DOI: 10.3886/e115821v2
title: Short Dark Triad for Youth (SD3-Y-PL) Scale: Adaptation and Structure Investigation among Polish Adolescents

description: The main goal of the present study was to investigate the structure of the Short Dark Triad for Youths (SD3-Y) on a sample of nonclinical Polish adolescents (13-16 years). The results obtained should be treated as an attempt at clarifying incoherent conceptualisations of the SD3 structure proposed in the classic work by Jones and Paulhus (2013) and in critical studies by Persson et al, (2017) as well as Rogoza and Cieciuch (2017). The three studies conducted (N1 = 45; N2 = 405; N3 = 325) include: (1) adaptation of the Polish version of the SD3 in terms of linguistic and cognitive needs of adolescents; (2) investigation of the structure of the Polish version of the SD3-Y; (3) examination of the external validity of the SD3-Y; Despite satisfactory external validity, it turns out that the measure continues to struggle with construct validity. Our findings confirm the Dark Dyad model proposed by Rogoza and Cieciuch (2017), which comprises psychopathy and Machiavellianism. The results obtained indicate that there are problems with the SD3 structure, and further studies are required to determine whether the Dark Dyad solution can be replicated.
description: Response Rates: At each stage of the study the parents of the persons examined were duly informed about the aim and course of the study, and relevant written consents from the parents were obtained. Furthermore, the persons examined also declared their consent to participate in the study (response rate was 79%).
description: Presence of Common Scales: Study 1<br><br>The Polish version of the Short Dark Triad Questionnaire for Youth comprising 26 items was used. The participants were to rate each item following the 5 point scale where 1 (one) indicated strong disagreement and 5 (five) strong agreement. <br><br>Study 2<br><br>Dark Triad traits were assessed with the Short Dark Triad for Youth scale. The questionnaire comprised 26 items (7 to measure psychopathy, 8 to measure Machiavellianism, and 9 to measure narcissism). The participants had a 5 point scale to rate each item where 1 (one) indicated strong disagreement and 5 (five) strong agreement. The reliability factors determined were as follows: narcissism (ω = .71), psychopathy (ω = .73), and Machiavellianism (ω = .65); their values are significantly higher than those obtained for the original scale version, which clearly supports the changes made. <br><br>The Big Five traits were measured by means of the Polish version of the Big Five Questionnaire – Children (BFQ-C; Barbaranelli, Caprara, Rabasca & Pastorelli, 2003; Cieciuch, Toczyłowska-Niemiec & Barbaranelli, 2016). The questionnaire comprises 65 items [(15 items measure each of the following traits: neuroticism (ω = .84), extraversion (ω = .79, openness (ω = .77),, conscientiousness (ω = .80), , and agreeableness (ω = .84),]). The participants had a 5 point scale to assess each item where 1 (one) indicated almost never and 5 (five) almost always. <br><br>Aggression was assessed by means of the Polish version of the Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPQA; Buss & Perry, 2012; Aranowska & Rytel, 2012). The questionnaire comprises 29 items broken down into 4 subscales: Physical Aggression (PA; 9 items; ω = .71), Verbal Aggression (VA; 5 items; ω = .47), Anger (A; 7 items ω = .53), and Hostility (H; 8 items; ω = .66 ). The participants had a 5 point scale to rate each item where 1 – extremely uncharacteristic of me and 5 – extremely characteristic of me. <br><br>Self-esteem was measured by means of the Polish version of Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1965; Łaguna, Lachowicz-Tabaczek & Dzwonkowska, 2007). The questionnaire comprises 10 items that evaluate individual self-esteem (ω = .77).. The participants had a 4 point scale to assess each item, where 1 indicated strong agreement and 4 strong disagreement.<br>
description: paper and pencil interview (PAPI)~~
description: Polish adolescents (13-16 years) from a medium sized town and from the rural area
description: Study 1<br><br>Four hundred and five adolescents (211 girls, 194 boys) were recruited from three randomly selected primary schools (214 participants) and three randomly selected secondary schools (191participants) from a medium sized town and from the rural area. The mean age of the participants was 14.43 (SD = 1.08; range 12 – 16). The study performed in the classroom consisted in responding to the preliminary version of the SD3-Y questionnaire; the average time of such responses was approx. 10 min.<br><br><br>Study 2<br><br>Three hundred and twenty five adolescents (151 girls, 174 boys) were recruited from three randomly selected primary schools (176 participants) and two randomly selected secondary schools (149 participants). The mean age of the participants was 14,97 (SD = .92; range 13 – 16. The study consisted in completing four questionnaires in the following order: SD3-Y, Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire, and Big Five Questionnaire – Children. The average time required to mark the answers was approx. 30 min