Facet Scores Research Articles

Parsimony in Personality: Predicting Sexual Prejudice

Extant research has established numerous demographic, personal-history, attitudinal, and ideological correlates of sexual prejudice, also known as homophobia. The present study investigated whether Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality domains, particularly Openness, and FFM facets, particularly Openness to Values, contribute independent and incremental variance to the prediction of sexual prejudice beyond these established correlates. Participants were 117 college students who completed a comprehensive FFM measure, measures of sexual prejudice, and a demographics, personal-history, and attitudes-and-ideologies questionnaire. Results of stepwise multiple regression analyses demonstrated that, whereas Openness domain score predicted only marginal incremental variance in sexual prejudice, Openness facet scores (particularly Openness to Values) predicted independent and substantial incremental variance beyond numerous other zero-order correlates of sexual prejudice. The importance of integrating FFM personality variables, especially facet-level variables, into conceptualizations of sexual prejudice is highlighted. Study strengths and weaknesses are discussed as are potential implications for prejudice-reduction interventions.

Personality Differences between Drug Injectors and Non-injectors among Substance-Dependent Patients in Substitution Treatment

Background: Understanding personality differences between injectors and non-injectors in substitution treatment may provide new insights to help improve treatment programs. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare drug injectors and non-injectors in terms of personality disorders and dimensions. Methods: Forty participants recruited from substance abuse treatment centers (23 injectors and 17 non-injectors) completed the self-report Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire 4th version and Temperament and Character Inventory. Mann–Whitney U tests were used to compare means of personality disorder traits, temperament, and character differences between injectors and non-injectors. Results: The mean (SD) age of the sample (72.5% male) was 36.5 (8.7) years. Injectors reported more borderline personality disorders and increased global personality disturbance (p < .05). Similarly, Anticipatory worry, Shyness, and Fatigability facet scores were higher among injectors (p < .01). Attachment, Purposeful, and Congruent second nature facet scores were higher among non-injectors (p < .01). Conclusion: According to the route of drug administration, drug dependents differed in terms of personality disorders and dimensions. Scientific Significance: These results may have implications for the implementation of treatment programs. New research in this area may contribute to the understanding and prevention of intravenous drug use.

Associations among childhood abuse and psychopathy facets in male sexual offenders.

In the search for causes of psychopathy, the literature historically focuses on biological and temperamental differences. In comparison, this literature overshadows that of psychosocial risk factors for the development of psychopathy, namely childhood maltreatment. The current study examines the association between specific types of maltreatment (i.e., physical, emotional, sexual abuse, neglect) and PCL-R total and facet scores among a sample of 223 adult men convicted of sexual offenses and evaluated for civil commitment. Results indicate that childhood sexual abuse is associated with higher PCL-R total scores and facets tapping a grandiose and manipulative interpersonal style, impulsive-irresponsible lifestyle, and antisocial behavior. Also, childhood physical abuse and neglect are associated with antisocial behavior. Emotional detachment traits of psychopathy (i.e., lack of empathy, shallow affect) are associated with childhood neglect for child molesters, although rapists scored higher on these traits irrespective of neglect history. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Treatment-related changes in behavioral outcomes of psychopathy facets in adolescent offenders.

This study examines the association between the facets of psychopathy embedded in the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV; Forth et al., Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version, 2003), and changes in institutional behavior and post-treatment violent and general offending in a sample of juvenile delinquent males treated in the Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center (MJTC), an intensive treatment program. Affective, Interpersonal, Behavioral and Antisocial facet scale scores were calculated from items of the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV; Forth et al., 2003). Data on daily institutional behavior were collected from treatment records. In order to analyze re-offense patterns, the number and type of new criminal charges were collected over a mean follow-up of 54 months (range = 24-79 months), after the youth was released from custody. The Interpersonal facet of the PCL:YV was significantly related to admission behavior problems, while other facet scores were not. Youth with elevated Interpersonal facet scores showed the greatest improvement in institutional behavior during treatment. Treatment was also associated with a significant decrease in general and violent offending for each facet. The Interpersonal facet of the PCL:YV was found to play a key role in institutional and community violence in this study. Treatment appeared to disrupt the link between institutional and community violence and psychopathy features in this population.

