NCJ Number
155743
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 40 Issue: 3 Dated: (May 1995) Pages: 435-439
Date Published
1995
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study explored the relationship between psychopathy as measured by the Revised Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R) and delinquent behaviors, conduct disorder, and personality disorders in psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents.
Abstract
Thirty adolescent inpatients were assessed for psychopathy, delinquent behaviors, DSM-III-R Axis I disorders, and personality disorder, using the PCL-R; the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents (DICA-R); and the Structured Interview for DSM- III-R Personality Disorders (SIDP-R). The findings show significant relationships between elevated PCL-R psychopathy scores and delinquent behaviors, conduct disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder. The validity of the PCL-R as a measure of psychopathy in adolescence was supported. The PCL-R identified those individuals with conduct-disorder diagnoses and delinquent behaviors without actually applying DSM-III-R conduct disorder criteria. Unexpectedly, the delinquent behavior of "using weapons in fights" was not correlated with significantly elevated PCL-R scores. The authors advise that the findings of this study should be viewed with caution, since there is limited reliability and diagnostic concordance in the use of structured interviews for the diagnosis of personality disorders, and normative data for the PCL-R in adolescents is not available. 1 table, 1 figure, and 23 references