Psychometric properties of the inventory of callous- unemotional traits short version (ICU-12) among detained female juvenile offenders and community youths * Pedro Pechorro a , Samuel W. Hawes b , Rui Abrunhosa Gonçalves a and James V. Ray c a School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; b Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA; c Department of Criminal Justice, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA ABSTRACT The presence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits delineates a subgroup of male youth with severe conduct problems and antisocial behavior. To date however, existing research into these features among females is markedly limited. Drawing on 377 female adolescents (103 selected from forensic settings and 274 selected from school settings) from Portugal, the current study is the first to simultaneously examine the psychometric properties of the 12-item shortened version of the Inventory of Callous- Unemotional Traits (ICU-12) in incarcerated and community female youth. Results provide support for the construct validity and reliability of the ICU-12 among this unique sample. Findings from this study also reveal evidence of convergent and discriminant validity with a number of theoretically relevant constructs (e.g. psychopathic features, aggression, and substance use). Clinical implications for using the ICU-12 with females are discussed. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 13 December 2015 Accepted 31 August 2016 KEYWORDS Assessment; callous- unemotional traits; females; juvenile delinquency; validation AQ1 ¶ Psychopathy is a multidimensional personality disorder consisting of interpersonal (e.g. narcissistic, superficial, and manipulative), affective (e.g. callous, guiltless, and remorse- less), and behavioral (impulsive and antisocial behaviors) dimensions (e.g. Hare & Neumann, 2008 AQ2 ¶ ). Individuals with psychopathic features tend to show a particularly per- sistent and severe pattern of antisocial behaviors (e.g. Gendreau, Goggin, & Smith, 2002; Hemphill, Hare, & Wong, 1998). Recently, research has made strides to extend the con- struct of psychopathy downwardly to youth (e.g. Barry et al., 2000; Lynam, 1997), with a particular focus on the core affective features of psychopathy. As such, the construct of callous-unemotional (CU) traits has been shown to demarcate a subgroup of youth who exhibit an early-onset and chronic pattern of conduct problems across the life-course (Barry et al., 2000). Youth high in CU traits are characterized as lacking remorse or guilt, having a shallow affect, and a callous disregard for others (Frick, Ray, Thornton, & Kahn, 2014). Recently, the DSM-5 adopted the conduct disorder specifier ‘With Limited Prosocial CE: MM QA: MSK Coll: NJ © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group CONTACT Pedro Pechorro ppechorro@gmail.com School of Psychology, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga 4710-057, Portugal * This study was conducted at Psychology Research Centre, University of Minho. PSYCHOLOGY, CRIME & LAW, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2016.1239724 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45