Personality judgment and personality pathology: self-other agreement in adolescents with conduct disorder

We examine two issues linking personality pathology and judgment of traits within the Five-Factor Model of personality. We hypothesize that pathology moderates self-other agreement--"target" participants with pathology should be less judgable than participants without pathology. In addition, we hypothesize that pathology could partially produce agreement across a variety of traits, particularly those traits fundamental to the pathology. In an adolescent sample including a group with Conduct Disorder (CD) and a Control group, we examine agreement between adolescents' self-reports and their mothers' informant reports. Using trait-centered and person-centered perspectives, we find support for both hypotheses. Results have implications for understanding the processes affecting personality judgment, for increasing integration of traditional personality research and personality pathology, and for personality assessment.     

Personality disorder not otherwise specified: searching for an empirically based diagnostic threshold

The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for empirically investigating diagnostic criteria for personality disorder not otherwise specified (PDNOS). From a large, nonclinical sample of military recruits and undergraduate students who were screened for personality disorders (PDs), 572 completed the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality. Data from the interviewed group were used to identify a diagnostic threshold for PDNOS by comparing those who did (n = 88) and did not (n = 484) qualify for a PD diagnosis. For both groups, subjective distress increased and measures of social and occupational functioning decreased as a function of the number of PD criteria met. A classification and regression tree modeling procedure was applied using self-report scores on measures of mood, anxiety, and personality traits to arrive at probabilities for predicting the presence of a PD diagnosis based on the pattern of reported traits present. These probabilities were then used to derive an empirically based diagnostic threshold for PDNOS. In this sample, the most appropriate threshold for a PDNOS diagnosis appears to be the presence of 10 PD criteria for a person who does not qualify for a diagnosis of any other specific form of PD. This definition identified 5.5% of the young adults who were interviewed in this study.     

Personality and mood correlates of avoidant personality disorder

Avoidant personality disorder (APD) has been recognized as prevalent and clinically important; however, it is not clear how APD maps onto established personality and mood dimensions. In this cross-sectional survey study, 365 college students completed questionnaires assessing APD features and theoretically relevant personality and mood dimensions. Based on these self-report data, 6.6% may meet DSM-IV criteria for APD. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that APD features were associated with introversion, neuroticism, low self-esteem, and pessimistic expectancies. Additionally, APD features were linked with self-reports of elevated emotional responsiveness to threats and reduced emotional responsiveness to incentives (the behavioral inhibition system and behavioral activation system scales). After controlling for the effects of other personality, temperament, and cognitive measures, affective distress (i.e., anger, anxiety, and depression) was no longer related to APD. Results are consistent with APD models that emphasize the joint influences of emotional vulnerability and social-cognitive triggering and sustaining factors.     

Personality correlates of intimate partner violence subtypes: A latent class analysis

Perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) represent a heterogeneous group who engage in a variety of aggressive acts which often co‐occur. However, few studies take this co‐occurrence into consideration. Failure to consider overlapping forms of IPV confounds understanding of risk factors for physical IPV, which in turn undermines identification, prevention, and intervention efforts. Though rarely studied in emerging adults, personality variables have recently been identified as important correlates of IPV. The primary aims of the current studies are to identify distinct subgroups of moderate and severe psychological and physical IPV and personality covariates of class membership. Two studies were conducted at different public regional universities in the northeast (n = 500; n = 497). Both samples were about two‐thirds female, approximately one‐half White, one‐fifth Black, and one‐quarter Latino, of any race. Latent Class Analysis identified three subgroups in both studies: low, moderate, and severe IPV. The severe and moderate IPV groups included those who reported threats and moderate physical IPV while the severe IPV group also included those who engaged in severe and injurious forms of physical IPV. Multinomial regression analysis showed that impulsive aggression discriminated moderate and severe from low IPV (Study 1), and more frequent emotionally abusive and controlling behavior, a hostile‐dominant interpersonal style and trait aggression discriminated among all three groups, with severe IPV having the greatest likelihood of controlling behavior and aggression (Study 2). IPV is represented by distinct subgroups that vary by severity of IPV with different personality covariates. General aggressive and domineering tendencies in relationships characterize those engaging in severe IPV.

