Elaborating on the structure and nomological network of the Short Dark Tetrad in youth

Purpose Antagonistic personality traits such as those captured in Dark Tetrad measures (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy and sadism) are an emerging area in the study of aversive and antisocial personality. The purpose of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of the Short Dark Tetrad (SD4) among male and female Portuguese youth (n = 559 youth, M = 16.51 years, SD = 1.07 and range = 14–20 years). Design/methodology/approach The proposed four-factor model composed by the Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy and sadism subscales obtained a good fit. Cross-gender measurement invariance was established, with males scoring significantly higher on all factors. Internal consistency as measured by the alpha and omega reliability estimators was mostly good. Significant associations were found with psychometric measures of relevant constructs (e.g. self-control, psychopathic traits and criminogenic cognitions) and external criterion-related variables (e.g. engaging in illegal activities, alcohol use and drug abuse), although limited discriminant validity for the Machiavellianism, psychopathy and sadism scale was noted. Findings The findings of this study support the use of the SD4 as a valid and reliable measure of antagonistic personality traits among youth. Originality/value To the best of the authors knowledge, this is the first validation of the SD4 among a youth sample.