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Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 1/2023

30-01-2023

The Relative Importance of Psychopathy Features as Predictors of Externalizing Behaviors in Youth: A Multimethod Examination

Auteurs: Colin E. Vize, Amy L. Byrd, Stephanie D. Stepp

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment | Uitgave 1/2023

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Abstract

Research in youth psychopathy has focused heavily on the affective features (i.e., callous-unemotional [CU] traits) given robust links to severe and chronic forms of externalizing behaviors. Recently, there have been calls to expand the scope of work in this area to examine the importance of other interpersonal (i.e., antagonism) and behavioral (i.e., disinhibition) features of psychopathy. In the present study, we apply an under-utilized statistical approach (i.e., dominance analysis) to assess the relative importance of CU traits, antagonism, and disinhibition in the prediction of externalizing behaviors in youth, cross-sectionally and at 9-month follow-up. Using a multi-informant (youth- and parent-report), multi-method (questionnaire, ecological momentary assessment [EMA]) preregistered approach in a diverse sample of clinically referred youth (Mage = 12.60 years, SD = .95 years, 47% female; 61% racial/ethnic minority), we found youth- and parent-reported psychopathy features accounted for a significant proportion of variance in externalizing behavior cross-sectionally and longitudinally. However, results provided limited support for our preregistered hypotheses. While antagonism and disinhibition had larger general dominance weights relative to CU traits for both youth- and parent-report, most differences were non-significant. Thus, the interpersonal, affective, and behavioral psychopathy features could not be distinguished from one another in terms of their importance in the prediction of externalizing behavior, assessed cross-sectionally or longitudinally. Taken together, the results highlight promising avenues for future research on the relative importance of youth psychopathy features.
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Voetnoten
1
This measure includes three subscales (callousness, uncaring, unemotional), two of which have shown consistent reliability and moderate effect sizes in relation to externalizing behavior (Cardinale & Marsh, 2020).
 
2
Where the trait components of the PSCD fit within structural models of maladaptive personality remains an open question. For example, Sleep and colleagues (2020) examined the structure of antagonistic traits using 200 self-report items taken from various antagonism-related scales. At a relatively general level of specificity where three factors were examined, the factors (termed callousness, ruthless self-interest, and disconstraint) appear to significantly overlap with the callous-unemotional, grandiose-manipulative, and daring-impulsive traits of the PSCD. However, more structural research is needed to explicate how the PSCD fits within dimensional models of maladaptive personality.
 
3
The other five groups included youth with 1) externalizing behaviors only; 2) CU traits only; 3) other psychopathic features only (i.e., interpersonal, behavioral); 4) externalizing behaviors plus CU traits; and 5) a control group that had low scores externalizing behaviors, CU traits, and other psychopathic features.
 
4
Researchers often cite the seminal article by Farrington and Loeber (2000) when offering justifications for dichotomizing continuous variables. However, Iselin and colleagues (2013) highlight that many of the arguments in Farrington and Loeber (2000) do not stand up to empirical scrutiny. Iselin and colleagues (2013) ultimately conclude that it remains difficult to justify the dichotomization of continuous variables.
 
5
The total number of submodels examined in dominance analysis is equal to (2p – 1), where p is the number of predictor variables.
 
6
Though we do not discuss the goals and benefits of preregistration in detail, we refer interested readers to Lakens (2019) and Nosek et al. (2019) for insightful discussions of preregistration and its relevance to psychological science.
 
7
Ethnoracial composition for youth was 42% White, 40.7% Black, 3.7% Hispanic/Latino, 0.6% American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 16.7% multiracial.
 
8
Ethnoracial composition for caregivers was 53.7% White, 39.5% Black, 1.9% Hispanic/Latino, 0.6% Asian, and 6.2% multiracial.
 
9
Youth and parents completing both assessments were compared to those with missing data (i.e., those who only completed the first assessment) on all demographic covariates (age, sex, minority status, receipt of public assistance). Youth and parents with complete data did not differ from those who only completed the first assessment.
 
10
The alpha estimates for youth- and parent-reported antagonism are based on the inclusion of the hostility item. When the hostility item was excluded from the antagonism scale (i.e., antagonism was assessed with four items), the alpha values were .74 and .77 for youth- and parent-reported antagonism, respectively.
 
11
Compliance was high, with the average youth completing 91.1% of prompts at baseline and 9-month follow-up, and the average parent completing 90% of prompts at baseline, and 90.7% at 9-month follow-up.
 
12
The ratio of events to non-events for the “yell or argue” item was 226/1,238 at wave 1 (58% of youth self-reporting at least one event), and 157/1,135 at wave 2 (45% of youth reporting at least one event). The ratios for “break or damage property” item were 26/1,438 at wave 1 (only 8% of youth reporting at least one event), and 8/1,285 at wave 2 (only 6% of youth reporting at least one event).
 
13
These alternative EMA items, while still having a relatively low base rate, had less imbalanced ratios. At baseline, the ratio was 116/366 for yelling at someone (41% of youth reporting at least one event), and 46/436 for hitting/slamming/punching someone or something (19% of youth reporting at least one event). At 9-month follow-up, the respective ratios were 79/334 (34% of youth reporting at least one event) and 33/380 (17% of youth reporting at least one event).
 
14
Dominance analysis uses R2 as an index of model fit and partitions R2 based on the relative contributions of each predictor in the regression model. R2 is straightforward to compute in linear regression models because it is the ratio of variance in the outcome accounted for by the model relative to variance not accounted for (i.e., residual variance). However, in multilevel models there are multiple residual variance components (e.g., level 1 residual variance and level two residual variance) which complicates how R2 is used to index model fit. In the original preregistration for the study, we stated that would make use of the S&B R22 metric outlined in Luo & Azen (2013) which is based on the approach of Snijders and Bosker (1994) designed to estimate an R2 analogue for level-2 variables in multilevel models. However, this approach was not appropriate for dichotomous outcomes assessed via EMA. To correctly model the dichotomous EMA outcomes, we instead used an approach for obtaining R2 from generalized linear multilevel models as described by Nakagawa and Schielzeth (2013). Briefly, two variations of R2 can be examined in multilevel models—marginal R2 which is the variance explained by fixed effects, and conditional R2 which is the variance explained by the entire model (both fixed and random effects). Based on our primary research questions, we are most interested in the fixed effects of the model and thus, focus on marginal R2 when estimating general dominance weights for the EMA outcomes.
 
15
Emotional reactivity was assessed using the Affective Instability subscale from the PAI-A (Morey, 2007) administered at screening. This subscale is comprised of 6 items and assesses the tendency to experience intense, prolonged emotional responses and rapid and/or extreme changes in emotion. This subscale internal consistency was α = 0.62.
 
16
Aggression was assessed via youth- and parent-report at baseline and 9-month follow-up using the Aggressive Behavior subscale from the YSR (Achenbach, 1991) and CBCL (Achenbach, 1999). This subscale is comprised of 17 and 18 items, respectively, that assess engagement in a variety of aggression behaviors. This subscale showed good internal consistency at baseline (youth-report α = 0.89; parent-report α = 0.90) and follow-up (youth-report α = 0.87; parent-report α = 0.90).
 
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Metagegevens
Titel
The Relative Importance of Psychopathy Features as Predictors of Externalizing Behaviors in Youth: A Multimethod Examination
Auteurs
Colin E. Vize
Amy L. Byrd
Stephanie D. Stepp
Publicatiedatum
30-01-2023
Uitgeverij
Springer US
Gepubliceerd in
Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment / Uitgave 1/2023
Print ISSN: 0882-2689
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-3505
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-022-10017-5

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