Further consideration of the use of narrow trait scales.

This study examined whether inclusion of narrow personality trait scales improved prediction of job performance enough to overcome increased capitalization on chance characteristics of the sample. Data were obtained from 262 midlevel managers who had completed a personality inventory and had been assessed using multisource performance ratings. Three methods of combining trait scores organized under the 5-factor model were compared in order to better understand the contribution of variance specific to the narrow traits in the prediction of performance: common factor scores, unit-weighted composite scores, and regression-weighted composites. Results showed that on average the sets of facet scores explained an additional 9% of the variance in performance beyond summated composites and 10% beyond the factor scores (4% and 5% after correction for shrinkage). Contrary to the idea that broadband predictors would fare better with broad criterion constructs, the increment was similar whether the criterion was a single dimension of performance or overall job performance. Recommendations include reporting results from multiple levels of the personality hierarchy, and suggestions are made for situations where sample size limits the number of predictors advisably entered into a regression equation.

Psychopathy, Traumatic Exposure, and Lifetime Posttraumatic Stress

This study examined two theoretical models on the interaction between psychopathy, traumatic exposure, and lifetime posttraumatic stress in a sample of 81 male detainees. In Model 1, the interpersonal and affective features of psychopathy were assumed to protect against posttraumatic stress. In Model 2, the lifestyle and antisocial traits of psychopathy were assumed to lead to a lifestyle that increases the risk of traumatic exposure and subsequent posttraumatic stress. The authors found significant negative bivariate associations between Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) total, Interpersonal and Affective facet scores, and posttraumatic stress. Model 1 was confirmed, as they found the interaction between the Affective facet and traumatic exposure had a significant negative effect on posttraumatic stress. Model 2 was rejected. The authors' findings confirm that the interpersonal and affective features of psychopathy are associated with an emotional deficit and that the affective features of psychopathy are crucial for understanding the relationship between psychopathy and anxiety.

Severity Indices of Personality Problems (SIPP–118) in adolescents: Reliability and validity.

The Severity Indices of Personality Problems (SIPP-118; Verheul et al., 2008) is a self-report questionnaire focusing on core components of (mal)adaptive personality functioning. The SIPP-118 was developed and validated in an adult population. In adult populations, the 16 facets of the SIPP-118 fit into 5 higher order domains: self-control, identity integration, relational capacities, social concordance, and responsibility. In this study we present the 1st psychometric properties of the SIPP-118 in adolescents. We compared the SIPP-118 scores of a patient and a nonpatient sample of adolescents, and compared personality disordered and non-personality disordered adolescents. In addition, the relationship between scores on the SIPP-118 and other clinical instruments (Symptom Checklist-90-Revised; SCL-90-R; Derogatis, 1975; Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology-Basic Personality; DAPP-BQ; Livesley & Jackson, 2002) was investigated. The questionnaires were completed by 378 adolescent patients and 389 adolescents in the community. Facets appeared to be homogeneous, as alpha coefficients ranged from .62 to .89, indicating moderate to acceptable reliability. Also, more pathological SIPP-118 scores were found in the patient sample, and more specifically in the personality disordered sample, suggesting that the facet scores of the SIPP-118 can discriminate between various populations (divergent validity). Correlation with other clinical instruments was moderate to high (-.82 to .10). Taken together, the SIPP-118 seems to be a promising instrument measuring personality pathology in adolescents.

Problem gambling and the five factor model in university students

The personality traits of treatment-seeking problem gamblers have been compared to healthy control groups in several studies and, although there is consistent evidence for high Neuroticism and low Conscientiousness in problem gamblers, past results may have been affected by selection bias. The current study replicated these findings in a correlational design. The participants were nontreatment-seeking undergraduate students who were screened for excessive and potentially addictive self-defeating behaviors. The Shorter Promis Questionnaire and the NEO PI-R were completed by undergraduate students at two Canadian universities ( N = 369). Scores on the gambling subscale showed modest but statistically significant correlations with high Neuroticism, low Agreeableness, and low Conscientiousness. Regression of the gambling subscale onto the facet scores found significant effects of high Impulsiveness and Self-discipline, and low Straightforwardness and Dutifulness. These results suggest that negative affect and disinhibited traits may be risk factors for the development of problem gambling. The results obtained in this and other studies cannot be accounted for by the populations sampled, by selection bias, or by the instrument used to quantify symptoms of problem gambling.

