Psychometric Properties of the Abbreviated Version of Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI-R) in a Sample of Inmates in Spanish Prisons

ABSTRACT

The aim of this research is to perform a psychometric analysis of the reduced version of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI-R) in the Spanish prison population. The sample consists of 294 inmates (265 men and 29 women) who are serving prison sentences in the Penitentiary Centers of the Autonomous Community of Galicia. The average age is 41.20 years (SD = 10.51). The internal consistency of the scale showed a high value in the global scale (α = .951), with the clinical scales showing the best reliability. The confirmatory analysis showed a good fit of the model, both in the clinical scales (X2[43] = 283.108; RMSEA = .065; CFI = .892; GFI = .899; AGFI = .927; p < .01) and in those that include interpersonal problems and requests for help (X2[13] = 44.205; RMSEA = .061; CFI = .913; GFI = .959; AGFI = .912; p < .01). With these results it can be said that the abbreviated version of the PAI is a valid and effective instrument for the estimation of personality characteristics in forensic environments.

KEYWORDS:

• Prison
• inmate
• personality inventory
• personality assessment
• forensic assessment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.