Personality has repeatedly been shown to be evident and reliably measured in childhood. However, studying obsessive-compulsive personality (OCP) traits cohesively in youth has been limited, given the lack of developmentally modified assessments for the presentation. The current manuscript adapted an adult measure of OCP traits, the Pathological Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Scale (POPS), into a parent-report child measure (POPS-C). Study one explored factor structure and preliminary external validity with various clinical measures. Study two used a larger, independent sample to examine confirmatory factor analyses and external validity. POPS-C demonstrated good psychometric properties, with a bifactor model as best fit. The validation of a measure of OCP traits in children aged 4-9 years demonstrates that OCP traits are evident and measurable in childhood. Strong associations between POPS-C scores and negative affectivity, executive functioning deficits, elevated delay of gratification, poor emotion regulation, and psychiatric symptoms highlight the need for early assessment and intervention for youth with OCP traits.
The narcissism literature lacks consensus on how narcissism is operationalized and empirically assessed. The Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) may prove beneficial in assessing and unifying the various existing conceptualizations of narcissism. However, the current AMPD Criterion B trait profile of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is restrictive in that it captures only grandiose expressions of narcissism and does not account for broader features of antagonism and vulnerability. The purpose of the current study was to examine the utility of the AMPD trait model in capturing the various conceptualizations of narcissism. Trait facets of Emotional Lability, Anxiousness, Separation Insecurity, Suspiciousness, and Perseveration demonstrated correlations of at least a large effect size (r ≥ 0.5) with narcissism measures. Latent class analyses (LCA) revealed nonpathological, anxious, adaptive narcissism, and pathological narcissism classes. Findings suggest AMPD traits can capture various conceptualizations of narcissism and may be useful in differentiating varying severity levels of narcissism.
Emotional dysfunctions are fundamental to understanding personality disorders (PDs). The Minimal Emotional Dysfunctions (MED) model offers a systematic approach by categorizing these dysfunctions into disorders of affect modulation, production, and quality. It posits that PDs are primarily emotional disorders, with emotional disturbances shaping cognitive and interpersonal difficulties. This narrative review synthesizes empirical research on emotional dysfunctions in PDs, focusing on their classification within the MED model. A selective literature search integrated relevant findings to provide a framework for understanding emotional disturbances in PDs. The review highlights that dysfunctions of affect modulation, production, and quality manifest in distinct patterns across PDs and can be classified within the MED model. Emotional dysfunctions are a core feature of PDs and require more nuanced diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The dimensional framework of ICD-11 and the MED model offers valuable perspectives for understanding the complexity of emotional disturbances in PDs.
This study examined associations between aggression and constructs from the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) in a sample of 87 incarcerated adult men. Participants completed self-report measures of personality functioning (Criterion A), pathological personality traits (Criterion B), aggression, and impression management. Pearson correlations indicated that overall personality impairment and multiple pathological traits were significantly associated with aggression. In multivariable regression models, Hostility emerged as the most robust unique predictor of aggression, while overall personality impairment and Risk Taking showed negligible independent effects. These findings were replicated across supplementary analyses controlling for impression management. Overall, the findings align with theoretical models emphasizing hostile affect and antagonistic cognition as proximal mechanisms of aggression and highlight the value of AMPD-derived Hostility assessment within violence risk formulations. Results contribute much-needed data to an understudied field and provide a foundation for future research using larger forensic samples to refine AMPD-based models of aggression.
People with pronounced narcissistic traits exhibit marked problems in their intersubjective experiences, yet a more detailed view on how different aspects of interpersonal functioning relate to grandiose and vulnerable narcissism is lacking. We conducted a preregistered study of 956 participants to examine how vulnerable and grandiose narcissistic traits differ in relation to mentalizing, epistemic trust, belongingness, and experiences of shame. Our findings differentiated distinct inter- and intrapersonal patterns between high trait narcissistic vulnerable and grandiose individuals. Narcissistic vulnerability was linked with compromised mentalizing, increased epistemic mistrust and credulity, higher need for belonging, and heightened experiences of internal and external shame. Conversely, grandiose narcissistic traits predicted lower belongingness needs, reduced shame experiences, and higher epistemic mistrust without credulity or clear deficits in mentalizing abilities. These results highlight vulnerable trait narcissism's pronounced interpersonal instability and grandiose narcissism's defensive self-regulation and emphasize the importance of differentiating narcissistic traits to inform targeted therapeutic strategies addressing specific emotional and relational impairments.
