A Review and Meta-Analysis of the Psychopathy Checklist and Psychopathy Checklist-Revised: Predictive Validity of Dangerousness

The Psychopathy Checklist (PCL/PCL-R) continues to receive recognition among clinicians and researchers for its ability to predict violent and nonviolent recidivism. This article reviews the psychometric properties and the clinical utility of the PCL-R and reports a meta-analysis of 18 studies that Investigate the relationship between the PCL/PCL-R and violent and nonviolent recidivism. We found that the PCL and the PCL-R had moderate to strong effect sizes and appear to be good predictors of violence and general recidivism. As a component of dangerousness assessments, psychologists may want to consider utilizing the PCL-R when making probability statements regarding placement decisions in institutions, parole and conditional release decisions, and community placement decisions for psychiatric patients. The generalizabilfty of the PCL beyond these groups, which have primarily consisted of Anglo-American samples, is still in question and requires further research.     

The clinical application of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) in a prison population.

Psychopathy ratings that employed the PCL-R (Hare, 1985, 1991) were compared in one clinical and three research samples (total N = 285). Differences among the samples were not related to whether ratings were completed under the expressed promise of confidentiality of a research context vs. a pre-parole psychological assessment. The problem of decision errors in prediction is highlighted to address the difficulty in integrating the PCL-R into correctional policy. General issues related to the clinical application of the PCL-R also are discussed.     

Using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised With Female Samples: Reliability, Validity, and Implications for Clinical Utility

Since the introduction of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised in 1991 (PCL-R), numerous studies have examined the reliability and validity of this assessment instrument in samples of institutionalized and noninstitu-tionalized females. We reviewed these data to determine the current state of PCL-R psychopathy assessment in females and to guide a discussion of the clinical utility of the PCL-R in female samples. Here we discuss issues generated by existing data and offer specific research suggestions. This review shows that there is support for the measure's reliability in women and modest support for its validity. However, studies of the predictive utility and the factor structure of the PCL-R in women are required to demonstrate the generalize ability of PCL-R psychopathy to women.     

男性分裂症患者和罪犯攻击行为相关因素对照研究

本研究采用病例对照研究方法，收集了８０例有攻击行为男性分裂症患者和７９例暴力犯罪罪犯，主要从人格特征、智力结构、社会支持和早年不良家庭环境等方面，探索分裂症病人和罪犯攻击行为相关因素的差异。结果发现具攻击行为的分裂症病人较多有攻击行为史，而罪犯的攻击行为前有较多的诱发因素，且与早年遭受父母虐待关系更为密切。     

The Japanese version of the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist-Revised: development and validation

In order to develop a Japanese version of the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist-Revised (MAACL-R), the 66 scored adjectives were translated into Japanese and translated back into English as recommended by Werner and Campbell (1971). Confirmatory factor analyses evidenced the existence of five first-order factors (i.e., the anxiety, depression, hostility, positive affect, and sensation-seeking factors) and the two second-order factors (i.e., the dysphoric and pleasant affect factors) underlying the response to the Japanese MAACL-R. Internal consistency ranged from .73 to .91, and four-week retest reliability ranged from .67 to .74 on the seven scales (Anxiety, Depression, Hostility, Positive Affect, Sensation Seeking, Dysphoria, and PASS). Although correlations with the scales of the State-Trait Personality Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, a sensation-seeking scale, and a subjective well-being scale indicated only acceptable discriminant validity, adequate convergent validity was evidenced by the examination of these correlations. The Japanese version of the MAACL-R seems to be ready for use in research.     

