Psychometric Properties and Normative Data of the Zuckerman–Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire in a Psychiatric Outpatient Sample

The Zuckerman–Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ; Zuckerman, Kuhlman, Joireman, Teta, &; Kraft, 1993 Zuckerman, M., Kuhlman, D. M., Joireman, J., Teta, P., &; Kraft, M. (1993). A comparison of three structural models for personality: The big three, the big five, and the alternative five. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 757–768. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.65.4.757[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) was designed for the assessment of personality. The goal of this work was to determine the psychometric properties of the ZKPQ, as well as to establish normative data by gender and age in an outpatient sample attending primary mental health care services. We administered the questionnaire to 314 participants (34.7% males) 18 to 81 years old. The most prevalent primary diagnoses were mood (37.9%) and adjustment disorders (35.0%). Concerning the psychometric properties of the ZKPQ, the pattern of internal consistencies was similar to that previously found among general population, student, or clinical samples. Regarding gender differences, a general pattern was found, with women scoring higher on neuroticism and sociability, and lower on aggression-hostility. As for age, in general, scores declined with age. Norm-based decision making has the potential for significant and long-lasting consequences, and the quality of decisions based on score comparisons can be improved when scores are compared to norms fitted to the group of reference. The availability of the ZKPQ norms by gender and age in mental health care will benefit the accuracy of assessment and therapeutic decision making, providing more effective treatment planning overall.     

Discriminant validity of the ZKPQ in a sample meeting BPD diagnosis vs. normal-range controls

Widiger and Simonsen (2005) state that given the limitations of the categorical model of Personality Disorders classification proposals are to be expected for dimensional classifications. The purpose of this paper is to test the alternative five factorial model (AFFM) of personality in a sample with PDs. Subjects were administered the ZKPQ to test the discriminant capacity of the AFFM in classifying subjects diagnosed with BPD (n = 74) vs normal-range controls (n = 148) paired by age and sex, and identifying sensitive and/or specific dimensions that can be of help in diagnosing BPD. The results showed that high scores on N-Anx and Imp-SS, and low scores on Act are prognostic factors for being diagnosed with BPD. Likewise, this model correctly classified 88% of subjects with a kappa index of 0.73. The AFFM of personality appears to have a substantial power for predicting SCID-II interview-based BPD diagnosis.     

Parent and teacher ratings of temperamental disposition to social anxiety: the BIS 3-6

Behavioral inhibition (BI) discourages children from interacting, predisposing them to isolation, social anxiety, and depression. We have created the Behavioral Inhibition Scale for Children Aged 3 to 6 (BIS 3-6) to detect this trait early. Parents and teachers of 365 preschoolers completed different versions of the BIS 3-6 and provided measures of psychopathology. Both versions are structured into 1 factor that explains over 40% of total variability and displays excellent internal consistency (α = .95). The moderate correlations with measures of internalizing symptoms (r = .50) and nonexistent correlations with externalizing measures suggest adequate convergent and discriminant validity. A new scoring system is proposed.     

Clinical Dynamics During Adolescence: Psychoanalytic and Attachment Perspectives

In this essay, we discuss the contribution of psychoanalytic theory and attachment to the understanding of dynamics in adolescence. While psychoanalysis describes adolescence as a period of upheaval that challenges the balance achieved in childhood between Ego and Id and begins the shedding of family dependencies and the loosening of infantile object ties, attachment, on the contrary, considers this period as one characterized by the persistence of strong bonds to parents, which become more complex and articulated. In order to illustrate psychoanalytic and attachment perspective, a clinical vignette of a 17-year-old boy is presented and discussed to consider his difficulties in the area of identity and loss.     

Reliability and Validity of a Brief Clinician-Report Scale for Screening Behavioral Inhibition

Given the implications of behavioral inhibition (BI) on social anxiety and depression, several cost-effective methods have been developed to detect this trait. However, there is no instrument for obtaining a systematic measurement of BI that uses the reports of mental health professionals. The present study aims to explore the psychometric properties of the Behavioral Inhibition Observation System (BIOS), a brief tool enabling clinicians to provide a quick measure of BI. Parents and teachers of 361 preschool children provided measures of BI and psychopathology. Clinicians completed the BIOS after an individual meeting with every child. Seventy-four randomly selected children were exposed to standardized observation. Two researchers completed the BIOS after standardized observation. The results show that the BIOS is structured in one dimension that explains 60 % of the total variance. It shows good internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha?=?.88) and good test-retest reliability. The BIOS scores moderately converge with observational measures of BI and adequately distinguish constructs not related to BI (such as aggressiveness, disruptive behavior, or peer conflict). The results support that the BIOS, an 8-item scale that takes 3 min to complete, is valid and reliable for capturing a clinician’s measure of BI. The BIOS may help to detect temperamental disposition to social anxiety.     

Comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in borderline patients defines an impulsive subtype of borderline personality disorder

In order to examine the impulsive profile of a BPD sample with comorbid ADHD, adult patients who met criteria for BPD were assessed for ADHD with the CAADID and the WURS. A high rate of ADHD in the BPD sample was found, with sixty-nine (38.1%) BPD patients diagnosed as having comorbid adult ADHD. BPD-ADHD group had higher rates of general substance use disorder (59.4% vs. 38.4%), antisocial personality disorder (7.2% vs. 0.9%) and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (21.7% vs. 6.3%). The BPD group without comorbid adult ADHD showed a higher rate of mood disorders (62.5% vs. 37.7%), panic disorders (54.5% vs. 23.1%) and benzodiazepine abuse (18.8% vs. 5.8%). Only in BPD patients without ADHD was comorbid avoidant personality disorder found. BPD patients could be distinguished in two clear subgroups related to the adult ADHD comorbidity. BPD-ADHD patients showed a more homogeneous and impulsive profile while BPD without ADHD comorbidity had more anxiety and depressive disorders.     

Gender differences in object location memory in a real three-dimensional environment

In this preliminary study we investigate gender differences in object location memory. Our purpose is to extend the results about object location memory obtained in laboratory settings to a real 3-D environment and to further distinguish the specific components involved in this kind of memory by considering the strategies adopted to perform the task. To do this, we join the three-level model of spatial representations (landmark, route, and survey) proposed by Siegel and White (1975) with the three subcomponents of spatial memory (what, where, and what + where) identified by Postma and De Haan (1996). We adopted the object relocation task devised by Postma and De Haan (1996), adapted to a real environment. Seven common objects were placed on the floor of a cylindrical room. Sixty-four males and 64 females were asked to memorize the spatial layout. Next, the experimenter moved the objects to a different position along with seven new objects and the participants had to relocate the original objects to their initial positions. In line with Postma, Izendoorn, and De Haan (1998), we found no gender difference in object recognition, and in recalling absolute distance and categorical spatial relations; however males were better than females in recalling the distance between objects and the size of the layout. Overall, the data show a male advantage in some components of spatial cognition closely linked to the encoding of the metric structure of the spatial relationships at both route and survey level.