This commentary addresses four main issues raised in the original Dawson et al. article1 which suggested that the CAPP-IRS may offer advantages over the PCL-YV. The advantages that were proposed included its content domain, rating scale, personality focus, as well as developmentally sensitive and dynamic items. The Dawson et al. article also criticized the PCL-YV for having a limited research base. In this commentary, we address these issues comparing the PCL-YV and the CAPP-IRS, shedding light on the potential strengths and weaknesses of each measure. We conclude that it is too early to make such claims about the CAPP-IRS, but that the pursuit of understanding adolescent psychopathy, including its content domain and its developmental course, is an important undertaking. We also conclude that there will likely be a number of indices, including those provided by the PCL-YV and perhaps the CAPP-IRS that can help with this aim.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BarkerE.D.SalekinR.T. press. Irritable oppositional defiance and callous unemotional traits: Is the association partially explained by peer victimization?. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry,
2.
BlairR.R.2010. “A cognitive neuroscience perspective on child and adolescent psychopathy”. In Handbook of child adolescent psychopathy, Edited by: SalekinR.T.LynamD.R.SalekinR.T.LynamD.R.156–178. New York: Guilford Press.
CookeD.J.HartS.D.LoganC.MichieC.2010. Towards a clinically informed and comprehensive model of psychopathic personality. Manuscript under review.,
5.
De BritoS.A.MechelliA.WilkeM.JonesA.P.HodginsS.VidingE.BarkerG.J.LaurensK.R.2009. Size matters: Increased grey matter in boys with conduct problems and callous–unemotional traits. Brain: A Journal of Neurology, 132: 843–852.
6.
EdensJ.F.CampbellJ.S.WeirJ.M.2007. Youth psychopathy and criminal recidivism: A meta-analysis of the Psychopathy Checklist measures. Law and Human Behavior, 13: 53–75.
7.
FarringtonD.P.2005. The importance of child and adolescent psychopathy. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33: 489–497.
8.
ForthA.E.BookA.S.2010. “Psychopathic traits in children and adolescents: The relationship with antisocial behaviors and aggression”. In Handbook of child adolescent psychopathy, Edited by: SalekinR.T.LynamD.R.SalekinR.T.LynamD.R.251–283. New York: Guilford Press.
9.
ForthA.E.HareR.D.HartS.D.1990. Assessment of psychopathy in male young offenders. Psychological Assessment, 2: 342–344.
10.
ForthA.E.KossonD.S.HareR.D.2003. The Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version, Toronto, Ontario: Multi-Health Systems.
FrickP.J.O’BrienB.S.WootonJ.M.McBurnettK.1994. Psychopathy and conduct problems in children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103: 700–707.
13.
FrickP.J.MoffittT.E.2010. A proposal to the DSM-V Childhood Disorders and ADHD Disruptive Behavior Disorders Workgroup to include a specifier to the diagnosis of conduct disorder based on the presence of callous unemotional traits, Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
14.
HareR.D.NeumannC.S.2010. The role of antisociality in the sychopathy construct: Comment on Skeem and Cooke (2010). Psychological Assessment, 22: 446–454.
15.
HarpurT.J.HareR.D.HakstianA.R.1989. Two-factor conceptualization of psychopathy: Construct validity and assessment implications. Psychological Assessment, 1: 6–17.
16.
HartS.D.Construct validation and clinical application of a new measure of psychopathy: Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality-Institutional Rating Scale (CAPP-IRS). Vienna, , Austria: Paper presented at the 8th annual conference of the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services.
17.
HawesD.J.DaddsM.R.2007. Stability and malleability of callous-unemotional traits during treatment for childhood conduct problems. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 36: 347–355.
18.
KarpmanB.1949. The psychopathic delinquent child. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 20: 223–265.
19.
KarpmanB.1950. Psychopathic behavior in infants and children: A critical survey of existing concepts. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 21: 223–272.
20.
KotlerJ.S.McMahonR.J.2010. “Assessment of child and adolescent psychopathy”. In Handbook of child adolescent psychopathy, Edited by: SalekinR.T.LynamD.R.SalekinR.T.LynamD.R.79–109. New York: Guilford Press.