Psychopathy and Detection of Deception In a Prison Population

The effectiveness of detection of deception was evaluated with a sample of 48 prisoners, half of whom were diagnosed psychopaths. Half of each group were “guilty” of taking $20 in a mock crime and half were “innocent.” An examiner who had no knowledge of the guilt or innocence of each subject conducted a field-type interview followed by a control question polygraph examination. Electrodermal, respiration, and cardiovascular activity was recorded, and field (semi-objective) and quantitative evaluations of the physiological responses were made. Field evaluations by the examiner produced 88% correct, 4% wrong, and 8% inconclusives. Excluding inconclusives, there were 96% correct decisions. Using blind quantitative scoring and field evaluations, significant discrimination between “guilty” and “innocent” subjects was obtained for a variety of electrodermal, respiration, and cardiovascular measures. Psychopaths were as easily detected as nonpsychopaths, and psychopaths showed evidence of stronger electrodermal responses and heart rate decelerations. The effectiveness of control question techniques in differentiating truth and deception was demonstrated in psychopathic and nonpsychopathic criminals in a mock crime situation, and the generalizability of the results to the field situation is discussed.     

Prevalence and risk factors of the whole spectrum of sexually transmitted diseases in male incoming prisoners in France

Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) are a public health issue in prison. As inmates are eventually released, it is also a community concern. There are very few data on the entire spectrum of STDs, particularly condyloma among prisoners. To determine the prevalence of all STDs: infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoea, syphilis, and condyloma among entering inmates. A cross-sectional study was conducted in France from November 2000 to June 2003. Male adults entering a prison remand center in Caen had a medical consultation and physical examination including external genital organs and perianal area for condyloma and herpes infection, a urethral swab for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoea detection, and a blood sample for HBV, HCV, HIV, and syphilis serology. Five hundred and ninety-seven inmates agreed to participate in the study. Sixteen percent had at least one STD: 4.0% had condyloma, 4.0% chlamydia infection, and 4.9% were positive for HCV antibodies. Two had early syphilis and 1 had acute HBV, but no HIV infection, neither genital herpes nor gonorrhea. The analysis of the STD risk behaviors did not show any difference between the infected and uninfected participants, except that HCV-positive participants were more likely to be intravenous drug users. Results suggest that a systematic screening of all STDs should be at least proposed to every entering inmate since no demographic or sexual characteristics are consistently associated with STDs. L. Verneuil and J.-S. Vidal are equal contributors to this work.     

CFS prevalence and risk factors over time

The present natural history study examined the course of CFS from 1995-97 (Wave 1) to approximately 10 years later (Wave 2) from a random, community-based, multi-ethnic population. The rate of CFS remained approximately the same over the period of time from Wave 1 to Wave 2, although a high level of mortality was found (18% of those with medical or psychiatric exclusions group, 12.5% for the CFS group). Physical measures of disability and fatigue, along with measures of specific somatic symptoms, better differentiate individuals who later are diagnosed with CFS than more psychosocial measures such as stress and coping.     

Psychopathy and community violence among civil psychiatric patients: results from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study

Although psychopathy is recognized as a relatively strong risk factor for violence among inmates and mentally disordered offenders, few studies have examined the extent to which its predictive power generalizes to civil psychiatric samples. Using data on 1,136 patients from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment project, this study examined whether the 2 scales that underlie the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV) measure a unique personality construct that predicts violence among civil patients. The results indicate that the PCL:SV is a relatively strong predictor of violence. The PCL:SV's predictive power is substantially reduced, but remains significant, after controlling for a host of covariates that reflect antisocial behavior and personality disorders other than psychopathy. However, the predictive power of the PCL:SV is not based on its assessment of the core traits of psychopathy, as traditionally construed. Implications for the 2-factor model that underlies the PCL measures and for risk assessment practice are discussed.     

Psychopathy and Physiological Responses to Threat of an Aversive Stimulus

Physiological activity was monitored while 64 prison inmates awaited delivery of a 120dB tone during a 12-sec “count-down” procedure. The inmates were divided into four groups on the basis of global ratings of psychopathy (interrater reliability = .86) and scores on the Socialization (So) scale. Twelve inmates in the group considered to be most psychopathic (high ratings of psychopathy and low So scores) showed larger increases in heart rate and smaller increases in electrodermal activity in anticipation of the tone than did 20 inmates in the group considered to be least psychopathic (low ratings of psychopathy and high So scores). These findings were consistent with those of several previous studies, and were interpreted as a reflection of an association between psychopathy and the operation of efficient mechanisms for coping with threat.     

