Locating triarchic model constructs in the hierarchical structure of a comprehensive trait-based psychopathy measure: Implications for research and clinical assessment.

The triarchic model posits that distinct trait constructs of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition underlie psychopathy. The triarchic model traits are conceptualized as biobehavioral dimensions that can be assessed using different sets of indicators from alternative measurement modalities; as such, the triarchic model would hypothesize that these traits are not confined to any one item set. The present study tested whether the triarchic model dimensions would emerge from a hierarchical-structural analysis of the facet scales of the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment (EPA), an inventory designed to comprehensively index psychopathy according to the five-factor personality model. Study participants (Ns = 811, 170) completed the EPA and three different scale sets assessing the triarchic traits along with criterion measures of antisocial/externalizing behaviors. Bass-ackwards modeling of the EPA facet scales revealed a four-level structure, with factors at the third level appearing similar to the triarchic trait dimensions. An analysis in which scores for the Level-3 EPA factors were regressed onto corresponding latent-trait dimensions defined using the different triarchic scale sets revealed extremely high convergence (ßs = .84-.91). The Level-3 EPA factors also evidenced validity in relation to relevant criteria, approximating and sometimes exceeding that evident for the Level-4 EPA factors. Together, these results indicate that the triarchic trait constructs are embedded in a psychopathy inventory designed to align with a general personality model and effectively predict pertinent external criteria. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Measurement invariance of the inventory of Callous­Unemotional traits in different age groups from preschool age to late adolescence in Germany.

BACKGROUND: Callous-unemotional traits are associated with the development of severe behavior problems, delinquency, and psychopathy. Previous studies have repeatedly shown that CU traits may be present as early as preschool age, and they have consistently used the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) to assess CU traits in children and adolescents. A three-factor structure for the ICU has been widely endorsed. METHOD: The aim of our study is to compare the three-factor structure of the ICU in different age groups (preschool, middle childhood, early, and late adolescence) and to test for measurement invariance in a German sample of N = 2368 children and adolescents (M = 11.76 years; SD = 3.72). RESULTS: The results of our study indicate configural measurement invariance, suggesting that the ICU has the same structure in all age groups but with different meanings, parameters, and mean values in the groups. CONCLUSION: Accordingly, the ICU cannot be applied in the same way to children and adolescents of different age groups, which emphasizes the need for a more differentiated assessment.

"Prototypic personality disorder" and the social issue: The category of psychopathy in Polish psychiatry in the interwar period.

The category of psychopathy has a long history, and its meaning has undergone a notable evolution since its conception in the 19th century. The history of psychopathy has been concentrating mainly on English- and German-speaking psychopathology. This article investigates definitions of psychopathy, its classification, and social issues associated with this category in Polish psychiatry in the interwar period. Polish definitions of psychopathy were influenced predominantly by Ernst Kretschmer's constitutional theory as well as by Eugen Kahn's, William Stern's, and Kurt Schneider's ideas. The term was generally understood as a borderline category denoting states between health and mental illness. As those states could manifest differently, it was thought to be many psychopathies. Two Polish psychiatrists, Maurycy Bornsztajn and Jakub Frostig, presented comprehensive classifications of psychopathies. Social issues associated with the category of psychopathy concentrated on three topics: psychopathy in children as a problem of the prevention of mental disorders; psychopathy as a problem of the justice system, the penitentiary, and military systems; and psychopathy as an issue of eugenics and social usefulness. Polish psychiatrists highlighted the need for the development of national institutions for the care of psychopathic children. Issues of accountability and insanity of psychopaths from the point of view of forensic psychiatry were also discussed. In conclusion, psychopathy in interwar Polish psychiatry was not just one of the personality disorders-it denoted the whole spectrum of characterological disturbances; thus, it rather corresponds to the modern category of personality disorders than to the contemporary understanding of psychopathy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Dysregulation of Plasma Growth Factors and Chemokines in Cocaine Use Disorder: Implications for Dual Diagnosis with Schizophrenia and Antisocial Personality Disorder in an Exploratory Study.

