TARGETING DIMENSIONS OF PSYCHOPATHY IN AT-RISK YOUTH: ASSESSMENT AND UTILITY OF A FOCUSED COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY PROGRAM

Individuals presenting with high levels of psychopathy demonstrate chronic and severe antisocial behavior and poor treatment outcomes in generalized rehabilitative programs. Building on research linking adolescent delinquency and psychopathy, this dissertation developed and evaluated an 18-session, group-based, psychopathy-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program for at-risk youth in a community-referred, alternative education setting. A treatment group (n = 34–36 analyzed) and usual-care comparison group (n = 30) were included with brief follow-up. Outcomes included interview- and self-report psychopathy measures, anger, impulsivity, motivation for treatment, self-reported problems, and behavioral indices. The program produced reductions in psychopathy on the Interpersonal (d ≈ .55 in higher-psychopathy subgroup) and Affective facets (d ≈ .24) of the PCL:YV, reduced overall impulsivity, improved anger suppression and treatment motivation—particularly among youth with relatively higher psychopathy—and was associated with fewer juvenile justice incidents during treatment and at six-week follow-up. Findings provide initial empirical support for targeted interventions addressing psychopathic traits in youth.