Upper respiratory tract infection: predisposing factors and duration of symptoms in patients over 12 years of age

Some patients suffer greatly from upper respiratory tract infections, while others suffer much less. Various factors, such as allergy and nasal injury, have been suggested in the literature to predispose patients to infection. Predisposing factors and patterns of disease were examined in a prospective, controlled study of 238 patients attending two general practices. A questionnaire, designed to study the development and duration of upper respiratory symptoms and the occurrence of factors which predispose patients to disease, was completed for index and control patients when they presented with symptoms. A follow-up card was completed by index patients one month later.     

Psychopathy in Youth and Intelligence: An Investigation of Cleckley's Hypothesis

Cleckley (1941) hypothesized that true or "primary" psychopathic individuals have "good" intelligence. This study examined the relation between psychopathy and intelligence in 122 detained children and adolescents. We used the Psychopathy Checklist–Youth Version (PCL–YV; Forth, Kosson, & Hare, 2003) to assess psychopathy and administered novel intelligence measures to tap diverse interpretations of the intelligence construct (e.g., traditional and triarchic intelligence). Structural equation modeling indicated that dimensions of psychopathy and intelligence were related in unique and important ways. In particular, psychopathy traits reflecting a superficial and deceitful interpersonal style were positively related to intellectual skills in the verbal realm (Kaufman's Brief Intelligence Test [K–BIT]; Kaufman & Kaufman, 1990) and a nontraditional intellectual measure reflecting creativity, practicality, and analytic thinking as measured by Sternberg's Triarchic Abilities Test (STAT; Sternberg, 1993). Finally, the results also suggested that psychopathy traits reflecting disturbances in affective processing were inversely associated with verbal intellectual abilities. Thus, Cleckley's hypothesis was partially supported by the data, when taking into account the facets of psychopathy and when examining intelligence from the perspective of traditional and more novel and contemporary intellectual models.     

Reducing STD and HIV risk behavior of substance-dependent adolescents: a randomized controlled trial

A randomized controlled trial assessed 3 interventions designed to increase safer sex behaviors of substance-dependent adolescents. Participants (N = 161) received 12 sessions of either a health information intervention (I only), information plus skills-based safer sex training (I + B), or the same experimental condition plus a risk-sensitization manipulation (I + M + B). The I + B and I + M + B conditions, as compared with the I only condition, (a) produced more favorable attitudes toward condoms; (b) reduced the frequency of unprotected vaginal sex; and (c) increased behavioral skill performance, frequency of condom-protected sex, percentage of intercourse occasions that were condom protected, and number of adolescents who abstained from sex. The intervention that included the risk-sensitization procedure was more resistant to decay. An unexpected finding was that the I + B and I + M + B conditions produced substantial increases in sexual abstinence.     

Psychopathy and Selective Attention During Performance of a Complex Perceptual-Motor Task

Autonomic and electrocortical activity were recorded while prison inmates with high (H) and low (L) ratings of psychopathy were presented with a series of binaural tone pips, either by themselves (passive attention) or while video games were being played (selective attention). During selective attention the subjects were told that the tone pips were irrelevant to the primary task, the video games. The N100 component of the auditory evoked potential was used as an index of attention paid to the tone pips, while performance on the video games was considered to be a reflection of attentiveness to the primary task. There were no group differences in N100 amplitude or latency during passive attention, supporting the results from several previous studies. During selective attention Group H gave small N100 responses to the tone pips during each video game trial, including the first one, while Group L gave large N100 responses to the tone pips during the first trial, and small responses during later trials. Both groups performed equally well during the first few trials, but while the performance of Group L continued to improve, that of Group H deteriorated over the last few trials. The results were interpreted in terms of limited capacity models of attention, and provided some support for the hypothesis that psychopaths allocate a relatively large proportion of their attentional resources to things of immediate interest, effectively ignoring other stimuli.     

