The Forensic Symptoms Inventory—Youth Version—Revised: Development and Age Invariance Testing of a Broad-Spectrum Questionnaire for Forensic Assessment

Abstract

Covering both individual and neuropsychological factors, the Forensic Symptom Inventory—Youth Version—Revised (FSI-YV-R) is the first broad spectrum questionnaire for adolescents in forensic care, measuring several deficits, such as executive dysfunctions, anger, and inadequate coping to enhance treatment goals and evaluate interventions. In this study, both the factor structure and the measurement and structural invariance of the FSI-YV-R were investigated. The sample consisted of 159 forensic juvenile outpatients (79.9% males and 20.1% females) aged 12 to 19 with a mean age of 16.07 ( SD = 1.57). Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analyses identified a second-order model (measuring executive functioning) and proved measurement and structural invariant across age groups (younger adolescents, 12–15 years and older adolescents, 16–18 years). Contrary to the expectations none of the FSI-YV-R subscales differentiated between younger adolescents (N = 74) and older adolescents (N = 85). These results and implications for both theory and practice are discussed.