Abstract
This study used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify differing classes of psychopathic traits in a large sample of military personnel (90.7% Army National Guard) and examined how membership across profiles can be differentiated by mean scores on external correlates relevant to psychopathy and/or to military service (e.g., aggression, posttraumatic stress symptoms, impulsivity). Psychopathy was operationalized via the three-factor model of the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scales (LSRP; Brinkley et al. 2008; Levenson et al. 1995). LPA revealed optimal fit for a four-profile solution. Three profiles had roughly equivalent within-profile means across the three factors, characterized by below average, average, and above/high average LSRP scores. The fourth profile emerged as qualitatively different: high on LSRP-Callous but below average on LSRP-Egocentricity and LSRP-Antisocial. The four profiles were differentiable based on their mean scores on external correlates, suggesting varied implications for externalizing and internalizing features across psychopathic trait configurations in a military sample. Implications for studying psychopathy in military and other novel samples are discussed.
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See Anestis et al. (2019) for full sample characteristics.
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This work was in part supported by the Military Suicide Research Consortium (MSRC), an effort supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs under Award No. (W81XWH-10-2-0181). This award was received by authors Michael D. Anestis and Bradley A. Green. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the MSRC or the Department of Defense.
Authors Tiffany M. Harrop, Joye C. Anestis, Olivia C. Preston, and Randolph Arnau declare they have no conflict of interest.
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Harrop, T.M., Anestis, J.C., Preston, O.C. et al. A Comparison of Psychopathic Trait Latent Profiles in Service Members. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 43, 532–544 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-021-09872-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-021-09872-5