Homicide, Psychopathy, and Aging—A Nationwide Register‐based Case‐comparison Study of Homicide Offenders Aged 60 Years or Older*

With populations aging there have been some concerns on elderly offending. We compared elderly homicide offenders with a younger comparison group with special emphasis on psychopathy. We analyzed nationwide register-based material on all homicide offenders aged 60 or older who were in a forensic psychiatric examination in Finland 1995-2004 and their gender-matched comparison group of younger homicide offenders. The offenders 60 years or older were diagnosed less often than the younger ones with drug dependence and personality disorders and more often with dementia and physical illnesses. The mean Psychopathy Checklist--Revised total scores as well as factor and facet scores were lower in the 60 or older age group. The group 60 years or older had significantly lower scores on eight individual items of social deviance. The interpersonal/affective factor 1 scores did not differ. Understanding the possible underlying phenomena of violent behavior may provide help for developing services for the elderly.

Neurocognitive deficits and personality traits among euthymic patients with mood disorders in late life

Background Previous studies revealed that acute depressive episodes are associated with both cognitive deficits and modified personality patterns in late life. Whether or not these psychological changes are present after remission remains a matter of debate. To date, no study provided concomitant assessment of cognition and psychological functions in this particular clinical setting. Method Using a cross-sectional design, 58 remitted outpatients (36 with unipolar early-onset depression (EOD) and 22 with bipolar disorder (BD)) were compared to 62 healthy controls. Assessment included detailed neurocognitive measures and evaluation of the five factor personality dimensions (NEO-Personality Inventory). Results Group comparisons revealed significant slower processing speed, working and episodic memory performances in BD patients. EOD patients showed cognitive abilities comparable to those of elderly controls. In NEO PI assessment, both BD and EOD patients displayed higher Depressiveness facet scores. In addition, the EOD but not BD group had lower Extraversion factor, and Warmth and Positive Emotion facet scores than controls. Conclusions After remission from acute affective symptoms, older BD patients show significant impairment in several cognitive functions while neuropsychological performances remained intact in elderly patients with EOD. Supporting a long-lasting psychological vulnerability, EOD patients are more prone to develop emotion-related personality trait changes than BD patients.

Understanding psychopathy through an evaluation of interpersonal behavior: Testing the factor structure of the interpersonal measure of psychopathy in a large sample of jail detainees.

Interpersonal characteristics are core features of the psychopathy construct which have a unique pattern of correlations with a variety of external correlates. To improve the assessment of interpersonal traits, the current study evaluated the internal structure of the Interpersonal Measure of Psychopathy (IM-P) through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) in a large sample of jail inmates. A 17-item, 3-factor (Dominance, Grandiosity, and Boundary Violations) structure evidenced good fit in European American inmates. A second CFA demonstrated good fit for this structure in a sample of African American inmates. Moreover, a multigroup CFA indicated structural invariance between European and African American inmates. External validity was tested and demonstrated through positive correlations between IM-P factor scores and Psychopathy Checklist--Revised total and facet scores (R. D. Hare, 2003) and antisocial personality disorder symptoms and diagnoses. Modest correlations between Grandiosity scores and scores on the Shipley Institute of Living Scale--Revised (R. A. Zachary, 1994) were also observed. Finally, a step-down hierarchical regression was conducted to test for racial bias of the IM-P factor scores in relation to external correlates. Little evidence was found for slope bias, but there was evidence of intercept bias for some analyses. Implications and advantages of assessing psychopathy through a comprehensive evaluation of interpersonal traits are discussed.

