Brief assessment of the triarchic model of psychopathy: evaluating the short TriPM scales with exploratory graph analysis and item response theory

Abstract The Triarchic model, a leading integrative framework for psychopathy, proposes three core traits: boldness, disinhibition, and meanness. Recent work has proposed a short, 15-item form of the 58-item TriPM, a widely used self-report instrument. The present research evaluated the psychometric features of this Short TriPM in a sample of adults ( n = 1151) using exploratory graph analysis and item response theory. Overall, the Short TriPM had many strengths, including strong support for the three-factor structure, good internal consistency, strong item fit, and essentially no gender-based differential item functioning. Correlations with HEXACO and Dark Tetrad traits in a subset of the sample ( n = 530) resembled past findings with the full scale. Overall, the Short TriPM appears to be a promising option for when survey length is constrained.