Examining Subtypes of Psychopathy in a Sample of Individuals with Sexual Offenses: A Comparison of Statistical Perspectives

Abstract

Despite the possibility of the existence of subtypes of psychopathy being a topic of both theoretical and empirical interest for decades, there is little agreement regarding the number or nature of these possible subtypes. Methodological limitations and inconsistencies in the literature have made drawing conclusions difficult, and the situation is further compounded by the possibility that the commonly used statistical subtyping analyses may not model the data as accurately as has been assumed. Furthermore, investigation of subtypes in psychopathy has thus far largely ignored individuals with sexual offenses as a specific population. The current study aimed to address both the statistical concerns and lack of attention to such individuals in the subtyping literature by comparing different statistical subtyping approaches in a sex offense-specific sample.