PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES AND CONSTRUCT VALIDITY OF A SPANISH LANGUAGE SCALE FOR SCREENING ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY

Abstract

The psychometric properties and construct validity of a Spanish self-report scale for screening antisocial personality (ASP) are evaluated. Evidence for validity was sought by comparing a household and an emergency room (ER) sample. Nine hundred and twenty men and women were part of a multistage, stratified, probability sample drawn from all 18–65 year olds in a city in Mexico. ER participants were 1511 patients 18–65 years of age sampled from the three main hospital emergency rooms in that city. Results suggest an adequate internal consistency and a one-factor structure. Significantly more ASP cases were identified in the ER compared to the household sample, the injured compared to the household sample, the injured compared to the sick, in those whose injuries involved violence, those who had used drugs in the previous 12 months, those who were moderate to heavy drinkers, and those who were alcohol dependent. The advantages and limitations of the scale are discussed. Limitations notwithstanding, the evidence suggests that as an initial evaluation, the Spanish Language Screen for Antisocial Personality could be valuable for reaching large Spanish-speaking populations.