Assessment Of Personality Disorders Research Articles

Examining the validity and factor structure of the ICD-11 trait domains.

The International Classification of Diseases, 11th Edition (ICD-11) includes a new personality disorder (PD) severity diagnosis that may be further characterized using up to five trait domain specifiers. Most of the previous studies have investigated the ICD-11 trait domains using self-report measures. The present study aimed to validate ICD-11 PD trait domains using a multimethod design in a community mental health sample (n = 336). We conducted two confirmatory factor analyses to examine the factor structure of the ICD-11 PD trait model, utilizing clinician-rating, self-report, and informant-report measures. Finally, we examined associations between clinician-rated, self-reported, and informant-reported ICD-11 trait domains with external criteria, specifically traditional PD symptoms and the five-factor model of normal personality. All clinician-rated, self-reported, and informant-reported domain scores loaded meaningfully on their expected factors when controlling for nontrivial method factors. Generally, the trait domains exhibited meaningful associations with conceptually relevant external criteria, although the anankastia domain exhibited more variability in its pattern of correlations across methods. Overall, the ICD-11 trait domain model shows promising reliability and validity, indicating good progress within the field of PD assessment toward a more useful PD operationalization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Morality, self-control, age, type of offence and sentence length as predictors of psychopathy amongst female incarcerated offenders in South Africa.

There has been an increase in female incarcerated offenders nationally and internationally. Despite this trend, literature and research on female offenders remain limited compared to their male counterparts. Evidence of the relationship between certain personality disorders and offending behaviour has led numerous countries to prioritise identifying and assessing personality disorders among the offender population. Psychopathic personality traits may contribute to women's risk factors for expressing antisocial behaviours, resulting in their potential future incarceration. Thus, a need exists to understand possible factors that may predict the expression of psychopathic traits in females, which may have notable utility among female offenders. This study aimed to investigate possible predictor variables of psychopathy amongst incarcerated female offenders in South Africa. A quantitative research approach, non-experimental research type, and correlational research design were employed. A convenience sampling technique was used. The sample consisted of 139 (N = 139) female offenders housed in two correctional centres in South Africa who voluntarily participated in this study. Correlation analyses and hierarchical regression analysis procedures were conducted to analyse the results. Results indicated (i) a certain combination of predictor variables that statistically and practically significantly explained both primary and secondary psychopathy and (ii) individual predictor variables (e.g., Impulsivity, Simple Tasks, Risk-Seeking, and Self-Centredness) that explained both primary and secondary psychopathy statistically and practically significantly. This study provides valuable information about the possible predictor variables of psychopathy amongst female offenders within the context of South Africa. However, further research must be conducted to validate these findings and advance our knowledge on this topic.

Age-Neutral Measurement Of Personality Functioning and Maladaptive Personality Traits.

As previous studies have shown that personality disorder (PD) assessment in older adults is often hampered because assessment tools are tailored toward younger adults, establishing the age-neutrality of novel tools is crucial. This study primarily aimed to evaluate the age-neutrality of the Level of Personality Functioning Brief Form (LPFS-BF 2.0) and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Modified + (PID-5-BF+M), using a sample of 254 community-dwelling adults. The analysis of Differential Item Functioning (DIF) demonstrated the age-neutrality of both instruments, with only 8.3% of LPFS-BF 2.0 items and 5.6% of PID-5-BF+M items exhibiting DIF. Differential Test Functioning (DTF) analyses revealed large DTF for the LPFS-BF 2.0 total score, indicating that age-specific norms might be necessary for this score. In summary, this study supports the use of these instruments in both older and younger adults, enhancing the assessment of PDs across the life span.

Measurement invariance of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 across sex.

