Psychometric properties of the triarchic psychopathy measure in Chinese male offenders

The Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) is a self-report psychopathy measure, assessing Boldness, Meanness, and Disinhibition based on the triarchic model of psychopathy. It has good psychometric properties and has undergone validated in various contexts and sample settings. Given the sociocultural influences (e.g., self-construal) on psychopathy traits and the differences between Chinese and U.S. samples on some TriPM items, it is necessary to test the psychometric properties of the TriPM among Chinese male offenders to provide a reference for recidivism risk prediction and correction. The study involved 550 male offenders, all of whom completed the TriPM, the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. Results indicated the good reliability of scores on the overall scale and subscales of TriPM. Confirmatory factor analyses highlighted the superior fit of the multidimensional TriPM subscale model compared to the unidimensional model. Both the three-factor TriPM model and the seven-factor TriPM model exhibited reasonable convergent and discriminant validity with external criteria. The seven-factor TriPM model, compared to the three-factor model, offers additional insights into the relationships between TriPM factors and externally relevant criteria. This study offers new evidence supporting the applicability of the TriPM in a cross-cultural sample of offenders and reinforces the multidimensional structure of the TriPM subscales.