Publicação
The relationship between psychopathology and psychopathic traits, among offending and non-offending male youths
| Resumo: | The prevalence of mental health problems among the adolescent population raises concerns around the developmental path and the outcomes for the youths with mental health needs. Especially, the high prevalence of mental health problems among juvenile offenders highlights the urgent need for reliable and efficient assessment methods, in order to better understand how these needs affect the development and behavior of those youths, and to make better use of the limited resources of the mental health and juvenile justice systems. The main goal of the present investigation is to give continuity to the validation program of Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument (MAYSI-2) in the Portuguese population, analyzing to what extent the relations between psychopathology symptoms and psychopathic features are high in adolescent males, given the possibility that mental health syndromes may reflect or be a reflex of common or overlapping psychopathological expressions and symptoms, and result in similar behavioral outcomes. Simultaneously, we also examined to what extent brief assessment and screening tools, namely Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument – Second Version (MAYSI-2) and Youth Psychopathic Trait Inventory (YPI), could assist in the assessment and comprehension of these interactions. We assessed a total of 76 adolescent males, distributed by a community (N=43) and a forensic sample (N=33), between ages 12 and 19, and 14 and 19, respectively. The protocol was composed by MAYSI-2, YPI and Coimbra’s Social Desirability Scale (EDSC). The analysis of the prevalence rates of self-reported mental health needs and psychopathic traits, revealed a higher prevalence of both in the detained youths, compared to youths with no history of offending. Findings also revealed a positive association between the behavioral dimensions of both measures used, and a significant interaction between history of traumatization and psychopathy and psychopathic traits in the juvenile delinquents sample. These relations are not influenced by social desirability. The combined administration of MAYSI-2 and YPI may be of value as screening tools for cases requiring further assessment, although a more extensive evaluation protocol is advised. |
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| Autores principais: | Flórido, Joana Margarida Freitas |
| Assunto: | Psicopatologia, jovem Delinquente juvenil Saúde mental, jovem |
| Ano: | 2015 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Coimbra |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Estudo Geral - Universidade de Coimbra |
| Resumo: | The prevalence of mental health problems among the adolescent population raises concerns around the developmental path and the outcomes for the youths with mental health needs. Especially, the high prevalence of mental health problems among juvenile offenders highlights the urgent need for reliable and efficient assessment methods, in order to better understand how these needs affect the development and behavior of those youths, and to make better use of the limited resources of the mental health and juvenile justice systems. The main goal of the present investigation is to give continuity to the validation program of Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument (MAYSI-2) in the Portuguese population, analyzing to what extent the relations between psychopathology symptoms and psychopathic features are high in adolescent males, given the possibility that mental health syndromes may reflect or be a reflex of common or overlapping psychopathological expressions and symptoms, and result in similar behavioral outcomes. Simultaneously, we also examined to what extent brief assessment and screening tools, namely Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument – Second Version (MAYSI-2) and Youth Psychopathic Trait Inventory (YPI), could assist in the assessment and comprehension of these interactions. We assessed a total of 76 adolescent males, distributed by a community (N=43) and a forensic sample (N=33), between ages 12 and 19, and 14 and 19, respectively. The protocol was composed by MAYSI-2, YPI and Coimbra’s Social Desirability Scale (EDSC). The analysis of the prevalence rates of self-reported mental health needs and psychopathic traits, revealed a higher prevalence of both in the detained youths, compared to youths with no history of offending. Findings also revealed a positive association between the behavioral dimensions of both measures used, and a significant interaction between history of traumatization and psychopathy and psychopathic traits in the juvenile delinquents sample. These relations are not influenced by social desirability. The combined administration of MAYSI-2 and YPI may be of value as screening tools for cases requiring further assessment, although a more extensive evaluation protocol is advised. |
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