There has been an international movement towards dimensional models of personality disorders (PDs) in the last decades, which culminated in the publication of the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders (AMPD) in the Emerging Measures and Models section of the DSM-5. This model was accompanied by a APA-sanctioned Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) for the assessment of the AMPD pathological personality traits. One major issue with the assessment of personality disorders pertains to sex differences, and measurement invariance across sex in assessment instruments for PDs is necessary in order to ensure non-biased evaluations and to make valid comparisons between men and women. This study aimed to provide more information on measurement invariance across sex for the PID-5, using both the original scoring approach provided by the authors of the instrument and the scoring approach suggested by the APA in the published version of the PID-5. This study was conducted with a sample of 2273 participants from the general Québec (Canada) adult population aged 18 to 90 years (M = 46.59; SD = 16.32; 51.8% women). The original scoring approach model showed good fit to data after freeing paths between certain traits and reached strict invariance. The APA scoring approach also showed good fit to data and reached strict invariance, but needed an adjustment (path freed between Emotional lability and Impulsivity in men) to reach scalar invariance. In line with previous research, the PID-5 is invariant across sex and the five-factor structure adjusts well to data. The APA scoring approach appears to attenuate the cross-loading problem observed with the original scoring approach. In light of these results, we recommend using the APA scoring approach to derive domain scores.

Psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the standardised assessment of personality abbreviated scale.

This study was undertaken to translate the Standardised Assessment of Personality - Abbreviated Scale (SAPAS) into Japanese and to evaluate its validity and reliability. SAPAS is one of the most rapid tools for assessing personality disorder (PD) and has excellent sensitivity and good specificity, whereas other PD assessment tools require such a significant investment of time that they are infeasible for large surveys or routine clinical practice. Customary assessment in clinical practice ideally incorporates screening for PD, as it is associated with a substantial public health burden, including premature mortality and increased health service utilization. Furthermore, PD's status as a key prognostic variable of mental disorders also drives PD screening. While SAPAS has been translated into several languages, there has been no Japanese version. Therefore, we translated SAPAS into Japanese (SAPAS-J) and evaluated its reliability and validity. Study 1 recruited undergraduates to reveal its test-retest reliability. Although its internal consistency was not high, since the intent of the original SAPAS was to assess the broad character of personality disorder with the fewest possible items, minimal correlations between items were reasonable. We tested two factorial models, the single-factor model and the higher-order-single-factor model, and the latter offered better fitting. This higher-order model contained a three-factor structure corresponding to clusters described in DSM-5. It measures general PD traits as a common higher-order latent variable comprising those factors. Correlations of SAPAS-J with the much longer PD screening questionnaire in Study 1 and depressive and anxiety symptoms in Study 2 from the general population support its validity. Although validation for the clinical use of SAPAS-J is limited, our research with non-clinical populations demonstrated sufficient validity to justify its use in the context of psychopathological analog research. Since PD is understood as a continuum, the severity of which is distributed dimensionally, the analog study recruiting from the general population and attempting to reveal psychopathological mechanisms of PD is meaningful.

Self-report versus clinical ratings using the SWAP-200 in the assessment of personality disorders

The relationship between self- and informant reports of personality using psychometric instruments is constantly the focus of attention for researchers in the field of clinical assessment in psychology. The research shows weak agreement between clinicians and patients’ assessments of personality disorders (PDs). The current study aimed at the convergence of measurement of PDs using the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP-200), the self-report Character Styles Questionnaire-R (CSQ-R) and Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI). Paper-pencil questionnaires were administered to 102 inpatients (88.2% female, aged 18-64, M = 38.4) in a voivodeship hospital and outpatient health care centre. The SWAP-200 allowed us to gather expert (clinician) personality ratings basing on the intensive contact with patients. Results show that only a few SWAP-200 PD scales showed low positive correlations with corresponding self-reported PD scales from the CSQ-R. With the canonical correlation analysis, we identified two functions (borderline and internalising) that described similarities between the SWAP-200 and CSQ-R. SWAP-200 Obsessive-Compulsive PD correlated negatively with BPI scales. Consistent with previous studies, the self-report and the clinical assessment were only marginally convergent. Furthermore, OCPD stands out from other disorders in that it correlates positively with health indicators and negatively with some of the other personality disorders. The highest agreement was observed in the description of Borderline PD.

Comparing the clinical utility of the alternative model for personality disorders to the Section II personality disorder model: A randomized controlled trial.

