Tried and True? A Psychometric Evaluation of the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles-Short Form.

The Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles-Short Form (PICTS-SF) is an abbreviated 35-item version of the PICTS, a measure of cognitions that support a criminal lifestyle. Despite use in research and clinical work, the PICTS-SF's psychometric properties have not been tested. Using two archival datasets, we analyzed the PICTS-SF's reliability and structural validity in multiply imputed data from adult males and females on probation in a residential treatment facility (n = 514). We also tested the PICTS-SF's reliability and discriminant and postdictive validities among adult males in administrative segregation in prison (n = 95). We found evidence for the PICTS-SF's internal consistency (α and ω ≥ .89), structural validity (CFI = .90, RMSEA = .05), discriminant validity (.22 ≤ r ≤ .39), and postdictive validity for receiving disciplinary infractions (incident rate ratio = 1.04). These results support the PICTS-SF's use in research, and qualified use in clinical applications.

Racial Disparities in Substance Use by Sport Participation Among High School Students.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between team sport participation and substance use, and racial/ ethnic disparities, among U.S. adolescents. METHOD: Data from 6,721 male and 6,761 female high school students in the 2013 Youth Behavior Risk Survey were used. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between team sport participation and substance use across gender and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: Among males, participation in team sports was associated with increased risk for use of smokeless tobacco (odds ratio [OR] = 1.81, 95% CI [1.42, 2.32]), alcohol (OR = 1.30, 95% CI [1.11, 1.52]), and steroids (OR = 1.69, 95% CI [1.26, 2.27]), and decreased risk for use of smoked tobacco (OR = 0.80, 95% CI [0.65, 0.99]) and inhalants (OR = 0.67, 95% CI [0.53, 0.85]). Among females, participation in team sports was associated with increased risk for use of smokeless tobacco (OR = 1.49, 95% CI [1.03, 2.18]) and diet pills (OR = 1.31, 95% CI [1.02, 1.68]), and decreased risk for use of smoked tobacco (OR = 0.60, 95% CI [0.50, 0.72]), cocaine (OR = 0.66, 95% CI [0.46, 0.94]), and prescription drugs (OR = 0.77, 95% CI [0.67, 0.89]). When examined within specific racial/ethnic groups, these patterns were not consistent. CONCLUSIONS: High school athletes are at increased risk for use of smokeless tobacco as well as alcohol, steroids, and diet pills. At the same time, they are at lower risk for use of smoked tobacco, inhalants, and cocaine, compared with non-athlete peers. Specific intersections of race/ethnicity and gender demonstrated deviations from these patterns.