Short form of the Zuckerman–Kuhlman–Aluja Personality Questionnaire: Its trait and facet relationships with personality disorder functioning styles in Chinese general and clinical samples

Abstract

Five-factor model of personality trait measures displays predictable associations with personality disorder features in both general and clinical populations. Facet-level measures such as the Zuckerman–Kuhlman–Aluja Personality Questionnaire offer more detailed associations in these aspects. Recently, a short form of this questionnaire (ZKA-PQ/SF), with five traits and four facets under each trait, has been developed for further application of personality measures in a reasonable short time. We hypothesized that ZKA-PQ/SF displays predictable associations with personality disorder functioning styles in both general and clinical populations. We therefore in China, invited 446 healthy volunteers and 112 personality disorder patients to undergo the tests of ZKA-PQ/SF, the Parker Personality Measure (PERM) and the Plutchik-van Praag Depression Inventory. Patients scored significantly higher on all PERM styles and on ZKA-PQ/SF Neuroticism and Aggressiveness traits and some of their facets, and lower on ZKA-PQ/SF Extraversion and its facets, and on Work Energy facet of Activity. ZKA-PQ/SF traits and some facets displayed associations with PERM styles supporting previous documentation, while those trait- and facet-related associations were even more specific in patients. Our results thus support the ZKA-PQ/SF application in clinical practice to aid the psychological explanation and the diagnosis of personality disorders, at least in Chinese culture.