Self-reported level of psychopathy Levenson: French adaptation and validation

The Levenson Self-Reported Psychopathy Scale (LSRP; Levenson, Kiehl & Fitzpatrick, 1995) is designed to assess subclinical psychopathic personality traits in the general population. In this measure, psychopathy is conceptualized along two distinct but interrelated factors, referred to as primary and secondary psychopathy. Several studies support the psychometric properties of the original version; however, none reported fidelity and convergent validity coefficients for the French adaptation of the LSRP. The current study aims to assess the factorial structure and convergent validity of the LSRP's French adaptation in young adults. A sample of 2529 French-Canadian participants, aged between 15 and 26 years old, completed the LSRP, the NEO-FFI, and answered questions on psychoactive substance use. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the two-factor structure of the instrument. In addition, internal consistency coefficients from the original version were replicated. Measurement models for women and men were partially invariant, but men scored significantly higher than women on primary psychopathy and on the total scale. Finally, the LSRP showed good convergent validity coefficients. The French adaptation of the Levenson Self-Reported Psychopathy Scale shows good psychometric properties and results are similar to those obtained in the original version.