Implications for the Measurement of Psychopathy in the DSM–5 Using the Computerized Adaptive Test of Personality Disorder

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the ability of the Computerized Adaptive Test of Personality Disorder (CAT–PD) model to capture psychopathy in a sample consisting of U.S. (n = 565) and Australian (n = 99) undergraduates and a U.S. community sample (n = 210). More specifically, this study examined (a) the association between CAT–PD facets, particularly those consistent with DSM–5 Section III antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), and measures of psychopathy, (b) the extent to which CAT–PD ASPD traits improve on DSM–5 Section II ASPD in measuring psychopathy, and (c) the utility of measuring functional impairment in additional to dimensional traits in assessing psychopathy. Analyses revealed CAT–PD ASPD traits, including traits' associations with Section III psychopathy specifier, were strongly associated with measures of psychopathy. Furthermore, CAT–PD ASPD was found to be an improvement over DSM–5 Section II ASPD in measuring psychopathy, and the dimensional nature of the CAT–PD was found to render the addition of measures of impairment unnecessary. These findings generally support the utility of the CAT–PD in the measurement of psychopathy, particularly as it relates to the dimensional assessment of psychopathy in the DSM–5 alternative model for personality disorder.

Notes

¹ We first ensured the three samples were broadly comparable by assessing the zero-order associations between the CAT-PD trait scales and psychopathy measures separately. The results for the three samples were similar in magnitude, so we were able to combine them. These data are available on request.