The alternative model for personality disorders (AMPD) has been extensively studied over the past decade, but to date there is no direct comparison of the clinical utility of the AMPD model relative to the Section II personality disorder (PD) model in an ecologically valid design. The current study examined the clinical utility of an AMPD-informed assessment procedure and Section II PD assessment procedure as assessed by both patients and clinicians in a randomized controlled trial. A sample of 119 patients were randomly assigned to either an AMPD or a Section II PD assessment procedure. At the end of the assessment, patients filled out questionnaires pertaining to clinical utility, satisfaction, motivation for treatment, and general experience of the assessment. Clinicians who subsequently started treatment with these patients also completed two clinical utility questionnaires. There were no significant differences between the AMPD and Section II PD assessment procedure on patients' reported clinical utility, motivation for treatment, satisfaction, and general experience of the assessment nor were there significant differences between the models on clinician reported clinical utility. Explorative analyses revealed that, for patients, a positive relationship with the assessor was predictive of experienced utility. This study shows no superiority of the AMPD in terms of clinical utility but suggests that the alliance with the assessor is a particularly salient factor in clinical utility. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Assessment and psychotherapy of borderline personality disorders in Japan: Results from a cross-sectional survey of psychologists

Assessment and psychotherapy of borderline personality disorders in Japan: Results from a cross-sectional survey of psychologists

The relationship between mood disorders, personality disorder and suicidality in adolescence: does general personality disturbance play a significant role in predicting suicidal behavior?

IntroductionCurrent research points to the importance personality pathology and Major Depression e as relevant psycopathological risk factors for understanding suicidal risk in adolescence. Literature has mainly focused on the role of BPD, however current orientations in personality pathological functioning suggest that BPD may be the representative of a general personality disturbance, a factor of vulnerability underlying diverse psychopathological variants and aspects of maladaptive functioning. However, recent studies seem to have neglected the contributions that other specific personality disorders and personality pathology as a general factor of vulnerability for suicidality; and only marginally investigated the interaction of personality disorder (PD) as an overall diagnosis and individual PDs and major depression (MDD).In this paper, the independent and cumulative effects of MDD and DSM-IV PDs on suicidal risk are investigated in a sample of adolescents observed in a longitudinal window of observation ranging from three months preceding the assessment to a six-month follow up period of clinical monitoring.MethodsA sample of 118 adolescents (mean age = 15.48 ± 1.14) referred for assessment and treatment on account of suicidal ideation or behavior were administered the CSSRS, SCID II, Kiddie-SADS at admission at inpatient and outpatient Units. All subjects included in the study had reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts at the C-SSRS; The CSSRS was applied again to all patients who reported further suicidal episodes during the six-months follow-up period of clinical monitoring. Dimensional diagnoses of PDs was obtained by summing the number of criteria met by each subject at SCID-%-PD 5, In order, to test the significance of the associations between the variables chosen as predictors (categorical and dimensional PDs and MD diagnosis), and the suicidal outcomes variables suicide attempts, number of suicide attempts and potential lethality of suicide attempt, non-parametric bivariate correlations, logistic regression models and mixed-effects Poisson regression were performed PD.ResultsThe categorical and dimensional diagnosis of PD showed to be a significant risk factors for suicide attempt and their recurrence, independently of BPD, that anyway was confirmed to be a specific significant risk factor for suicidal behaviors. Furthermore, PD assessed at a categorical and dimensional level and Major Depression exert an influence on suicidal behaviors and their lethality both as independent and cumulative risk factors.LimitationsBesides incorporating dimensional thinking into our approach to assessing psychopathology, our study still relied on traditionally defined assessment of PD. Future studies should include AMPD-defined personality pathology in adolescence to truly represent dimensional thinking.ConclusionThese results point to the importance of early identification of the level of severity of personality pathology at large and its co-occurrence with Major Depression for the management of suicidal risk in adolescence.

Prevalence of the alternative model of personality disorders diagnoses in populational and at-risk samples, gender and age groups comparisons, and normative data for the LPFS-SR and PID-5.