INTRODUCTION: Dual diagnosis in individuals with cocaine use disorders (CUDs) presents a mental health challenge marked by an increased susceptibility to disabling morbidities and premature mortality. Despite extensive research on depression and anxiety, other prevalent comorbidities, such as psychotic and personality disorders, have received less attention. This study explores inflammation-related mediators as potential biomarkers for CUD and dual diagnosis with schizophrenia (SCZ) or antisocial personality disorder (APD). METHODS: This exploratory study included 95 participants, comprising 40 healthy subjects and 55 abstinent patients with CUD. Lifetime CUD was diagnosed either as single diagnosis (CUD group, N = 25) or as a dual diagnosis (DD group. N = 30) with SCZ (CUD+SCZ subgroup) or APD (CUD+APD subgroup). Participants were clinically assessed, and the plasma concentrations of growth factors (i.e., G-CSF, BDNF, and VEGF-A) and chemokines (i.e., CCL11/eotaxin-1, CCL2/MCP-1, and CXCL12/SDF-1) were determined and log(10)-transformed for analysis. RESULTS: Growth factors and chemokines were dysregulated by CUD and psychiatric diagnoses. Specifically, patients in the CUD group exhibited significantly lower concentrations of G-CSF and CCL11/eotaxin-1 than the control group. In contrast, the DD group showed significantly higher concentrations of all analytes than both the CUD and control groups. Additionally, no differences in these analytes were observed between the CUD+SCZ and CUD+APD subgroups within the DD group. Regarding cocaine-related variables, significant associations were identified in the CUD group: an inverse correlation between the age at first cocaine use and the concentrations of BDNF and CCL2/MCP-1; and a positive correlation between the duration of the cocaine abstinence and the concentrations of BDNF and CCL11/eotaxin-1. Lastly, a logistic regression model incorporating all these analytes demonstrated high discriminatory power in distinguishing patients with CUD alone from those with dual diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with dual diagnosis of CUD exhibit elevated concentrations of growth factors and chemokines, distinguishing them from those with CUD alone. It is unclear whether the differences in these inflammatory mediators are specific to the presence of SCZ and APD. The study highlights potential biomarkers and associations, providing valuable insights into the intricate interplay of CUD and psychiatric disorders to enhance clinical diagnosis and therapeutics.

Social preferences and psychopathy in a sample of male prisoners-a pilot study.

Social decisions are influenced by a person's social preferences. High psychopathy is defined by antisocial behaviour, but the relationship between psychopathy and social preferences remains unclear. In this study, we used a battery of economic games to study social decision-making and social preferences in relation to psychopathy in a sample of 35 male prison inmates, who were arrested for sexual and severe violent offenses (mean age = 39 years). We found no evidence for a relationship between social preferences (measured with the Dictator and Ultimatum Games, Social Value Orientation, and one-shot 2 × 2 games) and psychopathy (measured by the overall Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised score and both factors). These results are surprising but also difficult to interpret due to the small sample size. Our results contribute to the ongoing debate about psychopathy and social decision-making by providing crucial data that can be combined with future datasets to reach large sample sizes that can provide a more nuanced understanding about the relationship between psychopathy and social preferences.

Clarifying Relations Between Core Features of Psychopathy and Substance (Mis)use: A Replication and Extension in Two Large Independent Samples.

Two studies examined the consistency of associations between specific components of psychopathy and two indices of drug use: (a) abstinence and (b) severity (i.e., counts) of lifetime substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms. Participants were 418 male county jail inmates in Illinois (Study One) and 354 male state prison inmates in New Mexico (Study Two). Across samples, lifestyle and antisocial trait ratings were associated with a reduced likelihood of abstinence from most substances. Lifestyle traits were also uniquely associated with severity of substance dependence ratings. Consistent with prior research, interpersonal traits were uniquely related to cocaine indices in both samples. Furthermore, analyses revealed negative associations between the affective features of psychopathy and alcohol dependence in one sample (Study Two), and illicit substance use across samples. These findings demonstrate the robustness of the associations between the interpersonal and affective features of psychopathy and specific aspects of substance (mis)use.

Superhomicide offenders: Nosology, empirical features, and linkages to sexual and multiple murder typologies.