Employee satisfaction in the Iberian hotel industry

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze job‐satisfaction differences between employees of the hotel industries of two similar tourist destinations: Andalusia (Spain) and the Algarve (Portugal).Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was conducted in the two regions. The population for this study comprised employees of any hotel establishment in these regions. The authors have used stratified random sampling based on the number of hotels in each category and the number of hotel beds these represent. A total of 2,064 usable questionnaires from 165 hotels were returned in Andalusia and 461 from 23 hotels in the Algarve.FindingsFindings from this study show an acceptable level of job satisfaction in both regions, although this is higher among the Andalusian workers, not only in terms of the overall score but also for each of the job facet scores considered. In contrast to previous findings, in this study the effect of wage on job satisfaction has been reported as significant in both regions.Research limitations/implicationsThe different periods of time in which the fieldwork was done may have caused some distortions in the perception of working conditions in each region. Besides this, some departments may not be sufficiently represented.Practical implicationsThis paper encourages hotel managers to focus their attention on their remuneration systems, promotion possibilities and the perception of their profession's prestige in order to improve staff satisfaction. Particularly in Andalusia, it would be advantageous to develop retention strategies for talented people. In the Algarve region, more training and an improved recognition system are needed.Originality/valueAlthough job satisfaction is an employee attitude that has been studied extensively, there have been few studies on that topic in the tourism sector in Spain, and even fewer in Portugal. Moreover, whereas prior work has mainly focused on small samples – a limited number of hotels surveyed in some specific area – in this study two important tourist regions using a wide sample, and taking all hotel categories into consideration are compared.

Ability, demographic and personality predictors of creativity

In all 10, 415 adult Finish managers attending an assessment centre completed a battery of tests including a personality trait measure (revised Personality Research Form), three ability tests and a well established measure of divergent thinking (DT) (Consequences Test). Gender, but not age nor education was a significant predictor of DT. Two of the three ability tests were correlated with DT. Various facet scores were correlated with DT but at the domain level it was only the Extraversion factor that proved significant. A regression indicated that bright, Extraverted males did better at the DT test. Implications and limitations are considered.

Volumetric MRI changes, cognition and personality traits in old age depression

Background The presence of cognitive and structural deficits in euthymic elderly depressed patients remains a matter of debate. Integrative aetiological models assessing concomitantly these parameters as well as markers of psychological vulnerability such as persistent personality traits, are still lacking for this age group. Methods Cross-sectional comparisons of 38 elderly remitted patients with early-onset depression (EOD) and 62 healthy controls included detailed neuropsychological assessment, estimates of brain volumes in limbic areas and white matter hyperintensities, as well as evaluation of the Five-Factor personality dimensions. Results Both cognitive performances and brain volumes were preserved in euthymic EOD patients. No significant group differences were observed in white matter hyperintensity scores between the two groups. In contrast, EOD was associated with significant increase of Neuroticism and decrease of Extraversion facet scores. Limitations Results concern the restricted portion of EOD patients without psychiatric and physical comorbidities. Future longitudinal studies are necessary to determine the temporal relationship between the occurrence of depression and personality dimensions. Conclusions After remission from acute depressive symptoms, cognitive performances remain intact in elderly patients with EOD. In contrast to previous observations, these patients display neither significant brain volume loss in limbic areas nor increased vascular burden compared to healthy controls. Further clinical investigations on EOD patterns of vulnerability in old age will gain from focusing on psychological features such as personality traits rather than neurocognitive clues.

Mapping analyses to estimate health utilities based on responses to the OM8-30 otitis media questionnaire

To investigate the statistical relationship between the OM8-30 health-related quality of life measure for children with otitis media with effusion (OME) and measures of health utility (Health Utilities Index [HUI] Mark 3 and Mark 2) and to develop models to estimate HUI3 and HUI2 health utilities from OM8-30 scores. A placebo-controlled, randomised trial (GNOME) evaluating intranasal mometasone in 217 children with OME provided concurrent responses to OM8-30 and HUI at three time points. Ordinary least squares (OLS), generalised linear models and two-step regression analyses were used to predict HUI3 and HUI2 utilities based on OM8-30 facet and domain scores. OLS models including all nine OM8-30 facets with or without predicted hearing level (HL) produced the best predictions of HUI3 utilities (mean absolute error: 0.134 with HL and 0.132 without; R(2): 0.63 with HL and 0.596 without). An OLS model predicting HUI3 utilities based on the two OM8-30 domain scores, reported hearing difficulties, predicted HL, age and sex also produced accurate predictions. Regression equations predicting HUI3 and HUI2 utilities based on OM8-30 facet and domain scores have been developed. These provide an empirical basis for estimating quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for interventions in children with OME.