57例对人恐怖症的病理心理及心理治疗效果分析

目的：探讨对人恐怖症的病理心理和认识领悟心理治疗效果。方法：通过对57例对人恐怖症的个性特征、幼年性经历、恐怖症状的意义、性教育、青春期生活挫折调查分析，了解其病理心理成因，采有SCL-90量表评定心理治疗效果。结果：大多数对人恐怖症病人性格内向、羞怯、恐怖症状具有性含意、存在着幼年性经历和歪曲性观念，青春期生活挫折使性幻想时，感到羞耻、自责、怕被人发现而出现对人恐怖症状，幼年性经历的忆起和自责加剧病情，阻碍正常心理的发展，生活挫折使症状明朗化，心理治疗效果良好。     

Psychopathy in youth and intelligence: an investigation of Cleckley's hypothesis.

Cleckley (1941) hypothesized that true or "primary" psychopathic individuals have "good" intelligence. This study examined the relation between psychopathy and intelligence in 122 detained children and adolescents. We used the Psychopathy Checklist-Youth Version (PCL-YV; Forth, Kosson, & Hare, 2003) to assess psychopathy and administered novel intelligence measures to tap diverse interpretations of the intelligence construct (e.g., traditional and triarchic intelligence). Structural equation modeling indicated that dimensions of psychopathy and intelligence were related in unique and important ways. In particular, psychopathy traits reflecting a superficial and deceitful interpersonal style were positively related to intellectual skills in the verbal realm (Kaufman's Brief Intelligence Test [K-BIT]; Kaufman & Kaufman, 1990) and a nontraditional intellectual measure reflecting creativity, practicality, and analytic thinking as measured by Sternberg's Triarchic Abilities Test (STAT; Sternberg, 1993). Finally, the results also suggested that psychopathy traits reflecting disturbances in affective processing were inversely associated with verbal intellectual abilities. Thus, Cleckley's hypothesis was partially supported by the data, when taking into account the facets of psychopathy and when examining intelligence from the perspective of traditional and more novel and contemporary intellectual models.     

Psychopathy and suicidality in female offenders: mediating influences of personality and abuse

The influence of personality and childhood abuse on suicidal behaviors and psychopathy was examined among female prisoners. Scores on the affective/interpersonal component (Factor 1; F1) and the antisocial deviance (Factor 2; F2) component of psychopathy were obtained from the Psychopathy Checklist--Revised (R. D. Hare, 1991). Suicide attempt and childhood physical and sexual abuse history were coded from interviews and prison files, and personality was assessed using the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (A. Tellegen, in press). Suicide attempts were positively associated with F2 and negatively associated with F1, and each factor accounted for unique variance in suicidality. Path analyses demonstrated that personality mediated the effects of physical abuse on F2, but sexual abuse accounted for unique variance in both suicide attempts and F2. Abuse and personality accounted for minimal variance in F1. These results are discussed in relation to the identification of individuals at risk for both self- and other-harm behaviors.     

Trauma-induced weight loss and cognitive deficits among former prisoners of war

Former prisoners of war (POWs) from the Korean Conflict and WWII reporting confinement weight losses of greater than 35% (n = 60) and less than or equal to 35% (n = 113) and non-POW combat veterans (n = 50) were compared on WAIS-R and Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) Logical Memory indices. High weight-loss POWs performed more poorly than combat veterans on Performance IQ, Arithmetic, Similarities, and Picture Completion subtests, Witkin-Goodenough Attention-Concentration Factor, and WMS Immediate and Delayed Recall and more poorly than low weight-loss POWs on Arithmetic, Attention-Concentration Factor, and the WMS immediate memory measure. Low weight-loss POWs and combat veterans differed only on WMS immediate memory. Findings support the Thygesen, Hermann, and Willanger (1970) hypothesis that severity of POW confinement stress reflected by trauma-induced weight loss is predictive of long-term compromise in cognitive performance.