21.
KubakF.A.SalekinR.T.2009. Psychopathy and anxiety in children and adolescents: New insights on developmental pathways to offending. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, : 271–284.
22.
LeeZ.SalekinR.T.IselinA.R.2010. Psychopathic traits in youth: Is there evidence for primary and secondary subtypes?. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 38: 381–393.
23.
LeisticoA.R.SalekinR.T.DeCosterJ.RogersR.2008. A large-scale meta-analysis relating the Hare measures of psychopathy to antisocial conduct. Law and Human Behavior, 32: 28–45.
24.
LynamD.R.CaspiA.MoffittT.E.LoeberR.Stouthamer-LoeberM.2007. Longitudinal evidence that psychopathy scores I n early adolescence predict adult psychopathy. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116: 155–165.
25.
LynamD.R.CaspiA.MoffittT.E.RaineA.LoeberR.Stouthamer-LoeberM.2005. Adolescent psychopathy and the Big Five: Results from two samples. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33: 431–443.
26.
OlverM.E.StockdaleK.C.2010. Psychopathy and youth violence: Research, controversies, and clinical utility. British Journal of Forensic Practice, 12(2): 3–13.
27.
OlverM.E.StockdaleK.C.WormithJ.S.2009. Risk assessment with young offenders: A meta-analysis of three assessment measures. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36: 329–353.
28.
PedersenL.KunzC.RasmussenK.ElsassP.2010. Psychopathy as a risk factor for violent recidivism: Investigating the Psychopathy Checklist Screening Version (PCL:SV) and the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP) in a forensic psychiatric setting. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 9: 308–315.
29.
RutterM.2005. What is the meaning and utility of the psychopathy concept?. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33: 499–503.
30.
SalekinR.T.2002. Psychopathy and therapeutic pessimism: Clinical lore or clinical reality?. Clinical Psychology Review, 22: 79–112.
31.
SalekinR.T.2006. “Psychopathy in children and adolescents: Key issues in conceptualization and assessment”. In Handbook of psychopathy, Edited by: PatrickC.J.389–414. New York: Guilford.
32.
SalekinR.T.2008. Psychopathy and recidivism from mid-adolescence to young adulthood: Cumulating legal problems and limiting life opportunities. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 117: 386–395.
33.
SalekinR.T.2009. Psychopathology and Assessment: Contributing knowledge to science and practice. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 31: 1–6.
34.
SalekinR.T.FrickP.J.2005. Psychopathy in children and adolescence: The need for a developmental perspective. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33: 403–409.
35.
SalekinR.T.LeeZ.Schrum DillardC.L.KubakF.A.2010. Child psychopathy and protective factors: IQ and motivation to change. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 16(2): 158–176.
36.
SalekinR.T.LeisticoA.R.NeumannC.S.DiCiccoT.M.DurosR.L.2004. Psychopathy and comorbidity in a young offender sample: Taking a closer look at psychopathy's potential importance over disruptive behavior disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 113: 416–427.
37.
SalekinR.T.LesterW.S.SellersM-K. press. Mental sets in conduct problem youth with psychopathic features: Entity versus incremental theories of intelligence. Law and Human Behavior,
38.
SalekinR.T.LynamD.R.2010. “Child and adolescent psychopathy: The road ahead”. In Handbook of child adolescent psychopathy, Edited by: SalekinR.T.LynamD.R.SalekinR.T.LynamD.R.401–419. New York: Guilford Press.
39.
SalekinR.T.RogersR.MachinD.2001. Psychopathy in youth: Pursuing diagnostic accuracy. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 30: 173–195.
40.
SalekinR.T.WorleyC.B.GrimesR.D.2010. Treatment of psychopathy: A review and brief introduction to the mental models approach. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 28: 235–266.
41.
SchrumC.L.SalekinR.T.2006. Psychopathy in adolescent female offenders: An item response theory analysis of the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 24: 39–63.
42.
SkeemJ.L.CookeD.2010. Is criminal behavior a central component of psychopathy? Conceptual directions for resolving the debate. Psychological Assessment, 22: 433–445.