     

Set points of positivity ratio for different levels of well‐being: A latent profile analysis

Previous studies have explored the set points of the positivity ratio by grouping according to predetermined cut‐off scores, resulting in inconsistent criteria and unstable results. This study intends to further explore the set points of the positivity ratio using latent profile analysis. Two samples of 716 college students and 381 adults in China completed the Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well‐Being, the Personal Growth Subscale from Ryff's Psychological Well‐being Scale, the Need Satisfaction Questionnaire, and the Emotional Experience of Well‐Being Questionnaire. College students were classified into four classes (2.0, 2.8, 3.7 and 5.0) with the set points of the positivity ratio, whereas adults were classified into three classes (1.9, 2.9 and 4.2) with the set points of the positivity ratio. The difference of the set points between college students and adults was nonsignificant for medium and high well‐being classes, and significant with a small effect size for the higher well‐being class. Future research should examine more diverse samples and combine the real experience method to further explore the set points of the positivity ratio.     

Personality pathology among individuals with a lifetime history of anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa (AN) appears to be associated with certain personality features. The degree to which personality pathology persists after the acute phase of illness is unclear. This study aimed to investigate personality pathology in a large sample (n = 153) of women with histories of AN using the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology (DAPP) and to evaluate the persistence of pathological personality features by comparing women with acute (n = 83) and remitted AN (n = 55). Women with AN demonstrated high levels of emotional dysregulation, social inhibition and compulsivity relative to age-matched healthy women (n = 124). Identity problems, intimacy problems and schizotypal features were highlighted as important. The same 14 pathological personality dimensions were significantly elevated in both ill and remitted participants, though remitted individuals' scores were reduced on 4 of the subscales. These results indicate that pathological personality features in AN are persistent traits, although some features may become exaggerated in the acute phase.     

Personality disorder and violence: understand violence risk: an introduction to the special section personality disorder and violence

This paper introduces the Special Section on personality disorder and violence. The first paper evaluates the impact of removing the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R) as a mandatory element of a major approach to the assessment of violence risk-the HCR-20. The second paper considers violence to self as well as violence to others; it examines the influence of dysfunctional personality traits in a sample of female offenders. The third paper provides a systematic framework for risk formulation, discussing how to bridge the gap between nomothetic research and the individual case. This paper concludes by arguing that there is a need to shift perspective from asking "what?" dysfunctional traits are relevant to future violence to "why?" are particular traits relevant. The "why?" question is particularly germane in the forensic arena where expert testimony must endeavor to provide a causal explanation of risk processes at the level of the individual.     

Testing the latent factor structure and construct validity of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory

Recent efforts have aimed to develop relatively short measures of the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality, particularly for when time and/or space is limited. We evaluate the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI), a non-proprietary FFM measure with two items per dimension. We use a latent variable methodology to examine the TIPI’s factor structure and convergent validity with the 50-item International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) FFM measure. We provide correlations between the scale scores and latent factors, and compare each measure’s pattern of correlations with measures of other individual difference constructs. Results were favorable in terms of the factor structure and convergent validity of the TIPI, particularly regarding the correlations between the respective latent factors of the TIPI and the IPIP–FFM measures.     

Testing the latent factor structure and construct validity of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory

Recent efforts have aimed to develop relatively short measures of the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality, particularly for when time and/or space is limited. We evaluate the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI), a non-proprietary FFM measure with two items per dimension. We use a latent variable methodology to examine the TIPI’s factor structure and convergent validity with the 50-item International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) FFM measure. We provide correlations between the scale scores and latent factors, and compare each measure’s pattern of correlations with measures of other individual difference constructs. Results were favorable in terms of the factor structure and convergent validity of the TIPI, particularly regarding the correlations between the respective latent factors of the TIPI and the IPIP–FFM measures.     

