Abstract
New instrumentation measuring psychopathic-like-traits and aggression in children and adolescents suspended from mainstream school were developed. One hundred and seventeen psychopathy related items and 63 aggression items were generated from reviews of current instrumentation and interviews with school personnel, psychologists, and detention centre officers. These were subsequently reduced to 56 and 20, respectively. Data from one pilot study and the preliminary analysis of data from a larger scale study analyzed using item affectivity and discrimination resulted in 43 psychopathy items and 20 aggression items being retained. Maximum likelihood factor analyses of data from 137 suspended mainstream school students revealed four factors for psychopathy (Callous/Unemotional, Narcissism, Thrill-Seeking, and Moral Detachment of Self) and three for aggression (Physical Aggression, Reactive Verbal Aggression and Proactive Verbal Aggression). Cronbach's alpha revealed high internal consistency.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Delinquency |
| Subtitle of host publication | Causes, Reduction and Prevention |
| Publisher | Nova Science Publishers |
| Pages | 177-196 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781607415589 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2011 |