Testing a Four-Factor Model of Psychopathy and Its Association With Ethnicity, Gender, Intelligence, and Violence

• Published in: Journal of consulting and clinical psychology 2005-06, Vol.73 (3), p.466-476
• Main Authors: Vitacco, Michael J, Neumann, Craig S, Jackson, Rebecca L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Affective Measures; African Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Anti-social behaviour; Antisocial Behavior; Antisocial Personality Disorder; Antisocial Personality Disorder - diagnosis; Antisocial Personality Disorder - epidemiology; Antisocial Personality Disorder - ethnology; Behavioural disorders; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - epidemiology; Cognition Disorders - ethnology; Correlation; Ethnicity; European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Factor Analysis; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Four factor model; Gender; Hispanic Americans - statistics & numerical data; Human; Human Sex Differences; Humans; Inpatient; Intelligence; Interview, Psychological; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Disorders; Mentally ill people; Personality; Personality disorders; Predictor Variables; Prevalence; Psychiatric Patients; Psychiatry; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychopathy; Race; Racial and Ethnic Differences; Severity of Illness Index; Sex; Sex Distribution; Social behavior disorders. Criminal behavior. Delinquency; Structural analysis; Structural Equation Models; Surveys and Questionnaires; Violence; Violence - statistics & numerical data; Wechsler Scales
• ISSN: 0022-006X; 1939-2117
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.73.3.466

Although a 2-factor model has advanced research on the psychopathy construct, a 3-factor model was recently developed that emphasized pathological personality and eliminated antisocial behavior. However, dropping antisocial behavior from the psychopathy construct may not be advantageous. Using a large sample of psychiatric patients from the MacArthur Risk Assessment Study ( J. Monahan & H. J. Steadman, 1994 ), the authors used confirmatory factor analysis to test a 4-factor model of psychopathy, which included interpersonal, affective, and behavioral impulsivity dimensions and an antisocial behavior dimension. Model fit was good for this 4-factor model, even when ethnicity, gender, and intelligence variables were included in the model. Structural equation modeling was used to compare the 3- and 4-factor models in predicting proximal (violence) and distal (intelligence) correlates of psychopathy.