Emotional memory and psychopathic traits in conduct disordered adolescents

The limited number of studies reporting emotional memory impairments in adults with psychopathic traits has not yet been replicated in conduct disordered adolescents with callous unemotional (CU) traits. This study aimed to test the developmental hypothesis that emotional memory will also be impaired in conduct disordered adolescents with CU traits on similar memory tasks. Eighty-four conduct disordered male adolescents assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL: YV) were tested on a well-validated emotional memory task. Task performance was assessed in relation to scores on the PCL: YV with particular reference to the affective domains which reflect CU traits. As expected, in the sample as a whole, memory for emotional events was better than memory for neutral events. High psychopathy scorers had attenuated cued recall for the more emotional components of the task. Psychopathy scores, particularly the affective facet scores (reflecting CU traits) showed a negative relationship to recall accuracy for emotional events. The findings essentially replicate those from our adult studies suggesting that the emotional memory processing deficits seen in psychopathy are reasonably stable across the lifespan.

Empirical identification of the major facets of Conscientiousness

Conscientiousness is often found to predict academic outcomes, but is defined differently by different models of personality. High school students ( N = 291) completed a large number of Conscientiousness items from different models and the Big Five Inventory (BFI). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the items uncovered eight facets: Industriousness, Perfectionism, Tidiness, Procrastination Refrainment, Control, Cautiousness, Task Planning, and Perseverance. Correlations between these facets and the BFI revealed that all facets related strongly to Conscientiousness. Criterion-related validity was demonstrated by relationships between facets and academic outcomes such as grade-point-average, disciplinary infractions, and attainment of academic honors. Compared to BFI Conscientiousness, Industriousness and Perfectionism showed significantly stronger prediction of absenteeism and cognitive test scores, respectively. Results are discussed in terms of the usefulness of facet scores, the interpretation of personality scores for selection, and the development of intervention programs.

Nineteen-Month Stability of Revised NEO Personality Inventory Domain and Facet Scores in Patients With Personality Disorders

We lack knowledge of the temporal stability of major personality dimensions in patients with personality disorders (PDs). The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) is a self-report instrument that operationalizes the Five-Factor Model of personality. This study investigated the relative stability, mean level stability, and individual level stability of the NEO-PI-R scores in patients with PDs (n = 393) and patients with symptom disorders only (n = 131). The NEO-PI-R was administered at admission to short-term day treatment and after an average of 19 months. The results showed a moderate to high degree of stability of NEO-PI-R scale scores with no substantial difference in stability between patients with and without PD. Changes in NEO-PI-R scores were associated with changes in symptom distress. Neuroticism was the least stable domain. The study indicates that the Five-Factor Model of personality dimensions and traits are fairly stable in patients with PDs. The lower stability of Neuroticism may partly be explained by its inherent state aspects.

Reliability and validity of World Health Organization Quality of Life-100 in homeless substance-dependent veteran population

The number of homeless individuals and specifically homeless veterans is increasing. Accurate assessment of quality of life is an important need in working with this population because of the myriad problems encountered. However, the reliability and validity of quality-of-life instruments have not been assessed in this population. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the U.S. version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life-100 in a homeless veteran population. Results found adequate internal consistency for all domain and most facet scores, while test-retest stability varied for the facet scores. We confirmed validity by using subsamples with physical, emotional, and social problems and by comparing scores from populations that returned to the community with employment and housing. Limitations and directions for future study are discussed.

A prospective comparison of two measures of psychopathy in the prediction of institutional misconduct

This study examined the predictive validity of two widely used measures of psychopathic traits, the Psychopathy Checklist--Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 2003) and the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI; Lilienfeld & Andrews, 1996). Records of institutional infractions were obtained for a young adult sample of prison inmates (N = 46), who were followed for approximately two years following administration of these two scales. The PPI total and two factor scores predicted the total number of infractions committed (r ranging from .28 to .36). PPI Factor I showed some evidence of stronger associations with non-aggressive infractions (r = .36), whereas PPI Factor II was the strongest correlate of aggressive misconduct (r = .24). The total and facet scores of the PCL-R were not significantly predictive of any form of institutional misconduct, with effect sizes ranging from negligible to small (median r = .14, r ranging from -.01 to .21).