The nosology for criminals who murder multiple victims is at once well-established and controversial, perhaps because theorists have largely segregated such offenders from the broader criminal population. The current study introduces the superhomicide offender, an individual convicted of at least five murders, to locate multiple homicide offenders within the criminological and epidemiological science pertaining to the most pathological offenders, and statistically place them with other conceptualizations of severe offenders at the 95th percentile of the offending distribution. Relative to other capital murderers, superhomicide offenders have lengthier criminal history, greater conviction history, and coextensive psychopathology characterized by psychopathy, sexual sadism, homicidal ideation, cluster A and B personality disorders, and major depressive disorder. Superhomicide offenders are profoundly psychopathic with 20 of the 39 offenders reaching the clinical threshold of 30 or more on the PCL-R, and 19 of the 39 are sexually sadistic. Regarding extant typologies of sexual and multiple homicide offenders, 15 are serial murderers, 17 are sexual homicide offenders, 17 are mass murderers, and 17 are spree murderers. Twenty-four of the 39 superhomicide offenders (61.5%) met criteria for multiple typologies, suggesting the new prototype can help unify the study of those who perpetrate multicide and embed them within criminological and epidemiological models that specify pathological antisocial outcomes.

Executive functioning in antisocial behavior: A multi-level systematic meta-analysis.

Neurobiological information - including executive functioning - is increasingly relevant for forensic clinical practice, as well as for the criminal justice system. Previous meta-analyses report that antisocial populations show impaired performance on executive functioning tasks, but these meta-analyses are outdated, have limitations in their methodological approach, and are therefore in need of an update. The current multi-level meta-analysis including 133 studies (2008-2023) confirms impaired performance in executive functioning (d=.42), but studies are heterogeneous. Several moderator analyses showed that neuropsychological test used, type of executive function component, and control group characteristics moderated the overall effect. Specifically, matching psychiatric problems in the non-antisocial control group eliminated any differences in executive functioning between groups. No moderation effects were found for assessment quality, hot or cold executive functions, and various population characteristics. These results could indicate that the assessment of executive functioning in antisocial populations may be less relevant for recidivism risk assessment than thought, although this should first be assessed in prospective longitudinal studies. Executive functioning could potentially be used to identify or screen for individuals with certain treatment needs or be used as a responsivity factor, especially in disorders which are often underdiagnosed in criminal justice settings.

Validation of the Italian version of the Dark Tetrad at Work scale.

This study presents and validates the Italian adaptation of the Dark Tetrad at Work (DTW) scale, an instrument for assessing four socially aversive personality traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy and sadism) in the context of the workplace. A total of 300 Italian-speaking participants (50% female, M age = 32 years ± 9.2) and 253 English-speaking participants (38% female, M age = 39 years ± 12.1) were recruited via an online survey platform. The Italian-speaking sample was used to test the factorial structure, reliability and criterion-related validity of the Italian version of the DTW, whereas the English-speaking sample was used to test cross-language measurement invariance. Results from confirmatory factor analysis showed that the original four-factor model provided the best fit to the data. The Italian DTW scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with reliability coefficients of ω = .77 for narcissism, ω = .80 for Machiavellianism, and ω = .81 for both psychopathy and sadism. Concurrent associations between the DTW scales and negative and positive workplace outcomes supported the criterion validity of the scale. Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism positively correlated with counterproductive work behaviors and workplace bullying, and negatively with organizational citizenship behaviors and affective organizational commitment. In contrast, narcissism exhibited a unique pattern: It correlated positively with positive workplace behaviors and negatively with counterproductive behaviors toward the organization, but it was also found to be a significant predictor of workplace bullying. This finding may reflect multidimensional nature of narcissism, but a note of caution is warranted in interpreting this result, as all measurements relied on self-report instruments, introducing the possibility of socially desirable associations influencing the outcomes. Finally, the comparison with the English sample established configural, full metric and partial scale invariance, allowing for valid cross-language comparisons between Italian and English-speaking populations in the future. Preliminary Italian normative data were provided to offer a benchmark for the interpretation of DTW values. This study provides a reliable and valid instrument tailored to the Italian workforce, enhancing our understanding of dark personality traits within organizational contexts and providing organizations with an effective means to address and manage dark personality traits for a healthier workplace culture.

Diagnosing psychopathy in an intercultural setting: Applications and implications in postcolonial contemporary Mayotte.