The Alternative Model of Personality Disorders (AMPD), introduced in Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013), was proposed as a new operationalization of personality disorders (PDs) aiming to overcome the several limitations of the traditional symptom-based model (Waugh et al., 2017; Zimmerman et al., 2019). In the AMPD, PDs are defined by two-dimensional criteria (the level of personality functioning and maladaptive personality traits), but as a hybrid model, it also allows for categorical assessment of PDs (i.e., "hybrid types") to facilitate continuity with clinical practice. The present study aimed to provide normative data for two widely used instruments assessing Criterion A (Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Self-Report; Morey, 2017) and B (Personality Inventory for DSM-5; Krueger et al., 2012) in a large populational French-Canadian sample. Regarding the categorical assessment, Gamache et al. (2022) recently tested scoring approaches for extracting the PD hybrid types from dimensional measures of the AMPD. In the present study, these approaches were used to estimate prevalence rates for these PD hybrid types in two samples. In the populational sample, results showed that prevalence rates varied from 0.2% (antisocial PDs) to 3.0% (trait-specified PDs), with an overall prevalence of 5.9% to 6.1% for any PD hybrid type. Prevalence was higher in men than in women in the populational sample, but the contrary was observed in the at-risk sample. Prevalence was higher in younger adults than in middle-aged and older adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Personality disorders in older adults: Differences in self-informant ratings.

Previous research on self-informant reports in assessing personality disorders (PDs) has been mainly focused on adults, leaving older adults under-studied. We examined self-informant agreement in PD screening among older adults (≥60 years) using the Gerontological Personality disorders Scale (GPS). Potential differences such as who reports more personality pathology on a PD screener (i.e., GPS), item accessibility and the effect of relational aspects were studied as well. Data of 326 older adult-informant dyads, of which the older adults were sampled from five general practices in the Netherlands, were used. Results indicate that self-informant agreement ranged from r = 0.26-0.73, with lower concordance on the GPS-subscale measuring intrapersonal aspects of personality pathology. Informants were more sensitive to habitual pathological personality features than older adults. Two GPS items showed differential item functioning across self- and informant-report. Of relational aspects, only congeniality affected the GPS-iv scores; lower ratings on congeniality were associated with higher GPS-iv scores (i.e., higher reporting of personality problems).

Further validation of the Personality Disorder Severity for ICD-11 (PDS-ICD-11) scale in a community mental health sample.

The International Classification of Diseases, 11th Edition (ICD-11) has reconceptualized personality disorders (PD), and measures are therefore being developed to aid the assessment of ICD-11 PD. The present study examined the validity of the recently developed self-report inventory the Personality Disorder Severity for ICD-11 (PDS-ICD-11), and its utility in differentiating across ICD-11 PD severity levels in a community mental health sample (n = 232). We examined the associations between the PDS-ICD-11 with various clinician ratings, self-report questionnaires, and informant-report measures of dimensional personality impairment and traditional Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition PDs. Further, we examined mean group differences in PDS-ICD-11 scores between levels of ICD-11 PD clinician diagnosis. The PDS-ICD-11 exhibited moderate-to-large associations with all clinician ratings, and more variable associations with self-report and informant-report measures. PDS-ICD-11 mean scores were significantly different across all levels of ICD-11 PD clinician-rated diagnostic levels. These findings provide additional promising evidence for the validity and utility of the PDS-ICD-11 for the assessment of ICD-11 PD in community mental health patients. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Greek Personality Psychopathology Inventory (GPPI-5)

Abstract. The 5th version of DSM ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ) employed a dimensional approach to describe and assess personality disorders, namely, the alternative model of personality disorders (AMPD). So far, AMPD has been translated and validated in many countries. Herein, the results of a series of studies conducted to develop and validate the Greek Personality Psychopathology Inventory (GPPI-5) following the AMPD are reported. Data from more than 1,200 adults were analyzed to examine factor structure. The ESEM approach was applied (1) to examine the proposed personality model, (2) to confirm previous validity studies on AMPD, and (3) to examine the invariance of GPPI-5 across gender. Results successfully replicated the AMPD at both the domain and facet levels. Measurement invariance across gender supported the GPPI-5 structure. Reliability and validity studies were conducted, providing evidence that GPPI-5 is a valid and psychometrically sound measure for assessing personality disorders in clinical and research settings.

