Reliability of personality disorder symptoms and personality traits in substance-dependent inpatients.

The authors compared the internal consistency, 1-year temporal stability and self-informant agreement of ratings of personality trait (NEO Five-Factor Inventory; NEO-FFI; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1992) and personality disorder symptom severity (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R personality Disorders Questionnaire; SCID-II-Q ; R. L. Spitzer, J. B. W. Williams, M. Gibbon, & M. First, 1990) in 131 substance-dependent inpatients. Internal consistency coefficients were acceptable to very good for most NEO-FFI and SCID-II-Q scales, and temporal stability correlations were significant for all measures. Agreement between patient and informant ratings was more modest. Substance abuse and depression symptom severity moderated the temporal stability and self-informant agreement of several personality trait and disorder ratings. The authors did not find that the five factors were more reliable than the Axis II symptoms. Issues related to the reliability of personality assessment in multiply diagnosed patients are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Borderline personality disorder and personality traits: A comparison of SCID-II BPD and NEO-PI.

62 hospitalized female patients (aged 18–43 yrs) with a clinical diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) were assessed for Axis II disorders by the SCID-II and for personality traits with the NEO-Personality Inventory (NEO-PI). The predominant personality trait profile for these patients involved a very high Neuroticism score and low Agreeableness score. Five of the 8 BPD criteria had significant correlations with NEO-PI scales. The combination of BPD severity and personality traits as measured on the NEO-PI had a significant relationship to the patients' social adjustment. The utility of gathering information on both borderline personality pathology and personality traits is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Borderline personality traits and disorder: Predicting prospective patient functioning.

Objective: Decisions about the composition of personality assessment in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–V) will be heavily influenced by the clinical utility of candidate constructs. In this study, we addressed 1 aspect of clinical utility by testing the incremental validity of 5-factor model (FFM) personality traits and borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms for predicting prospective patient functioning. Method: FFM personality traits and BPD features were correlated with one another and predicted 2-, 4-, 6-, 8-, and 10-year psychosocial functioning scores for 362 patients with personality disorders. Results: Traits and symptom domains related significantly and pervasively to one another and to prospective functioning. FFM extraversion and agreeableness tended to be most incrementally predictive of psychosocial functioning across all intervals; cognitive and impulse action features of BPD features incremented FFM traits in some models. Conclusions: These data suggest that BPD symptoms and personality traits are important long-term indicators of clinical functioning that both overlap with and increment one another in clinical predictions. Results support the integration of personality traits and disorders in DSM–V. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of interview and self-report methods for the assessment of borderline personality disorder criteria.

Interview methods are widely regarded as the standard for the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD), whereas self-report methods are considered a time-efficient alternative. However, the relative validity of these methods has not been sufficiently tested. The current study used data from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality disorder Study to compare diagnostic base rates and the relative validity of interview and self-report methods for assessing functional outcome in BPD. Although self-report yielded higher base rates of criteria endorsement, results did not support the common assumption that diagnostic interviews are more valid than self-reports, but instead indicated the combined use of these methods optimally identifies BPD criteria. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple methods of personality assessment.

"Multiple personality assessment procedures have been analyzed with respect to their primary purpose and the validation strategy used. Problems that arise in the attempt to use personality assessment for selection were discussed with respect to the problem of clinical versus statistical predictions, the problem of conditional factors that affect the criteria, and the value of using multiple tests and more than one assessor." 42 refs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Obsessional personality traits and risk for bipolar affective disorder: An offspring study.

Explored the potential utility of obsessionality as a differential risk index among relatives of bipolar patients by examining the relation between obsessional traits and cyclothymia, a precursor form of bipolar illness, in 41 15–21 yr old offspring of parents with bipolar affective disorder. Ss completed 2 measures of obsessional personality traits and were administered a general behavior inventory (a case identification inventory for cyclothymia) and a structured diagnostic interview. Cyclothymic offspring obtained significantly higher scores than did noncyclothymes on the superego-strength measure of obsessional traits. Moreover, obsessionality was significantly correlated with affective symptom ratings but was not related to nonaffective behavior disturbances. Although a long-term follow-up is necessary to confirm these findings, these data suggest that obsessional traits may be associated with risk for bipolar disorder in the offspring of bipolar probands. (61 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The stability of personality traits in individuals with borderline personality disorder.

Although stability and pervasive inflexibility are general criteria for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) personality disorders (PDs), borderline PD (BPD) is characterized by instability in several domains, including interpersonal behavior, affect, and identity. The authors hypothesized that such inconsistencies notable in BPD may relate to instability at the level of the basic personality traits that are associated with this disorder. Five types of personality trait stability across 4 assessments over 6 years were compared for BPD patients (N = 130 at first interval) and patients with other PDs (N = 302). Structural stability did not differ across groups. Differential stability tended to be lower for 5-factor model (FFM) traits in the BPD group, with the strongest and most consistent effects observed for Neuroticism and Conscientiousness. Growth curve models suggested that these 2 traits also showed greater mean-level change, with Neuroticism declining faster and Conscientiousness increasing faster, in the BPD group. The BPD group was further characterized by greater individual-level instability for Neuroticism and Conscientiousness in these models. Finally, the BPD group was less stable in terms of the ipsative configuration of FFM facet-level profiles than was the other PD group over time. Results point to the importance of personality trait instability in characterizing BPD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple personality disorder: A new challenge for psychology.

