NCJ Number
227508
Journal
Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: July 2009 Pages: 189-207
Date Published
July 2009
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether psychopathy diagnosed at age 13 with the Childhood Psychopathy Scale (CPS) predicted arrests and convictions between the ages of 18 and 26.
Abstract
The study found that diagnosed psychopathy at age 13 was predictive of both arrests and convictions between the ages of 18 and 26, accounting for 6 percent to 7 percent of the variance in these outcomes. Although the addition of control variables that could help explain arrests and convictions in young adulthood reduced the association between juvenile psychopathy and offending in young adulthood, it did not eliminate it. CPS scores at age 13 were one of only five significant distinctive predictors of arrest; the others were race, family structure, delinquent peer associations, and verbal IQ. In the prediction of convictions, CPS scores at age 13 were one of only four distinctive predictors, with the other being family structure, peer delinquency, and verbal IQ. These results provide strong support for the incremental predictive utility of juvenile psychopathy. Research thus far suggests that the construct of juvenile psychopathy should be among the important risk factors for antisocial behavior. Data were obtained from 338 men from the middle sample of the Pittsburgh Youth Study. At age 13, data were collected on demographic variables, parenting practices, peer delinquency, and neighborhood characteristics. Data on juvenile psychopathy, impulsivity, and verbal IQ were collected during a substudy, when the boys were approximately 12.5 years old. Court records were used to obtain data on arrests and convictions between the ages of 18 and 26. 4 tables and 66 references