Personality pathology (PP) is a risk factor for poor parenting. However, little is known about how dimensions of PP differentially relate to parenting behaviors. To address this gap, we examined associations between dimensions of pathological personality traits in (N = 302) pregnant women, oversampled for intimate partner violence, and their observed parenting behavior at 6 months postpartum. First, we validated a six-factor structure of PP trait dimensions consisting of negative affectivity, detachment, disinhibition, antagonism, psychoticism, and anankastia. Second, we examined associations between these factors and intrusive and positive parenting. Antagonism predicted significantly lower positive parenting. Anankastia, characterized by perfectionism and rigidity, predicted more positive parenting and less intrusive parenting. These findings reveal that antagonistic traits, such as hostility and callousness, may account for the negative impact of PP on early parenting. Rigid perfectionism may promote positive parenting because it motivates women to prepare for motherhood and maintain routines even in high-stress environments.
Studying psychopathy in early childhood is crucial for understanding its developmental pathways, identifying risk factors, and implementing early intervention. However, assessment measures for this age group remain limited. To address this gap, this study developed and validated the Parent-Report Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory-Short Version (PR-YPI-S) by adapting YPI-S self-report items for parental reports of psychopathic traits in early childhood. 304 parents of children aged 3 to 6 years were recruited from kindergartens/preschools in Tehran, Iran, and completed study measures. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the hierarchical three-factor model (Grandiose-Manipulative, Callous-Unemotional, and Impulsive-Irresponsible) with 18 items, which remained invariant across gender groups. The PR-YPI-S scores demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and yielded significant correlations with theoretically/clinically relevant external variables (e.g., conduct problems, aggression, fearlessness, ADHD symptoms, and prosocial behavior), supporting their convergent/discriminant validity. Overall, findings suggest that the PR-YPI-S is a psychometrically sound parent-report measure of psychopathic traits in early childhood.
BACKGROUND:Mentalizing is a multifaceted construct central to personality pathology, and a person-centered approach may clarify how imbalances between self-and other-mentalizing relate to its expression and severity. METHODS:Ninety-nine adults from clinical and community samples completed diagnostic interviews and validated measures of mentalizing, personality functioning, and maladaptive traits. Cluster analysis was applied to indices of self-and other-mentalizing. RESULTS:Three profiles emerged: (1) low self-mentalizing with hypermentalizing of others, (2) relatively preserved self-mentalizing with ineffective other-mentalizing, and (3) broadly effective mentalizing. Cluster 1 showed the highest severity of personality pathology and greater clinical burden reflected in higher rates of psychiatric hospitalization and treatment referral. Cluster 3 showed the lowest levels of pathology and clinical burden. No cluster differences were found in sociodemographic indicators. CONCLUSIONS:Distinct mentalizing profiles are differentially associated with personality pathology and clinical burden, highlighting the central role of impairments in self-mentalizing and hypermentalizing of others.
Previous research suggests associations between suicidality (i.e., suicidal ideation and attempt) and chronic emptiness in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, approximately one-third of clinical patients without BPD endorse feelings of emptiness. The current study examined the relationship between chronic emptiness and suicidal behavior in 3,284 psychiatric outpatients. Patients were evaluated with the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality (SIDP-IV), the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV (SCID-IV), and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS). Results show significant relationships between suicidal ideation and chronic emptiness in various psychiatric diagnoses, including major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, obsessive- compulsive disorder, and alcohol use disorder. In patients with major depressive disorder and social anxiety disorder, emptiness was associated with a higher prevalence of suicide attempts. These findings suggest that chronic feelings of emptiness have a transdiagnostic relationship with suicidality and may contribute to further understanding suicidality among patients.