Reviews recent literature on multiple personality disorder. Despite a significant increase in the number of publications on this topic during the past 10 yrs, it is noted that limited knowledge exists on issues such as prevalence rates, differential diagnosis, etiology, and treatment. Psychologists are encouraged to become actively involved in the study of this disorder, and specific research suggestions are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Convergence of two systems for assessing specific traits of personality disorder.

Two samples of normal-range individuals (N?=?237) completed the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (L. A. Clark, 1993a) and the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology—Basic Questionnaire (W. J. Livesley & D. Jackson, in press), each of which assesses traits relevant to personality disorder. Convergence between the 2 instruments was examined at both the level of broad factors and the level of specific scales that had been matched previously on a conceptual basis (L. A. Clark & W. J. Livesley, 1994). Four of 5 higher order factors resembled dimensions of the 5-factor approach to personality, and a strong convergent and discriminant pattern was found between matched scales of the 2 instruments. Moreover, considerable specific trait variance remained after nonspecific (higher order) variance was accounted for. The results are interpreted as supporting a replicable structure of maladaptive personality traits at both levels of the hierarchy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two personalities, one relationship: Both partners' personality traits shape the quality of their relationship.

This research tested 6 models of the independent and interactive effects of stable personality traits on each partner's reports of relationship satisfaction and quality. Both members of 360 couples (N?=?720) completed the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire and were interviewed about their relationship. Findings show that a woman's relationship happiness is predicted by her partner's low Negative Emotionality, high Positive Emotionality, and high Constraint, whereas a man's relationship happiness is predicted only by his partner's low Negative Emotionality. Findings also show evidence of additive but not interactive effects: Each partner's personality contributed independently to relationship outcomes but not in a synergistic way. These results are discussed in relation to models that seek to integrate research on individual differences in personality traits with research on interpersonal processes in intimate relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Normality evaluations and their relation to personality traits and well-being.

Despite frequent discussions of what it means to be normal in clinical, social, and personality psychology theory, the characteristics of individuals who call themselves normal are little understood. In 5 studies, the authors investigated various hypotheses concerning the nature of normality evaluations. The authors add to recent evidence that normality evaluations represent a distinct dimension of evaluative judgments, showing self-judgments of being normal (versus strange) to be relatively independent from self-judgments of being average (versus unique). Normality evaluations showed positive relations with communal traits such as agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability, and were negatively related to openness to experience. Supporting a broader hypothesis that normality evaluations may be involved in directing or motivating personality development processes, normality evaluations were positively associated with well-being and a sense of fitting in with one's peers, and individuals who felt abnormal felt a heightened sense that they needed to improve their personality. Finally, the personality correlates of normality evaluations were found to change over the lifespan, largely in parallel with the actual mean-level development of personality traits with age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unique roles of antisocial personality disorder and psychopathic traits in distress tolerance.

Previous research indicates that individuals with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) evidence low distress tolerance, which signifies impaired ability to persist in goal-directed behavior during an aversive situation, and is associated with a variety of poor interpersonal and drug use outcomes. Based on theory and research indicating that psychopathic traits are associated with hypo-reactivity in emotional responding, a unique hypothesis emerges where psychopathic traits should have the opposite effect of ASPD and be related to high levels of distress tolerance. In a sample of 107 substance-dependent patients in an inner-city substance use residential treatment facility, this hypothesis was supported. ASPD was related to lower distress tolerance, while psychopathic traits were related to higher distress tolerance, with each contributing unique variance. Findings are discussed in relation to different presentations of distress tolerance as a function of psychopathic traits among those with an ASPD diagnosis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability of emotion experiences and their relations to traits of personality.

Presents a theoretical framework for studying emotion–personality relations and an empirical study of the stability of 88 normal middle-class mothers' emotion experiences and their relations to personality during the 3 yrs after childbirth. Ss completed the Differential Emotions Scale (DES), Eysenck's Personality Questionnaire, D. N. Jackson's Personality Research Form, and M. Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale. The DES demonstrated stability over 3 yrs. There was individual stability despite changes in group means during the postpartum period. Positive emotionality, as well as the discrete emotions of interest, enjoyment, and shyness, predicted extraversion. Negative emotionality and the discrete negative emotions were significant predictors of neuroticism. Positive emotionality was inversely related to neuroticism. There were expectable correlations among specific emotions and primary traits of personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dimensions of personality disorder and their relationships to the Big Five dimensions of personality.