International scientific research has extensively studied psychopathy, but few studies focus on an intercultural and postcolonial context. Mayotte, a French overseas collectivity located in East Africa, offers a unique opportunity to study the application and effects of psychopathy diagnosis in the criminal justice field within a social context shaped by colonial legacy. This research uses a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data, to show that in Mayotte, the majority of individuals diagnosed with psychopathy are young, low-income individuals who act in groups. Among them are minors, and the majority have no prior criminal history. This article provides a complementarist reflection on this phenomenon, informed by immersive field anthropology and theoretical contributions from psychology, sociology, and criminology. Through an inductive research process, this study posits the hypothesis that diagnoses of psychopathy in post-colonial contexts may be influenced by complex determinants rooted in collective history and contemporary power relations.

Utility of Multiple Specifiers for Subtyping Oppositional Defiant Problems: Investigating Multiple Psychopathy Dimensions as Specifiers.

Past research has speculated that using grandiose-manipulative (GM) and daring-impulsive (DI) traits, rather than solely callous-unemotional (CU) traits, could better inform subtyping youths with behavioral problems. However, this approach remains largely untested. To further enhance our understanding of this matter, the current study utilized self-report (n = 2,381) and parent-report (n = 1,846) data to examine the utility of three psychopathic dimensions as specifiers for oppositional defiant problems (ODP). Findings showed that ODP was a significant predictor of negative outcomes, while the GM, CU, and DI traits emerged as significant predictors of theoretically and clinically relevant external variables (e.g., conduct problems and proactive aggression), independent of ODP (and age, gender, and socioeconomic status), forming the potential foundation for the development of specifiers for ODP. Furthermore, children presenting ODP alongside heightened levels of the three psychopathic traits demonstrated notably higher scores in important external variables compared to other groups, including but not confined to the subgroup of children with ODP and high CU trait levels. Findings provide preliminary support for employing GM and DI traits as specifiers for ODP. However, more comprehensive evaluations of these specifiers' utility would help inform ongoing discussions before definitively concluding they should be included in diagnostic manuals.

Dark personality traits and deception, and the short dark tetrad (SD4) as integrity screening instrument.

Dark personality traits (Machiavellianism, Narcissism, Psychopathy, and Sadism) have been associated with aversive, unethical, and criminal conduct. Concise measurement tools such as the Short Dark Tetrad (SD4) are popular, because they lend themselves as screening instruments. As such, the scores on these scales are used in various decision-making contexts, and they can have considerable effects on the lives of people who display an unfortunate scoring pattern. The present study explored to what extent high SD4 scores are actually predictive of deceptive behaviour in a matrix puzzle task, in a general community sample (N = 751). Results indicated that 9.9% of participants lied, that is, exaggerated their performance on the matrix task, hoping to increase their likelihood of financial reward. These cheating participants scored higher on all four dark traits. Nonetheless, the overlap between SD4 distributions made it impossible to determine cut-off scores in an attempt to consider scores as actual predictors of deception proneness. When framed in likelihoods, some scores can be diagnostic of deception proneness. Particularly in the context of statement validity assessment, characterized by tools with modest to poor accuracy, SD4 scores may add to diagnostic accuracy.

Evidence-Based Assessment of DSM-5 Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders.

The assessment of oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and intermittent explosive disorder-the Disruptive, Impulse Control and Conduct Disorders-can be affected by biases in clinical judgment, including overestimating concerns about distinguishing symptoms from normative behavior and stigma associated with diagnosing antisocial behavior. Recent nosological changes call for special attention during assessment to symptom dimensions of limited prosocial emotions and chronic irritability. The present review summarizes best practices for evidence-based assessment of these disorders and discusses tools to identify their symptoms. Despite the focus on disruptive behavior disorders, their high degree of overlap with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder can complicate assessment. Thus, the latter disorder is also included for discussion here. Good practice in the assessment of disruptive behavior disorders involves using several means of information gathering (e.g., clinical interview, standardized rating scales or checklists), ideally via multiple informants (e.g., parent-, teacher-, and self-report). A commitment to providing a full and accurate diagnostic assessment, with careful and attentive reference to diagnostic guidelines, will mitigate concerns regarding biases.

