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Psychometric properties of Basic Empathy Scale among female juvenile delinquents and school youths

Publication . Pechorro, Pedro; Kahn, Rachel E.; Gonçalves, Rui Abrunhosa; Ray, James V.

Research on empathy often distinguishes between affective and cognitive empathy, but there is limited knowledge regarding the application or measurement of these two dimensions of empathy among female youth, especially forensic samples of female youth. The main aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Basic Empathy Scale (BES) among a Portuguese sample of female youths (N = 377), composed of incarcerated female juvenile offenders (n = 103) and school youths (n = 274). The two-factor structure of the BES obtained a good fit among the school sample, but the fit among the forensic sample was poor. Both samples demonstrated adequate psychometric properties in terms of Cronbach's alpha, omega coefficient, mean inter item correlations, corrected item-total correlation range, and criterion validity. However, some caution is advised when using the BES with female youth involved in the juvenile justice system, particularly with incarcerated female youth. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

2017-12Journal article

Open Access

The inventory of callous–unemotional traits: psychometric properties among referred and non-referred portuguese female juveniles

Publication . Pechorro, Pedro; Ray, James V.; Gonçalves, Rui Abrunhosa; Jesus, Saúl

The presence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits delineates a subgroup of male youth with severe conduct disorder and antisocial behavior, but little research has been done among female youth. Drawing on 377 female adolescents (103 selected from forensic settings and 274 selected from school settings) from Portugal, the current study is the first to simultaneously examine the psychometric properties of the Inventory of Callous Unemotional Traits (ICU) in incarcerated female youth and community youth. The results support the use of the ICU in terms of its factor structure, and internal consistency despite the fact an item had to be removed from the Callousness dimension. Statistically significant positive associations were found with measures of psychopathic traits and aggression, as well as non-significant associations with empathy and social anxiety. Significant associations were also found with several indicators of delinquent careers including age of criminal onset, age of first contact with the law, Conduct Disorder symptoms and diagnosis, crime seriousness, previous violent offending, number of criminal charges, alcohol use, and drug use. Findings are discussed in terms of the use of the ICU among female juvenile offenders and community youths.

2017-10Journal article

Open Access

Short Form of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents among community and institutionalized Portuguese youths

Publication . Nunes, Cristina; Ayala-Nunes, Lara; Pechorro, Pedro; Greca, Annette M. La

Background/Objective: Social anxiety is a common issue arising in adolescence that can cause significant impairment and have detrimental consequences for development in the absence of treatment. In this study we examined the factor structure and the psychometric properties of a 12-item short form of the Portuguese-Language Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A-SF). Method: A community adolescent sample (N = 835) and a young offender sample (N = 244) completed the SAS-A, the Basic Empathy Scale and the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, cross gender and cross sample invariance, convergent and discriminant validity of the SAS-A-SF were analyzed. Results: The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the 3-factor second-order model obtained the best fit. The results provided evidence that the SAS-A-SF is a psychometrically sound instrument that shows measurement invariance across genders and across samples, good reliability and positive correlations with empathy. Conclusions: The Portuguese version of SAS-A-SF is a useful, time-efficient tool for both researchers and practitioners who need to assess social anxiety, a relevant construct in adolescent psychopathology. (C) 2018 Asociacion Espanola de Psicologia Conductual. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U.

2018-12Journal article

Open Access

The barratt impulsiveness scale - 11 among a portuguese sample of female juvenile delinquents and community youths

Publication . Pechorro, Pedro; Nunes Dourado, Lara Fernanda; Nunes, C.; Maia, Angela; Goncalves, Rui Abrunhosa

Impulsivity among incarcerated female juvenile offenders is an understudied area of research. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11 (BIS-11) among a Portuguese sample of female participants (N = 377, mean age = 16.23 years, SD = 1.38) recruited from forensic and school contexts. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the expected six-factor first-order structure, but not the three-factor second-order structure. Acceptable levels of internal consistency were mostly obtained, but some dimensions showed somewhat lower than expected values. Convergent validity with measures of psychopathic and callous-unemotional traits, and discriminant validity with a measure of social anxiety was demonstrated. In terms of criterion-related validity significant associations were found with relevant variables (e.g., age of crime onset, conduct disorder symptoms, alcohol, and drug use). The use of the BIS-11 among female juvenile delinquents and community youth is psychometrically justified and it can be considered a useful measure to identify impulsive adolescents.

2017Journal article

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