INTRODUCTION: The direct observation of interpersonal behaviors is an important resource in the description and diagnosis of the psychopathic personality. The Interpersonal Measure of Psychopathy (IM-P) is a psychometric instrument comprised of 21 items, designed to be applied in association with other instruments that also evaluate psychopaths. It focuses specifically on interpersonal and non-verbal behaviors that become evident during the interaction between the interviewer and individuals with psychopathic characteristics. OBJECTIVE: To describe preliminary results obtained in the assessment of interpersonal behaviors of psychopathic individuals using the IM-P, including instrument translation/adaptation and inter-rater reliability results, in a sample of Brazilian adolescents. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, correlation study conducted with a sample of 20 institutionalized male adolescents from the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. Following instrument translation, interviewer training, and a pilot study conducted using a semi-structured interview, the IM-P was scored by three independent raters. RESULTS: The statistical results obtained using Kendall's coefficient of concordance revealed a high and satisfactory inter-rater agreement for IM-P total scores (W = 0.84; p < 0.001). Some items showed conflicting results and were therefore discussed and evaluated separately. CONCLUSION: The psychometric properties of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the IM-P, as assessed in this preliminary study, showed consistent inter-rater concordance, suggesting instrument reliability. Some study limitations are discussed, as are some relevant aspects that should be taken into consideration in future research involving the IM-P.
Personality disorders; interpersonal relations; assessment; psychometrics
