an examination of the factor structure of the psychopathy checklist

psychopath based on a cut score of 25. Among adult female offenders, Jackson et al.
(2002) found that 6.0% were classifiable as psychopathic using a cut score of 30, and
this percentage increased to 21.9% when using a cut score of 25. The present study
found that 7.0% of the female sample scored above 30, and 23.2% scored above 25,
with both cut scores being indicative of high levels of psychopathic traits. Not
surprisingly, the prevalence of psychopathy among the current sample was smaller in
comparison to studies on male offenders. In fact, females are much less likely than
their male counterparts to be classified as psychopaths. For example, Carpenter (2010)
found that 17.5% of her generally violent youth sample were classifiable as a
psychopath when using a cut score of 30 which is consistent with previous
investigations among both adolescent (e.g., Forth et al., 2003; Kosson et al., 2002) and
adult (e.g., Hare, 2003) male offenders.
While the majority of researchers (and to a lesser degree clinicians) now
acknowledge that psychopathy is a valid construct at the youth level (e.g., Frick, 2009;
Frick et al., 2000; Forsman et al., 2008; Salekin et al., 2006; Salekin et al., 2008;
Vincent & Hart, 2002) the available literature has revealed that the factor structure of the
PCL:YV remains unclear. In fact, some investigators (e.g., Gretton, McBride, Hare,
O’Shaughnessy, & Kumka, 2001; Kosson et al., 2002; Murrie et al., 2004) have argued
that only the PCL:YV total score should be used, given the uncertainty surrounding the
true factor structure of the PCL:YV. However, relying on a total score may mask more
detailed relationships between specific PCL:YV factors and facets and other important
variables such as instrumental aggression. As outlined in the introduction, determining
the factor structure of the PCL:YV is crucial to research on psychopathic traits in youth
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