Evidence-Based Assessment of Personality Disorder.

The purpose of this article is to provide a description and discussion of the evidence-based assessment of personality disorder. Considered herein is the assessment of the Section II personality disorders included within the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., text rev.; DSM-5-TR), within Section III of DSM-5-TR, and within the 11th edition of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (WHO). The recommendation for an evidence-based assessment is for a multimethod approach: first administer a self-report inventory to alert the clinician to maladaptive personality functioning that might not have otherwise been anticipated, followed by a semi-structured interview to verify the personality disorder's presence. The validity of this multimethod strategy can be improved further by considering the impact of other disorders on the assessment, documenting temporal stability, and establishing a compelling, empirical basis for cutoff points.

Assessment of Personality Disorders in Older Adults. A Practice Guide.

Assessment of personality disorders (PDs) in older adults is a nuanced trade of its own. The aim of this practice guide is to illustrate gerontological assessment challenges using 3 case vignettes. We argue that it is important to pay extra attention to the influence of cognitive and medical (somatic) disorders on personality functioning in older adults during personality assessment. We also note that information provided by informants contributes added value to personality assessment. Personality assessment should be sufficiently age-specific to prevent overdiagnosis or underdiagnosis in older adults. Furthermore, given the reduced psychological or somatic capacity of some older adults, phased or sequential personality assessment is recommended. This should be focused on the assessment questions to be answered, for example starting with short general screening of personality functioning, followed by more in-depth exploration. Personality assessment should be kept as brief and simple as possible in terms of formulation of the items.

Bridging the ICD11 and the DSM-5 personality disorders classification systems: The role of the PID5BF + M.

In both the ICD-11 Classification of Personality Disorders and the DSM-5 Alternative Model of Personality Disorders (AMPD) personality disorders (PD) are characterized by impairments in self- and interpersonal functioning which distinguish the various levels of dysfunction. Moreover, pathological traits are used by these classification systems to define the stylistic expression of personality dysfunction. Negative affectivity, detachment, antagonism/dissociality, and disinhibition feature as trait domains in each of these models. However, there are also differences between the two models, namely, in the psychoticism domain, which does not feature as a personality trait domain in the ICD-11, and in the anankastia domain, corresponding to compulsivity in the DSM-5, which was removed from the final AMPD model. Furthermore, facets are acknowledged by the DSM-5 within each trait domain, while this does not occur in the ICD-11. In view of the similarity between these classification systems, their harmonization would be beneficial for the clinical profession. With this goal in mind, the PID5BF + M, an algorithm that assesses the DSM-5 and ICD-11 six trait domains and 18 facets, was developed and has proven to adequately characterize the ICD-11 trait domains by means of DSM-5 trait facets. The current study compares a community sample (N = 280, M age = 48.01, 53.2% females) with a PD sample (N = 131, M age = 42.66, 45.0% females) along with the PID5BF + M, the LPFS-SR and the PID-5. Given that the PID5BF + M total can be seen as a measure of the level of personality dysfunction, strong relations between the PID5BF + M total and the LPFS-SR total are expected. Strong relations between the trait specifiers measured by the PID5BF + M and the PID-5 are also expected. Finally, the community and clinical samples are expected to differentiate by means of the dimensions assessed through the three afore-mentioned measures. The Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient was used to measure the strength and direction of associations between the PID5BF + M total and the LPFS-SR total and between the PID5BF + M and the PID-5 traits. Group differences were explored using the Mann-Whitney U test for independent samples. As expected, there were strong, significant, and positive relations between the measures. Furthermore, higher scores were observed in all the variables for the PD group against the community group. Although this study has limitations, its findings sustain that the PID5BF + M has potential to assess the severity of personality disfunction and to characterize the stylistic features of PD as they are conceived by both the ICD-11 and the DSM-5. Although more research is needed regarding the convergent validity of the PID5BF + M, this new test contributes to the harmonization of both systems and to parsimony in the assessment of PD, which is the main objective of clinical practice.