The latent structure of posttraumatic stress disorder: a taxometric investigation of reactions to extreme stress

Mental health professionals have debated whether posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be qualitatively distinguished from normal reactions to traumatic events. This debate has been fueled by indications that many trauma-exposed individuals evidence partial presentations of PTSD that are associated with significant impairment and help-seeking behavior. The authors examined the latent structure of PTSD in a large sample of male combat veterans. Three taxometric procedures-MAMBAC, MAXEIG, and L-Mode-were performed with 3 indicator sets drawn from a clinical interview and a self-report measure of PTSD. Results across procedures, consistency tests, and analysis of simulated comparison data all converged on a dimensional solution, suggesting that PTSD reflects the upper end of a stress-response continuum rather than a discrete clinical syndrome.     

Personality profiles at various levels of athletic participation

Various grades of athletes (265 male and 134 female) were administered the German version of the EPQ. The entire group was characterized by being more extraverted and less neurotic (compared to population norms); sex differences were exhibited, female profiles being higher on emotionality and lower on Psychoticism (tough-mindedness) with no significant difference being observed in mean Extraversion scores. When grouped in terms of ‘level of competitive involvement’, top-class male athletes were shown to be significantly more tough-minded and less stable than middle- or lower-class participants, an almost opposite trend being found in females, where top athletes were liable to be more extraverted, less neurotic and less aggressive and tough-minded than the other classes.     

Development and validation of a new procedure for the diagnostic assessment of personality disorder: the Multidimensional Personality Disorder Rating Scale (MPDRS)

Data from a community-based prospective longitudinal study were used to investigate the utility of a structured assessment of the DSM-IV General Diagnostic Criteria for a Personality Disorder (PD). The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV PDs (SCID-II) was administered to 154 adults. After completing the interview, an experienced clinician assessed the General Diagnostic Criteria for a PD using a structured rating scale. PD diagnoses, based solely on the rating scale data, demonstrated strong agreement with diagnoses obtained using the diagnostic thresholds for specific PDs (Kappa = 0.89). The sensitivity, specificity, predictive power, and internal reliability of the rating scale were satisfactory. PD diagnoses, based on both of the assessment procedures, were associated with substantial impairment and distress. These findings suggest that a structured assessment of the DSM-IV General Diagnostic Criteria for a Personality Disorder may constitute a useful alternative or supplement to standard assessments of the diagnostic thresholds for specific DSM-IV PDs.     

A data-driven approach to neuropsychological features in isolated REM behaviour disorder: A latent class analysis

Recent evidence demonstrated that neuropsychological assessment may be considered a valid marker of neurodegeneration in idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD). However, little is known about the possible neuropsychological heterogeneity within the iRBD population. This retrospective study aimed to identify and describe different neuropsychological phenotypes in iRBD patients by means of a data-driven approach using latent class analysis. A total of 289 iRBD patients underwent a neuropsychological assessment evaluating cognitive domains: global cognition, language, short- and long-term memory, executive functions and visuospatial abilities. The presence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was also assessed. Latent class analysis was carried out to identify iRBD subtypes according to neuropsychological scores. The most parsimonious model identified three latent classes. Groups were labelled as follows: Class 2 “severely impaired” (n = 83/289): mean pathological scores in different tests, a high percentage of MCI multiple-domain and impairment in all neuropsychological domains. Class 1 “moderately impaired” (n = 44/289): mean neuropsychological score within the normal value, a high percentage of MCI (high risk to phenoconversion) and great impairment in the visuospatial domain. Class 3 “slightly impaired” (n = 162/289): no deficit worthy of attention except for short- and long-term memory. Our results suggest three different clinical phenotypes within the iRBD population. These findings may be relevant in the future for predicting the clinical trajectories of phenoconversion in iRBD.     

