Further evaluation of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure: Evidence from community adult and prisoner samples from Portugal.

Abstract

The Triarchic Measure of Psychopathy (TriPM) was developed to assess manifest expressions of biobehavioural liabilities relevant to psychopathy and other forms of mental illness. Psychometric findings have been examined for a number of international translations of the TriPM, but further work is needed to evaluate its cross-cultural applicability and its properties in clinical versus nonclinical samples. The present study sought to evaluate the reliability and criterion-related validity and characterize the internal factor structure of the European Portuguese version of the TriPM in a large community sample (N ϭ 1,833), and examine its ability to differentiate between community and prisoner (N ϭ 240) samples. Reliability and criterion-related validity analysis supported the TriPM as an effective measure of psychopathic traits. Internal structure was characterized using exploratory structural equation modeling to specify bifactor models for the TriPM's three subscales and for the inventory as a whole; the model for each subscale included a general factor and a variable number of specific factors as determined by parallel analysis. These modeling analyses demonstrated unidimensionality for each TriPM subscale, and provided support for the triarchic structure of the TriPM as a whole. Additionally, Receiver Operating Characteristics analysis showed that the disinhibition score, as assessed by the TriPM, is the most sensitive for differentiating between prisoner and community samples. Our results are in line with other reports regarding the psychometric properties of the TriPM and provide further evidence for the construct validity of the TriPM.

Boldness Personality Traits Are Associated With Reduced Risk Perceptions and Adoption of Protective Behaviors During the First COVID-19 Outbreak

“…trait fearlessness and externalizing vulnerability) seem to potentiate risk-related behaviors and potentially reduce the adherence to public health measures. Indeed, the triarchic psychopathic traits have been linked to psychological mechanisms and relevant behaviors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, further supporting our hypotheses: (a) boldness is associated with reduced reported anxiety and threat sensitivity (Paiva et al, 2020b), possibly reducing risk perceptions and the frequency of protective behaviors (Pasion et al, 2020;H1); (b) meanness relates to reduced empathic concern toward others overall disregard for authority (Patrick et al, 2009;Paiva et al, 2020b), being possibly associated with lower perceived probability of infecting others and reduced protective behaviors (H2); and (c) disinhibition represents a close correlation to antisocial behavior (Patrick et al, 2009), possibly related to disregard for protective recommendations, and thus to a reduced frequency of protective behaviors (H3). Additionally, we intended to test the mediating role of risk perceptions on the associations between psychopathic traits and adoption of protective behaviors through exploratory mediation analysis.…”

“…In fact, a previous national survey found compelling evidence for the role of anxiety in predicting the adoption of protective measures ( Pasion et al, 2020 ). Specifically, while trait-like anxiety generally predisposes disinhibited individuals to manifest disruptive behavior by reducing the behavioral initiation threshold ( Patrick et al, 2009 ; Paiva et al, 2020b ), state anxiety related to the COVID-19 circumstances may prevent risk-taking behaviors in these individuals, as suggested by the results of the regression analysis. Finally, meanness trait entails characteristics of high interpersonal value, such as blunted empathy and lack of close attachment to others ( Patrick et al, 2009 ), sharing trait fearlessness characteristics with boldness along with patterns of externalizing behavior with disinhibition.…”

“…Items on all subscales are scored on a 4-point Likert scale with the following answers: false, somewhat false, somewhat true, and true. All participants completed the European Portuguese version of the TriPM (for details on the factor structure and validity see Paiva et al, 2020b ). The three subscales revealed good internal consistency (all Cronbach’s α > 0.78).…”

Refining the link between psychopathy, antisocial behavior, and empathy: a meta-analytical approach across different conceptual frameworks

“…For this purpose, it is important to bear in mind that reactive aggression is the most expected outcome when talking about externalizing expressions of behavior in psychopathy (Blais et al, 2014;Brennan & Baskin-Sommers, 2020b;Long et al, 2014;Paiva et al, 2020a;Woodworth & Porter, 2002). Consequently, difficulties in emotion regulation and inhibitory control have been argued as the putative mediating factors between psychopathic impulsive-disinhibition traits and reactive aggression (Donahue et al, 2014;Long et al, 2014;Paiva et al, 2020b;Weidacker et al, 2017).…”

“…From a developmental perspective, growing up in abusive environments interferes with children's ability to identify hostile cues and will reflect on higher levels of physiological arousal, since infants need to be capable of continuously detecting social cues that convey signals of potential danger (e.g., anger displays). Research links disinhibition, violent and abusive experiences during growth, hostile tendencies, and reactive aggression in a common framework (Blair, 2018;Brennan & Baskin-Sommers, 2020aDodge, 2006;Paiva et al, 2020a;Richey et al, 2016), which provides valuable insights on the etiological pathways of the maladaptive expressions of impulsive-disinhibition psychopathy traits.…”