Tried and True? A Psychometric Evaluation of the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles-Short Form

Abstract

The Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles-Short Form (PICTS-SF) is an abbreviated 35-item version of the PICTS, a measure of cognitions that support a criminal lifestyle. Despite use in research and clinical work, the PICTS-SF’s psychometric properties have not been tested. Using two archival datasets, we analyzed the PICTS-SF’s reliability and structural validity in multiply imputed data from adult males and females on probation in a residential treatment facility ( n = 514). We also tested the PICTS-SF’s reliability and discriminant and postdictive validities among adult males in administrative segregation in prison ( n = 95). We found evidence for the PICTS-SF’s internal consistency (α and ω ≥ .89), structural validity (CFI = .90, RMSEA = .05), discriminant validity (.22 ≤ r ≤ .39), and postdictive validity for receiving disciplinary infractions (incident rate ratio = 1.04). These results support the PICTS-SF’s use in research, and qualified use in clinical applications.