| dc.description.abstract | With an estimated prevalence in around 1 % of the general population, individuals with psychopathy cause a disproportionate social and economic burden. In tandem with understanding the exact conceptualization of psychopathy, research has expanded to include understanding the syndrome in specific subpopulations. Previous research has shown, for example, that ethnicity and gender subgroups demonstrate important differences in how they manifest the symptoms of this disorder. However, both theoretical and psychometric questions remain regarding whether assessment instruments are capturing the same construct within these subgroups. Given the potential differences in the manifestation of psychopathy across both ethnicity and gender, it is essential to investigate whether existing operationalizations accurately reflect the construct in these subpopulations. The present study investigated the expression of psychopathic traits across gender and three ethnic groups (i.e., Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic) and the potential moderating role of ethnicity and gender in the relationship between psychopathy and relevant external correlates. Such external correlates included childhood trauma, impulsivity, aggression, substance use, and normative and maladaptive personality traits. The samples in the present study comprised both college (N = 1,467 – 8,167) and community (N = 1,050 - 3,639) samples. Using an Item Response Theory (IRT) approach on a contemporary measure, the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure, Differential Item Functioning emerged across both gender and ethnicity. Additionally, IRT results elucidated the need to further psychometrically refine the Triarchic Scales, as captured by the Triarchic Measure of Psychopathy. Furthermore, differential relationships between the Triarchic facets and relevant external correlates across both ethnicity and gender emerged. Relevant external correlates such as childhood trauma, aggression, and impulsivity consistently demonstrated differential associations with the Triarchic scales across both gender and ethnicity. While the study generally supports the use of Triarchic model in various subgroups, findings may reflect unique differences in the expression of psychopathic traits in these subgroups. | en |