Implicit Gender Bias in the Clinical Judgment of Psychopathy and Personality Disorders among Licensed Psychologists in the USA

The role of implicit gender bias in the assessment of mental disorders remains a contentious and consequential issue. Inaccurate assessment of psychopathy and personality disorders (PD) among health care professionals can have deleterious consequences with respect to treatment access and planning, as well as legal decision making within forensic settings. Using a quantitative cross-sectional experimental design, 180 licensed psychologists from the USA were recruited via email using non-probability convenience sampling. Implicit gender bias was measured by randomly assigning participants to one of two experimental conditions (i.e., male vs. female pronoun case vignette). While adjusted logistic regression models confirmed significant associations between gender pronoun of case vignette and clinical judgment of PDs, this was not supported for psychopathy. Licensed psychologists were significantly more likely to render a judgment of borderline PD in the female, compared to the male, gender pronoun condition. Conversely, they were significantly more likely to render a judgment of antisocial PD in the male, compared to the female, gender pronoun condition. These findings suggest that despite progress in the understanding of gender role behaviors, personality disorders, and clinical training protocols, implicit gender bias persists among licensed psychologists in the USA.

Personality disorders in patients with newly diagnosed bipolar disorder, their unaffected first-degree relatives and healthy control individuals

ObjectiveBipolar disorder (BD) is often a progressive mood disorder with a high prevalence of comorbid personality disorder (PD) ranging from 25 to 73 %. Previous studies have included patients with various illness duration of BD. Longer illness duration may be associated with increased prevalence of comorbid PD. This study investigated the prevalence of comorbid personality disorders in patients with newly diagnosed BD and their unaffected first-degree relatives (UR) compared with healthy control individuals (HC). MethodsWe included 204 patients with newly diagnosed BD, 109 of their UR and 188 HC. To assess comorbid PD according to DSM-IV, the SCID-II-interview was performed in full or partial remission. Subthreshold PD was defined as scores above cut-off in the SCID-II self-report questionnaires. Functioning was assessed using the Functioning Assessment Short Test. ResultsIn total 52 (25.5 %) of the patients with newly diagnosed BD fulfilled criteria for a comorbid PD. Regarding UR, 7 (6.4 %) fulfilled the criteria for a PD. Subthreshold PD were more prevalent in BD (82.8 %) and UR (53.0 %) than in HC (35.1 %), p-values < 0.003). Patients with comorbid PD presented with impaired functioning compared with patients without PD. LimitationsClinical diagnostic distinction between PD and BD is challenged by overlapping symptoms. ConclusionA quarter of patients with newly diagnosed BD fulfill criteria for a comorbid PD, already at the time of the diagnosis with BD. A comorbid PD is associated with larger functional impairments. This emphasizes the need for early assessment of comorbid PD at time of BD diagnosis.

An Integrated Developmental Approach to Personality Disorders in Adolescence: Expanding Kernberg's Object Relations Theory.

This article is a tribute to Dr. Otto F. Kernberg and his contribution to the theoretical understanding of personality pathology in adolescence. In his object relations theory of the structure of personality, an integrated identity is considered central to healthy personality functioning and is contrasted with identity diffusion, which is posited to underlie the maladaptive interpersonal functioning of patients with severe personality disorders. His work provided an early theoretical foundation for the understanding and treatment of personality disorders in adults, but a need remained for a deeper understanding of the development and treatment of personality disorders during adolescence. During the past 10 years, Kernberg has led a group of clinicians and developmental researchers focusing on childhood and adolescence to elaborate an understanding of the development, assessment, and treatment of personality disorders among adolescents. He proposed that in the context of typical development, adolescence is important to the expansion of identity, because it represents the period when sexual and aggressive impulses are integrated and earlier representations of the self and others are revised and become more realistic and nuanced. Furthermore, adolescence entails a reorganization of the moral system and enrichment of the ego ideal. This article presents two methods for assessing personality disorders in adolescence that are based on Kernberg's theory and demonstrates the use of transference-focused psychotherapy for adolescents with personality disorders.

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Assessment and Management of Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Assessment and Management of Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder.