Assessment procedures for narcissistic personality disorder: a comparison of the personality diagnostic questionnaire-4 and best-estimate clinical judgments

This study examined the degree of correspondence between two assessments for narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) in a mixed clinical and community sample--one using a self-report measure (Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4) and the other using clinical judgments derived from an assessment based on the longitudinal, expert, all data (LEAD) methodology. NPD scores demonstrated moderate convergence for the total scores but weak convergence for the individual criteria. The authors also examined the correlates created by each set of NPD scores using Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). The NPD scores demonstrated areas of convergence (e.g., Cooperativeness, Self-directedness) and divergence (i.e., Harm Avoidance, Novelty Seeking) with these personality scores. These divergences may be due to the wording of certain items on the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4 NPD scale, which may require rewriting if it is to provide an assessment that is more highly convergent with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders NPD construct.