Psychopathic Traits in Youth: Is There Evidence for Primary and Secondary Subtypes? Zina Lee & Randall T. Salekin & Anne-Marie R. Iselin Published online: 26 November 2009 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009 Abstract The current study employed model-based cluster analysis in a sample of male adolescent offenders (n =94) to examine subtypes based on psychopathic traits and anxiety. Using the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV; Forth et al. 2003) and the self-report Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD; Caputo et al. 1999), analyses identified three clusters in males that varied in the severity of psychopathic traits (low, moderate, and high) and anxiety. The high psychopathic group exhibited more negative personality traits and was judged to be at greater risk for dangerousness whereas the low psychopathic group exhibited more positive personality traits and was judged to be at lower risk for dangerousness. Implications regarding potential developmental differences between adolescent and adult psychopathy, as well as treatment considerations are discussed. Keywords Psychopathy . Adolescents . Subtypes . Model-based cluster analysis Modeled after conceptualizations of adult psychopathy, child and adolescent psychopathy is characterized by a constellation of interpersonal (e.g., egocentric), affective (e.g., callous), and behavioral (e.g., impulsive) traits. Extensive support for the utility of adult psychopathy has led to a growing body of research in children and adolescents. As in adults, adolescent psychopathic person- ality traits are associated with violence and recidivism (Corrado et al. 2004; Murrie et al. 2004). Importantly, research is underway to examine protective factors associ- ated with child and adolescent psychopathy (see Salekin and Lochman 2008). These findings provide a compelling argument for assessing such traits in children and adoles- cents for the purposes of identifying and intervening with youth at high risk for future violence and chronic offending. Although psychopathy has been identified as a meaningful concept at the adult level with a well-established nomological net, conceptual coherence, and predictive utility, there is considerable debate about extending the concept downward to youth (see Hart et al. 2002; Seagrave and Grisso 2002). At the center of this debate, researchers have been concerned with issues about the developmental expression and stability of child and adolescent psychopathic traits. In other words, if the psychopathy construct is to be successfully transported to Funding for this study was provided by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded to the first author and a pilot fund from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) awarded to the second author. We would like to thank Franz Kubak, Jana Mullins, Crystal Schrum, and Alecia Zalot for their assistance with data collection. We are also grateful to Norman Poythress for his assistance with statistical analyses. Z. Lee : R. T. Salekin (*) Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, P.O. Box 870348, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA e-mail: rsalekin@bama.ua.edu A.-M. R. Iselin Law and Psychiatry Department, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Present Address: Z. Lee (*) Department of Criminology, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, 12666–72nd Avenue, Surrey, British Colombia V3W 2M8, Canada e-mail: Zina.Lee@kwantlen.ca Present Address: A.-M. R. Iselin Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA J Abnorm Child Psychol (2010) 38:381–393 DOI 10.1007/s10802-009-9372-7