O viés da aquiescência e a estrutura fatorial do Dirty Dozen e do Short Dark Triad / Acquiescence bias and the factor structure of the Dirty Dozen and the Short Dark Triad / El sesgo de la aquiescencia y la estructura factual del Dirty Dozen y del Short Dark Triad

A tríade sombria ­ maquiavelismo, narcisismo e psicopatia ­ tem sido tradicionalmente avaliada via inventários de autorrelato. Entretanto, instrumentos de autorrelato podem estar suscetíveis à aquiescência ou tendência a concordar com itens mesmo quando possuem conteúdo antagônico. O presente estudo teve por objetivo investigar a dimensionalidade de dois populares instrumentos de autorrelato da tríade, o Dirty Dozen e o Short Dark Triad, verificando a interferência do viés da aquiescência na estrutura fatorial de cada medida. Participaram do estudo 449 universitários (média de idades= 23,47; DP = 6,76; 64% mulheres). O controle da aquiescência produziu soluções fatoriais mais interpretáveis do que a tradicional modelagem bi-factor, amplamente utilizada na área. Os achados também revelam fragilidades na composição teórica de ambos os instrumentos. Argumenta-se que a economia das medidas breves da "tríade sombria" não deve vir desencontrada de uma estrutura fatorial que reflita o conhecimento atual sobre a multidimensionalidade desses traços

The Dark Triad ­ Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy ­ has been traditionally assessed via self-report inventories. Self-report instruments might be susceptible to acquiescent responding or the tendency to manifest agreement with items even when they are semantically opposed. We investigated the dimensionality of two popular self-report instruments of the Dark Triad, the Dirty Dozen and the Short Dark Triad, and inspected the interference of the acquiescence bias in the factor structure of each measure. Participants were 449 students (mean age of 23.47 years; SD = 6.76; 64% females. Controlling for acquiescence produced factor solutions that were more theoretically interpretable than the standard bi-factor modeling, largely used in the field. Findings also raise questions about the theoretical underpinnings of both instruments. We argue that, despite valuable, brief measures of the Dark Triad traits should not come at the expense of a structure adequately reflecting the current knowledge about the multidimensionality of these traits

La Tríada Oscura (maquiavelismo, narcisismo y psicopatía) se ha evaluado a través de inventarios de autoinformes. El instrumento de autoinforme puede ser susceptible de responder o de la tendencia a manifestar acuerdo con los elementos, incluso cuando se oponen semánticamente.Investigamos la dimensionalidad de dos instrumentos populares de autoinforme de la Tríada, Dirty Dozen y Short Dark Triad, e inspeccionamos la interferencia del sesgo de aquiescencia en la estructura de factores de cada medida. Los participantes fueron 449 estudiantes (edad promedio de 23.47 años; SD = 6.76; 64% mujeres. El control de la aquiescencia produjo soluciones factoriales que eran teóricamente más fáciles de interpretar que el modelo bifactor estándar, ampliamente utilizado en el campo. Los hallazgos también plantean preguntas sobre los fundamentos teóricos de ambos instrumentos. Los rasgos de la Tríada, no deben realizarse a expensas de una estructura que refleje adecuadamente el conocimiento actual sobre la multidimensionalidad de estos rasgos

Structural equation modeling of psychopathic traits in Chilean female offenders using the Self-Report Psychopathy-Short Form (SRP-SF) Scale: a comparison of gender-based item modifications versus standard items

Objective: To examine the utility of the Self-Report Psychopathy-Short Form (SRP-SF) to assess psychopathic traits in female offenders and to test gender-based item modifications. Method: A South American sample of female offenders (n=210) was assessed with the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R); 110 subjects also completed the standard SRP-SF, while 109 completed a version with items rewritten to be more relevant for females. The underlying latent structure of the PCL-R and both versions of the SRP-SF were examined. Results: Most of the modified items showed higher average item responses. The PCL-R showed a stronger association with the modified SRP-SF than with the standard SRP-SF. The four-factor model showed very good fit in accounting for the PCL-R data, consistent with previous research. For both SRP-SF versions, the results indicated good model fit. Structural equation models were tested separately, in which a superordinate SRP-SF factor was set to predict a broad factor reflecting chronic misconduct. Both versions showed good model fit, and the SRP-SF superordinate factor significantly predicted a chronic misconduct factor. Conclusions: Both versions of the SRP-SF adequately reflected psychopathic features in this female sample; the modified items added robustness to representation of these features.

