Concurrent, Convergent, and Discriminant Validity of the DSM-5 Section III Psychopathy Specifier.

Section III of the fifth iteration of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) includes an alternative model of personality disorder diagnosis that conceptualizes antisocial personality disorder as an interpersonal, rather than behavioral, construct. However, the diagnostic specifier for psychopathy has been met with recent controversy due to its conceptual and empirical overlap with triarchic boldness, which has been debated as a necessary and sufficient domain of psychopathy. This study examined the concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity of the specifier using canonical correlation analysis in samples of undergraduate students (N = 224) and community adults with prior criminal involvement (N = 306). Findings highlight the specifier as a multidimensional construct with divergent associations across its three facets. There was limited validity evidence for two of the three facets, raising concerns regarding the clinical utility of the psychopathy specifier.

Increasing the Utility of the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality-Lexical Rating Scale (CAPP-LRS): Instrument Adaptation and Simplification.

The Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality-Lexical Rating Scale (CAPP-LRS) is a self-report instrument designed to index psychopathy according to the CAPP psychopathy framework. Developed with the expressed goal of advancing the state of knowledge regarding the specific features of psychopathy, the CAPP model and associated instruments have garnered increasing attention and support in the field. Despite the conceptual strength of the CAPP model, the advanced lexical structure of its primary research tool (the CAPP-LRS) has led researchers to question the utility of the instrument for use with some populations of interest (e.g., forensic/correctional and adolescent/young adult samples). The aim of the present work was to address this issue by creating a lexically simplified, though functionally equivalent, version of the CAPP-LRS to increase accessibility to critically relevant populations. A set of two studies (N = 602) describes the adaptation protocol and the initial validation of the modified instrument.

Content Validation of the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality-Basic Version (CAPP-Basic) Using Prototypical Analysis.

The Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP) is a lexically based conceptual model of psychopathy. Despite widespread use in research settings, the Lexical Rating Scale for the CAPP (CAPP-LRS) requires an advanced reading level for completion. The present study is the first to evaluate the content validity of the CAPP-Basic, a lexically simplified version of the CAPP-LRS designed for use with individuals possessing lower verbal skills. Symptoms were rated by mental health professionals (N = 121). Findings were largely in line with results of previous studies, indicating good content validity of the CAPP-Basic at the domain and symptom level.

Construct Validity of the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP): Examining the Internal Structure and Generalizability of CAPP Self-Ratings Across Gender and Ethnicity.

The Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP) is a recently developed conceptual model of psychopathy designed to index the disorder across 33 personality traits. Although recent research has evidenced support for the CAPP model with respect to the convergent, criterion, and predictive validity of CAPP instruments, little work has examined the optimal internal structure and generalizability of the model and associated measures. The present study sought to elaborate on the construct validity and psychometric properties of the CAPP Lexical Self Rating Scale and determine the utility of the instrument across men and women, and individuals of Caucasian and East Asian descent. Within a large sample of self-identified offenders (N = 1,414), we found strong support for a three-factor model comprising domains reflecting interpersonal dominance, behavioral disinhibition, and deficient emotional attachment. Analyses examining the generalizability of the model provide further insight into its applicability for diverse populations.

Do Community Structural Characteristics Moderate the Association Between Mental Health and the Frequency and Severity of Violent-Behavioral Outcomes in Community Respondents?

In this prospective study, we examined the association between three types of mental health symptom clusters (i.e., psychotic, internalizing, and externalizing) and the frequency and severity of violent-behavioral outcomes, and whether community disadvantage, residential instability, and criminogenic facility density moderated these associations. Study data were derived from 258 community-dwelling adults nested in 60 postal forward sortation areas (FSAs) in a large metropolitan area in Western Canada who were assessed twice over a 6-month period. In addition, census and administrative data were obtained on the same areas. Controlling for sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., age, gender, ethnicity, relationship status, and employment status), lifetime history of violent-behavioral outcomes, and community structural characteristics, internalizing and externalizing mental health symptoms were significantly positively associated with the frequency and severity of subsequent violence perpetration and with the severity of subsequent violent victimization. Several significant interactions were observed: internalizing symptoms increased the risk of frequent and severe violence perpetration in FSAs with high but not low disadvantage, and externalizing symptoms increased the risk of frequent violent victimization in FSAs with a high but not low criminogenic facility density. Only the interactive association of internalizing symptoms and community disadvantage with the severity of violence perpetration, however, remained significant after Bonferroni correction was applied. These findings provide tentative support that associations between mental health and violent-behavioral outcomes can vary with community context. The implication of these findings for assessing and managing violent-behavioral outcomes in the community is discussed.