This study explored the relationship between psychopathic features as measured with the PCL:YV and behavioural and emotional functioning in young female offenders in custody. It is a quantitative interview study investigating the relationship with psychopathic traits, measured with the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV; Forth, Kosson, & Hare, 2003), and different psychological characteristics as well as AD/HD, selfharm and childhood trauma in adolescent offenders across genders. Data was collected from a sample of 40 female and 40 male adolescents who were incarcerated in Victoria, Australia.
Results indicated that the behavioral subscales of the PCL:YV were associated with externalizing behaviors possibly underpinned by histories of abuse and substantiated child protection incidences. The presence of AD/HD was strongly associated with affective deficits suggesting that the PCL:YV may be identifying young females with AD/HD rather than core psychopathic traits. Findings also indicate that female specific manifestations of manipulation are likely being misidentified as behavioral phenomena precluding clinical recognition as a core interpersonal trait. Significant dissimilarities with a young male comparison group were identified and are discussed within.
Studies on female juvenile offenders is rare and this study adds to the literature on the construct of psychopathy and its relationship to psychosocial factors as well as associations with AD/HD, self-harm and childhood trauma, among incarcerated adolescents.