Escala de condutas antissociais e delitivas: estrutura fatorial da versão portuguesa / Scale of antisocial and criminal conducts: factorial structure of the portuguese version

ResumoA Escala de Condutas Antissociais e Delitivas tem vindo a ser usada em vários países como uma medida comportamental do desvio juvenil, evidenciando resultados muito consistentes. Este artigo apresenta e discute a análise da validade empírica da estrutura fatorial da sua versão Portuguesa. A amostra foi constituída por 443 estudantes, 305 do sexo feminino e 138 do sexo masculino, com idades compreendidas entre os 15 e os 23 anos de idade (M = 14,8; DP = 1,90; Mo = 20), maioritariamente de nacionalidade portuguesa (92,1%). Em 60,6% dos casos os/as estudantes frequentavam a universidade. Os resultados sugerem a adequação psicométrica do instrumento, corroborando a estrutura bifatorial proposta em estudos prévios. São discutidas as potencialidades da utilização do instrumento em Portugal (AU).

AbstractThe Scale of Antisocial and Criminal Conducts has been used in several countries as a behavioral measure, showing very consistent results. This paper presents and discusses the analysis of the empirical validity of the factorial structure of its Portuguese version. The sample was comprised of 443 students, 305 female and 138 male, aged between 15 and 23 years (M = 14.8; SD = 1.90; Mo = 20), mostly Portuguese (92%), and 60.6% were college students. Results suggest the psychometric adequacy of instrument, confirming the bi-factorial structure proposed in previous studies. Advantages of its use with the Portuguese population are discussed (AU).

The construct of psychopathy in a Chilean prison population

Objective:To test the four-factor model of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist - Revised (PCL-R) empirical construct of psychopathy in a Chilean prison population by using instruments that supply different types of data.Methods:Two hundred and nine male inmates of the Prison of Los Andes, Chile, were evaluated. Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out with the PCL-R and the Self-Report of Psychopathy - III - Short Form (SRP-III-SF).Results:The distributions of total PCL-R and SRP-III-SF scores were normal (Kolmorogov-Smirnov [K-S] = 1.04, p = 0.230; K-S = 0.812, p = 0.525, respectively), with means of 20.9±6.8 for the former and 61.6±15.2 for the latter. Model fit was good for the PCL-R (Tucker Lewis index [TLI] = 0.96; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.04) and for the SRP-SF (TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.04).Conclusions:The results obtained with the PCL-R and the SRP-SF showed adequate fit to the empirical four-factor model of psychopathy and support this model. As foreseeable, fit was better for the PCL-R, which combines several sources of information.

Confiabilidad de la versión chilena de la Hare PCL-R y validez convergente con otros instrumentos de evaluación de psicopatía / [Reliability of the chilean version of the Hare PCL-R and convergent validity with other assessment tools for psychopathy].

INTRODUCTION: Evaluation of mental health in forensic field is relevant in order to plan interventions and diminish institutional risks. The procedure includes the evaluation of psychopathic traits, which should be assessed by reliable and valid instruments. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the internal congruence of the Chilean version of the PCL-R, and the convergent validity with the PCL: SV, the SRP-III-SF and the IM-P. To explore the utility of the PCL: SV as screening tool. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The population of sentenced inmates of the Jail of Los Andes, Chile, was evaluated in a cross sectional study (N=209 inmates of a universe of 235 eligible subjects). Data was obtained from different sources and the interviews were video-recorded. The PCL-R, PCL: SV, IM-P and SRP-III-SF were used. RESULTS: Cronbach Alpha for the PCL-R total score was 0.97. The correlation of the total PCL-R score with the PCL: SV was 0.87; 0.37 with the SRP-III-SF and 0.75 with the IM-P. Sensibility of the PCL: SV was 1 and specificity 0.90 thus concluding that it is an excellent screening test.

Oxitocina-vasopresina: el futuro en tratamientos / Oxytocin-Vasopressin: the Future of Treatments

Las acciones de la oxitocina contemplan aspectos que incluyen la modulación de conductas destinadas al cuidado y crecimiento saludable de la descendencia. la oxitocina está relacionada con patrones sexuales y conducta maternal, actúa como neurotransmisor en el cerebro ejerciendo un papel esencial regulando el comportamiento social y afectivo. Investigaciones recientes demostraron que la oxitocina aumenta la empatía, facilita la conducta social, la confieanza hacia otros, y modifica la forma de procesamiento de las señales sociales, su codificación e interpretación, para así lograr una adecuada relación con pares. Estudios que apoyan el posible uso terapéutico de estas neurohormonas revelan datos alentadores al demostrar que mejoran la ansiedad social, que la oxitocina reduciría los síntomas psicóticos y disminuye déficit de la cognición social que no mejoran con tratamientos actuales. Por razones farmacocinéticas la vía de administración terpéutica es intranasal, lo cual aporta comodidad en su aplicación. Los trastornos psiquiátricos que se están investigando para evaluar el potencial beneficio del uso de estos neuropéptidos son esquizofrenia, trastornos del espectro autista, trastornos de ansiedad y estrés, y trastorno bordeline de la personalidad. El objetivo de esta revisión es actualizar avances en la investigación que sustentan la tuilización de estos neuropéptidos como propuesta terapéutica en psiquiatría

Oxytocin effects encompass aspects which include the modulation of behaviors intended for the care and healthy gowth of the offspring. Oxytocin is related to sexual patterns and maternal behavior and acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain, playing a key role in social and affective behavior. Recent studies have demonstrated that oxytocin increases empathy, facilitates social behavior, trust towards others, and also changes the way in which social signals are processed, as well as their coding and interpretation, thus leading to a suitable relationship with peers. Studies supporting the potential therapeutic use of these neurohormones reveal encouraging data by demonstrating that these imporve social anxiety, that oxyctocin might reduce psychotic symptoms and social cognitive deficit that do not imporve with the treatments aviable. For pharmacokinetics reasons, the route of administration of oxytocin is intranasal, which makes its application more comfortable. The psychiatric disorders which disorders that are currently being investigated to assess the potential benefit of oxytocin are schizophrenia, autistic spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders and stress, and bordeline personality disorder. The purpose of this review is to provide an updante on the investigations that justify the use of these neuropeptide as therapeutic treatment

Caracterización psicométrica del psychopathy checklist: youth version (PCL:YV) en adolescentes chilenos / Psychometric characterization of the psychopathy checklist: youth version (PCL:YV) in Chilean adolescents

Esta investigación determinó las características psicométricas del Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV; Forth, Kosson & Hare, 2003) en una muestra de 30 adolescentes chilenos, varones, infractores de ley. El análisis de confiabilidad arrojó un alfa = 0.41 para la escala total e indicadores más elevados para sus cuatro facetas (alfa entre 0.53 y 0.76). La validez concurrente establecida en relación a las escalas del Inventario Clínico para Adolescentes de Millon (MACI; Millon, 1993) mostró relaciones significativas moderadas entre el puntaje total del PCL:YV y las escalas del MACI relacionadas con el constructo de psicopatía. Además, se evaluó su relación con dos escalas de psicopatía desarrolladas conceptualmente con ítems del MACI. Los resultados indican que el PCL:YV presenta indicadores de confiabilidad y validez suficientemente adecuados para continuar su estudio en muestras chilenas con el fin de utilizarlo, en un futuro cercano, en la toma de decisiones profesionales relativas a jóvenes infractores de ley.

This research was aimed to determine the psychometric characteristics of the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV; Forth, Kosson & Hare, 2003) in a sample of 30 Chilean male, juvenile offenders. Reliability analysis showed an alpha = 0.41for the total scale and higher indexes for its four facets (alpha between 0.53 and 0.73). The concurrent validity with the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI; Millon, 1993) showed significant associations among the total PCL:YV score and MACI scales related to the psychopathy construct. Besides, the association with two psychopathy scales that were conceptually developed by taking selected MACI items, was assessed. Results indicate that the PCL:YV presents reliability and validity indexes good enough to continue its study in Chilean samples to be use, in the near future, for taking professional decisions with relation to juvenile offenders.