Attending to different levels of structure in a visual image

Two experiments are reported in which observers had to utilize information from one of two structural levels of visual stimulus patterns (large letters composed of smaller ones). They could utilize information more rapidly form one level only at the cost of slower utilization from the other. This trade off defines an empirical attention operating characteristic (AOC) which is consistent with a simple mathematical model of the perceptual process: when viewing a stimulus, the observer selects one of two alternative “attentional” strategies, where each strategy is optimal for utilizing information from one structural level, but less than optimal for the other.     

Clarifying boundaries of binge eating disorder and psychiatric comorbidity: a latent structure analysis

Binge eating disorder (BED) presents with substantial psychiatric comorbidity. This latent structure analysis sought to delineate boundaries of BED given its comorbidity with affective and anxiety disorders. A population-based sample of 151 women with BED, 102 women with affective or anxiety disorders, and 259 women without psychiatric disorders was assessed with clinical interviews and self-report-questionnaires. Taxometric analyses were conducted using DSM-IV criteria of BED and of affective and anxiety disorders. The results showed a taxonic structure of BED and of affective and anxiety disorders. Both taxa co-occurred at an above-chance level, but also presented independently with twice-as-large probabilities. Within the BED taxon, diagnostic co-occurrence indicated greater general psychopathology, lower social adaptation, and greater premorbid exposure to parental mood and substance disorder, but not greater eating disorder psychopathology. Eating disorder psychopathology discriminated individuals in the BED taxon from individuals in the affective and anxiety disorders taxon. Diagnostic criteria of BED were more indicative of the BED taxon than were criteria of affective and anxiety disorders. The results show that at the latent level, BED was co-occurring with, yet distinct from, affective and anxiety disorders and was not characterized by an underlying affective or anxiety disorder.     

The health preoccupation diagnostic interview: inter-rater reliability of a structured interview for diagnostic assessment of DSM-5 somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder

Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) and illness anxiety disorder (IAD) are two new diagnoses introduced in the DSM-5. There is a need for reliable instruments to facilitate the assessment of these disorders. We therefore developed a structured diagnostic interview, the Health Preoccupation Diagnostic Interview (HPDI), which we hypothesized would reliably differentiate between SSD, IAD, and no diagnosis. Persons with clinically significant health anxiety (n = 52) and healthy controls (n = 52) were interviewed using the HPDI. Diagnoses were then compared with those made by an independent assessor, who listened to audio recordings of the interviews. Ratings generally indicated moderate to almost perfect inter-rater agreement, as illustrated by an overall Cohen’s κ of .85. Disagreements primarily concerned (a) the severity of somatic symptoms, (b) the differential diagnosis of panic disorder, and (c) SSD specifiers. We conclude that the HPDI can be used to reliably diagnose DSM-5 SSD and IAD.     

Personality diagnostic questionnaire-revised (PDQ-R) personality disorder scores and negative life events independently predict changes in hopkins symptom checklist (SCL-90) Psychopathology Scores

The present study employed a prospective design to investigate whether Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire—Revised (PDQ-R) scores and/or Hassles Scale—Revised (HS-R) scores predict changes in Axis I psychopathology levels over 1 month, in a nonclinical sample of young adults. The PDQ-R, HS-R, and Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-90) were administered to a mixed-sex sample of 100 undergraduate students on two occasions separated by 1 month. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that (1) time 1 PDQ-R composite scores predicted changes in scores on 11 SLC-90 scales; (2) time 1 PDQ-R impairment/distress index scores predicted changes in SCL-90 general symptom index scores; (3) only one of the individual PDQ-R personality disorder subscales—the schizotypal personality disorder subscale—predicted changes in SCL-90 general symptom index scores; (4) HS-R scores predicted changes in scores on 9 SCL-90 scales; and (5) in only 3 of the 27 analyses conducted did the statistical interaction between PDQ-R and HS-R scores predict changes in SCL-90 scores. These findings indicate that personality disorder symptomatology and negative life events may independently predict changes in Axis I psychopathology levels and, thus, support the continued inclusion of Axis II and Axis IV in future versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.