Researchers have suggested that personality disorders (PDs) could be better understood with a dimensional model than with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III—Revised (DSM-III—R) categorical system. The authors conceptualized PDs as extreme expressions of personality functioning. Dimensional measures of aspects of PD were developed for the present study on the basis of previous factor-analytic investigations. The authors examined the convergence of these measures with P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae's (1990) "Big Five" factors in a sample of 300 general-population Ss. Principal-components analysis yielded an interpretable 5-factor solution; 4 of these were defined by a Big Five factor. Multiple regression analyses indicated substantial relationships between the Big Five factors and many PD scales. The Neuroticism factor demonstrated the strongest relationships, whereas Openness to Experience showed only modest relationships. The more behavioral aspects of PD were not strongly related to the Big Five factors. Results suggest substantial similarity between the 5 factors and PD measures, although the latter cannot be entirely subsumed by the Big Five model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depressive personality characteristics: State dependent concomitants of depressive disorder and traits independent of current depression.

Depressive personality disorder (DPD) characteristics may reflect both state dependent concomitants and traits independent of current depression. In all, 30 clinically, 30 formerly, and 30 never depressed participants were given the Diagnostic Interview for Depressive Personality (J. G. Gunderson, K. A. Phillips, J. Triebwasser, & R. M. A. Hirschfeld, 1994). Negative reactivity, remorsefulness, a limited capacity for fun, gloominess, pessimism, difficulty being critical or angry, unassertiveness, self-denial, and seriousness differentiated depressed and nondepressed participants, indicating that they are primarily concomitants of depression. Self-criticalness differentiated formerly from never depressed participants after subclinical symptoms were controlled, suggesting that it is a trait independent of current depression. Low self-esteem, feeling burdened, and counterdependency manifested both state and trait components. If DPD is placed on Axis II, it should be defined by traits at least partly independent of depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Proposed changes in personality and personality disorder assessment and diagnosis for DSM-5 Part II: Clinical application.

The four-part assessment of personality psychopathology proposed for DSM-5 focuses attention on identifying personality psychopathology with increasing degrees of specificity, based on a clinician's available time, information, and expertise. In Part I of this two-part article, we described the components of the new model and presented brief rationales for them. In Part II, we illustrate the clinical application of the model with vignettes of patients with varying degrees of personality psychopathology, selected from the DSM–IV–TR Casebook, to show how assessments might be conducted and diagnoses reached. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Classification of personality traits.

In this article, empirical and conceptual classifications of personality traits are reviewed and discussed. A new classification is proposed that uses three sets of crosscutting variables: instrumental, affective, and cognitive; social versus nonsocial; and self versus nonself. The resulting table reveals which traits are most frequently studied and which need more attention. The patterning of traits that show sex differences suggests their origin. Adult traits are classified as well as those occurring in childhood and infancy, and implications are drawn for personality development. In addition to content traits, stylistic traits are classified. Compared to extant organizations of traits, this one is more detailed and more closely linked to variables outside the classification. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Borderline personality: Traits and disorder.

Although the 5-factor model (FFM) has been advocated as an alternative to representing the construct of borderline personality, some argue that this diagnosis carries essential information that is not well captured by the FFM. The present study examined antecedent, concurrent, and predictive markers of construct validity in a sample of 362 patients with personality disorders. The results indicated that neuroticism best distinguished borderline and nonborderline patients, whereas the FFM as a whole captured a sizable proportion of the variance in the borderline diagnosis. However, the residual of the borderline diagnosis that was not explained by the FFM was found to be significantly related to childhood abuse history, family history of mood and substance use disorders, concurrent symptoms, and 2-year and 4-year outcomes. Thus, some elements of the borderline diagnosis may not be fully captured in a 5-factor representation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Proposed changes in personality and personality disorder assessment and diagnosis for DSM-5 Part I: Description and rationale.

A major reconceptualization of personality psychopathology has been proposed for DSM-5 that identifies core impairments in personality functioning, pathological personality traits, and prominent pathological personality types. A comprehensive personality assessment consists of four components: levels of personality functioning, personality disorder types, pathological personality trait domains and facets, and general criteria for personality disorder. This four-part assessment focuses attention on identifying personality psychopathology with increasing degrees of specificity, based on a clinician's available time, information, and expertise. In Part I of this two-part article, we describe the components of the new model and present brief theoretical and empirical rationales for each. In Part II, we will illustrate the clinical application of the model with vignettes of patients with varying degrees of personality psychopathology, to show how assessments might be conducted and diagnoses reached. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical assessment of attachment patterns and personality disorder in adolescents and adults.

The relevance of attachment theory and research for practice has become increasingly clear. The authors describe a series of studies with 3 aims: (a) to validate measures of attachment for use by clinicians with adolescents and adults, (b) to examine the relation between attachment and personality pathology, and (c) to ascertain whether factor analysis can recover dimensions of attachment reflecting both interpersonal and narrative style. In 3 studies, experienced clinicians provided psychometric data using 1 of 4 attachment questionnaires (2 adolescent and 2 adult samples). Attachment dimensions predicted both personality pathology and developmental experiences in predictable ways. Factor analysis identified 4 dimensions that replicated across adolescent and adult samples on the basis of a combination of interpersonal and narrative indicators: secure, dismissing, preoccupied, and incoherent/disorganized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)