Item Response Theory and Measurement Invariance Investigations of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI)

Derived from the Risk-Need-Responsivity framework, the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) is a widely implemented instrument used to assess risk of recidivism in justice-involved youth. Its results inform risk classification, sentencing decisions, and treatment planning. Given the impact of the YLS/CMI on the lives of justice-involved youth, its validity needs to be thoroughly investigated. This dissertation is comprised of three studies examining the psychometric properties of the YLS/CMI based on samples of community-sentenced youth in Ontario, Canada. Study 1 examined the YLS/CMI items and its internal structure using item response theory (IRT) analyses and confirmatory factor analysis. The YLS/CMI items loaded onto their respective domains and the domains in turn converged onto a single factor as theorized in the RNR framework. The IRT analyses demonstrated that the instrument was most informative for youth with average risk levels, with items from the Personality, Attitude, and Criminal History domains especially adept at discriminating between individuals with varying risk levels. Study 2 explored the measurement invariance of the YLS/CMI across gender (male vs. female) and race (Black vs. White) using differential item functioning (DIF) analyses within an IRT framework. Most of the items demonstrated similar discrimination across subgroups, with the exception of verbally aggressive across gender, and poor relations with father across race. Several items demonstrated differential likelihood of endorsement across gender and race. Study 3 examined the measurement invariance of the YLS/CMI across a sample of Indigenous and non-Indigenous justice-involved youth using DIF. Results demonstrated similar discrimination of the items across groups, with the exception of poor frustration tolerance. Items from the Education domain were more likely to be endorsed for non-Indigenous youth, while items from the Substance Abuse domain were more likely to be endorsed for Indigenous youth. Results also indicated that the total scores were not predictive of recidivism for Indigenous youth. Findings from this dissertation highlight the importance of investigating the psychometric properties of risk assessment instruments in order to establish its validity and understand its implications for justice-involved individuals.Ph.D.2021-11-30 00:00:0