Literature linking aggressive behavior across internalizing and externalizing disorders support the co‐occurrence of aggression and various mental health diagnoses. However, research has yet to examine relationships between aggression and dimensional psychopathology models that cut across diagnostic boundaries (e.g., internalizing, externalizing composites) and capture shared liability across common disorders. The role of gender has also been largely ignored in prior work, despite evidence that men and women manifest psychopathology differently. The present study examined cross‐sectional and longitudinal relationships between psychopathology composites (i.e., Internalizing, Externalizing) and different manifestations of physical aggression (i.e., aggressive traits, general violence, physical intimate partner violence, and self‐directed aggression), as well as moderation by gender. Internalizing (INT) and Externalizing (EXT) lifetime symptoms and various physically aggressive behaviors were assessed at baseline and at 6 months and 1 year follow up in a sample of 319 adults with violence and/or substance use histories. Cross‐sectional results showed that INT was associated with all forms of aggression, and women showed stronger relationships between INT and both physical intimate partner violence (IPV) and self‐directed aggression. EXT was specifically linked to general violence, and a stronger relationship between EXT and self‐directed aggression emerged in men compared to women. Longitudinal relationships were mostly small and nonsignificant. Results support the co‐occurrence of aggression with distinct forms of psychopathology, as well as gender‐dependent relationships, but do not support the predictive validity of symptom composites in aggression risk. Findings implicate the need for aggression interventions tailored within gender.

The Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) was developed as a measure to assess the multifaceted model of psychopathic traits in children/youth (i.e., grandiose–manipulative [GM], callous–unemotional [CU], and daring–impulsive [DI] traits) in addition to Conduct Disorder (CD) symptoms. This study aims to test the psychometric properties of the PSCD-self-report version across community ( n = 648; 52.9% female) and forensic male youth ( n = 258) from the Portuguese population. Results supported a general factor and four specific factors (GM, CU, DI, CD), which was invariant across gender and sample type. Evidence for reliability, construct, and temporal validity were also found. Overall, the PSCD appears to be a promising measure for assessing psychopathic traits in youth from both community and forensic settings, which may contribute to the discussion around the conceptualization, assessment, predictive value, and clinical usefulness of the multifaceted model of psychopathy in youthful populations, particularly in its association with CD.

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