| Summary: | The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability
and validity of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) for
use with a female population. Seventy-five women who were
either incarcerated or on probation were assessed using
interview and file information. In addition, all subjects
completed a battery of self-report inventories that were
theoretically relevant to the PCL-R. The results strongly
supported the appropriateness of the PCL-R for use with female
offenders. The psychometric properties were excellent
indicating a homogeneous and unidimensional scale. The factor
analysis confirmed a two factor structure representing two
distinct aspects of psychopathy; the personological and
behavioural dimensions. The pattern of correlations obtained
from the self—report inventories was highly similar to that
obtained with male samples, further suggesting that the same
construct is being measured in both sexes. The implications of
these findings in terms of the construct of psychopathy and
explanations of women’s criminality are discussed as well as
future research and practical implications. === Arts, Faculty of === Psychology, Department of === Graduate
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