people varies between 13 and 21 years, having an average age of 16.66 and a standard deviation of 2.04. The results indicate that sex is a strong predictor of perpetration of antisocial behaviors, given that males show greater probability of engaging in antisocial behaviors. Teenagers with less antisocial attitudes are also those with less probability to engage in antisocial behaviors. Likewise, and even if only reveals marginally significant, adolescents who report major involvement in antisocial activities highlights a greater probability to engage in disruptive hobby activities. These results are analyzed in terms of their implications for the prevention of delinquency.

Psychometric properties of Basic Empathy Scale among female juvenile delinquents and school youths.

Research on empathy often distinguishes between affective and cognitive empathy, but there is limited knowledge regarding the application or measurement of these two dimensions of empathy among female youth, especially forensic samples of female youth. The main aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Basic Empathy Scale (BES) among a Portuguese sample of female youths (N=377), composed of incarcerated female juvenile offenders (n=103) and school youths (n=274). The two-factor structure of the BES obtained a good fit among the school sample, but the fit among the forensic sample was poor. Both samples demonstrated adequate psychometric properties in terms of Cronbach's alpha, omega coefficient, mean inter-item correlations, corrected item-total correlation range, and criterion validity. However, some caution is advised when using the BES with female youth involved in the juvenile justice system, particularly with incarcerated female youth.

The Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory: Measurement Invariance and Psychometric Properties among Portuguese Youths.

The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI) among a mixed-gender sample of 782 Portuguese youth (M = 15.87 years; SD = 1.72), in a school context. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the expected three-factor first-order structure. Cross-gender measurement invariance and cross-sample measurement invariance using a forensic sample of institutionalized males were also confirmed. The Portuguese version of the YPI demonstrated generally adequate psychometric properties of internal consistency, mean inter-item correlation, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and criterion-related validity of statistically significant associations with conduct disorder symptoms, alcohol abuse, drug use, and unprotected sex. In terms of known-groups validity, males scored higher than females, and males from the school sample scored lower than institutionalized males. The use of the YPI among the Portuguese male and female youth population is psychometrically justified, and it can be a useful measure to identify adolescents with high levels of psychopathic traits.

Validation of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits Among a Portuguese Sample of Detained Juvenile Offenders.

The main aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) among a sample of incarcerated male Portuguese juvenile offenders (N = 221). Based on this sample, the Portuguese version of the ICU demonstrated promising psychometric properties, namely, in terms of factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and concurrent validity that generally justifies its use among this population. Statistically significant associations were found with conduct disorder, age of criminal onset, crime seriousness, physical violence use in committing crimes, alcohol use, cannabis use, and cocaine/heroin use.

Intimate partner violence offenders: Generating a data-based typology of batterers and implications for treatment / La violencia de pareja: generación de una tipología de maltratadores basada en los datos e implicaciones para el tratamiento

Different studies have proposed that batterers can be classified into distinct groups according to psychopathology, violence severity and frequency. The aim of the current study was to define a data-based batterer’s typology and its implications for rehabilitation. Data were collected from 187 male sentenced for intimate partner violence -111 of them to prison and 76 to community service. A cluster analysis supported a three-cluster solution: non-pathological (NP, 40%), antisocial/violent (AV, 27%) and disturbed batterers (DB, 33%). Subsequent analysis showed that AV batterers were profiled through the perpetration of physical and psychological violence, antisocial behaviour, deviant lifestyle, criminal records, inter parental violence and drug abuse; DB batterers, were profiled through behaviours of psychological violence, physical aggression and hostility, clinical symptomatology (e.g., somatisation, depression, anxiety, paranoid ideation), criminal records, antisocial behaviour, and a deviant lifestyle; and NP batterers were not profiled through any of the variables related to criminality and recidivism. Multinomial logistic regression supported different logistic models for batterer types in terms of psychopathological, antisocial and perpetrated violence-type variables. Implications of batterer typology on treatment are discussed (AU)

Diferentes estudios han propuesto que los maltratadores de género pueden ser clasificados en función de la psicopatología, la severidad de la violencia y la frecuencia. Se planteó un estudio de campo con el objetivo de definir una tipología del maltratadores basada en la evidencia y sus implicaciones para la rehabilitación y la reinserción. Para ello se evaluó a 187 varones condenados por violencia de género, de los que 111 cumplían condena en prisión y 76 en servicio a la comunidad. Los resultados de un análisis de clusters avalaron una solución de tres clusters: no-patológicos (NP, 40%), antisociales/violentos (AV, 27%) y maltratadores con psicopatología (MP, 33%). Análisis posteriores mostraron que los maltratadores AV se caracterizaban por ejercer violencia física y psicológica, comportamiento antisocial, estilo de vida desviado, antecedentes penales, violencia interparental y abuso de drogas. Los maltratadores MP mostraban comportamientos de violencia psicológica, agresión física y hostilidad, así como sintomatología clínica (v.gr., somatización, depresión, ansiedad, ideación paranoide), antecedentes penales, comportamiento antisocial y un estilo de vida socialmente desviado. Finalmente los maltratadores NP no se caracterizaban por ninguna de las variables relacionadas con la criminalidad y la reincidencia. Un análisis de regresión logística multinomial avaló diferentes modelos logísticos que diferenciaban entre los tipos de maltratadores en función de la psicopatología, el comportamiento antisocial y el tipo de violencia ejercida. Se discuten las implicaciones de la tipología de maltrato para el tratamiento (AU)