an examination of the factor structure of the psychopathy checklist

Having access to a large sample, we were able to determine which of these factor
models is most appropriate for use within our sample of females. Our analysis revealed
that the three-factor model was the most promising model which is in line with Jones et
al. (2006) who showed that a modified version of this model was invariant across
gender. Our results also supplement the existing, although also limited, adult female
literature (Jackson et al., 2002; Warren et al., 2003; Weizmann-Henelius et al., 2010)
suggesting that the three-factor model is particularly well-suited to offending females,
regardless of age.
Upon examination of the potential relationship between instrumental aggression
and psychopathic traits among these females, it was discovered that girls classified as
having a high degree of psychopathic traits were not committing more instrumentally
motivated violent acts than girls who scored lower on psychopathy. Numerous
explanations for this finding were explored above, but it seems possible that due to the
relatively less severe nature of violence that these girls are engaging in, they are less
actively monitoring their impulsivity. Perhaps they are viewing these crimes as less
likely to be given harsh sanctions or that their being female may lead to more lenient
treatment by the criminal justice system in comparison to male youth. Another potential
explanation is that these youth may be less motivated to plan incidents that are not as
severe in their nature and conceivably less fulfilling for those with a higher level of
psychopathic traits. Indeed, the callous and unemotional characteristics that are thought
to underpin the disorder (especially at the youth level) may enable youth scoring higher
on the PCL-YV to engage in more cold-blooded planning for serious offences, while the
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