Although the association between psychopathy and interpersonal dysfunction is well established, few studies have examined this relationship at the symptom level. Emerging research indicates that examining specific psychopathic symptoms yields nuanced insights into their associations with interpersonal outcomes. Building on this research, the current study assessed whether individual symptoms of psychopathy offer meaningful, incremental value in predicting interpersonal dysfunction in a community sample (N = 250). Multiple methods of assessment were used, including the clinician-rated Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality Symptom Rating Scale, alongside informant-reported, self-reported, and objective outcome measures. Results indicated that symptom-based assessment of psychopathy added incremental validity over higher-order domains. Items demonstrated significant associations with indicators of interpersonal dysfunction, superior model fit in regression analyses and higher importance in dominance analyses. Our findings underscore the need for future research to adopt multimethod approaches, emphasizing individual psychopathic symptoms to enhance understanding of psychopathy and its impact on interpersonal functioning.
Psychopathic tendencies are associated with deficits in empathic responses that may underpin psychopathic individuals' characteristic propensity for aggressive and antisocial behavior. Evidence suggests that distinct facets of psychopathy may be differentially associated with empathic responses to pain. We analyzed the association between psychopathy facets and self-reported ratings of the intensity of the pain in (a) the image, (b) the individual's own arousal, and (c) the valence of the image for stimuli depicting painful versus neutral facial expressions and hands in painful versus neutral situations. Overall, our findings highlighted that the three psychopathic traits are dissociated in the way they affect empathy to painful stimuli. Meanness was generally associated with reduced differentiation between ratings for painful and nonpainful stimuli, whereas boldness was associated with increased differentiation. Our findings also highlight the need for careful methodological considerations of the type of stimulus used in empathy research.
Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a mental disorder characterized by excessive, immersive fantasy activity that interferes with daily functioning. Considering that emotion dysregulation has been identified as a characteristic of both MD and borderline personality disorder (BPD), predictors of MD will probably be the same as those specified by the biosocial model of BPD. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to identify MD predictors, such as emotional vulnerability, an invalidating environment, and fantasy proneness, and to compare the strength of relationships among variables in two research groups, people with (1) low and (2) high levels of BPD symptoms. The sample size included 364 people. The Pearson correlation, Mann-Whitney U test, and regression analyses were conducted. MD was positively predicted by invalidation from the mother in people with low BPD symptoms. In the high BPD group, the model was positively predicted by fantasy proneness. Findings offer clinical insights for tailoring MD interventions based on BPD symptom severity.
This study examines the agreement in youth self-report (YSR) and parent report (PR) on five maladaptive personality traits as measured with the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 in an outpatient mental health care sample (N = 292). Age differences in YSR-PR agreement (i.e., age 12-17, years; n = 129 versus 18-24 years; n = 163) are investigated as well as associations of YSR-PR agreement with youth's self-reported satisfaction with life (SWL). The combined sample demonstrated significant differences between YSR and PR for all maladaptive traits, except for Detachment. However, effect sizes of these differences are small. For all traits except Antagonism, YSR exceeded PR. YSR-PR differences did not differ between age groups, except in the case of Psychoticism, with better agreement in the older age group. Furthermore, results indicated higher SWL when YSR < PR and a lower SWL when YSR > PR. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
Psychopathy involves disruptions in affiliation and threat sensitivity, but these are hard to disentangle behaviorally. This preregistered study (independent sample Ns = 175 and 173) used clinical-forensic and transdiagnostic measures relevant to psychopathy and an adapted interpersonal distance task. Participants indicated preferred proximity to different targets ranging in affiliation and threat after describing each target in their own words. As expected, participants preferred closer proximity to affiliative targets (e.g., a friend) versus threatening ones (e.g., a thief). However, psychopathic traits did not predict interpersonal proximity preferences. Notably, psychopathic traits (Factor 2; antagonism) were linked to response inconsistency, suggesting task disengagement. Exploratory findings showed that participants high in antagonism used more negative language to describe strangers, suggesting hostile attribution bias; however, this was unrelated to task behavior. Overall, the task did not reveal clear socioemotional differences linked to psychopathy. More engaging, ecologically valid methods are needed to better assess affiliation and threat processing in psychopathy.
The Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) proposes a dimensional framework with two core criteria: Criterion A (personality functioning) and Criterion B (maladaptive traits). Debate remains regarding their incremental validity, with prior studies producing mixed results. This study employed a Delphi method with 17 experts in personality disorders (PDs) to evaluate the conceptual, discriminative, clinical, and informative value of both criteria. Consensus indicated that Criterion B captures individualized trait expressions, while Criterion A was seen as global or individualized, depending on use of total or subscale scores. Both criteria were viewed as having stable and dynamic aspects. Experts noted Criterion A's overlap with general psychopathology, while Criterion B was seen to include both PD-specific and broader traits. Criterion A was mainly associated with informing treatment intensity, and Criterion B with guiding therapeutic style. Both criteria were seen as informative for several mental health outcomes. Despite overlap, most experts opposed merging the criteria.
Antagonistic narcissism (AN), involving devaluation, aggression, and impulsivity, is a key feature of narcissism and overlaps with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study compared explicit (self-reported) and implicit (indirectly measured) AN in women with BPD and a matched clinical control (CC) group and examined associations with aggression, interpersonal problems, and emotion dysregulation. Fifty-one women with BPD and 51 CC participants completed the AN Implicit Association Test (AN-IAT), the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (NARQ), and clinical assessments. Group differences were analyzed using Welch's t tests with Bonferroni-Holm correction; associations were examined using Spearman's correlations. BPD participants showed higher AN-IAT scores, but no group differences on NARQ Rivalry. AN-IAT correlated weakly with emotion dysregulation; NARQ Rivalry correlated moderately with aggression and interpersonal agency. Findings suggest that implicit, but not explicit, AN distinguishes women with BPD from CCs, highlighting the role of automatic antagonistic processes in BPD.
The 100-item short form of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5-SF) has been translated into various languages and validated across cultures and age groups, but research on adolescents is limited. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Turkish version (PID-5-SF-TR) in a sample of 349 adolescents (181 community, 168 clinical). Participants also completed the Personality Belief Questionnaire-Short Form (PBQ-SF) and the Big Five Inventory (BFI). Clinical participants had higher facet scores than community participants. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a five-factor structure for both groups. Cronbach's α coefficients ranged from 0.72 to 0.86 in the clinical group and from 0.73 to 0.87 in the community group. PID-5-SF-TR domains correlated significantly with related BFI dimensions, except for Openness and Psychoticism. Corresponding PBQ-SF and PID-5-SF-TR subscales were significantly correlated. Test-retest reliability over 5 months showed coefficients ranging from r = 0.30 to r = 0.67. Findings support the reliability and validity of using the PID-5-SF-TR when diagnosingTurkish adolescents.
The current study aimed to determine cutoff scores of the Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form 2.0 (LPFS-BF 2.0) in clinical and nonclinical samples and thereby test its ability to discriminate between those samples. A total of 814 individuals participated, including a sine morbo (SM; Latin for "without any disease"; here specifically "without any mental disorder") subsample (n = 509), a clinical subsample without personality disorder (non-PD; n = 240), and a clinical subsample with personality disorder (PD; n = 65). Significant differences were found among the subsamples on all LPFS-BF 2.0 scores, with the PD subsample showing the most severe impairments, followed by the non-PD and SM subsamples. To determine cutoff scores, ROC curve analyses were conducted on 70% of the data (training set, randomly selected) and validated on the remaining set of the data (test set), controlling for age, sex, and level of education. The accuracy of the LPFS-BF 2.0 in discriminating between all three subsamples was demonstrated.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with poor quality of life (QoL), but little is known about which QoL dimensions are affected or what might predict QoL outcomes. Baseline data were collected from 208 participants (aged 15-25 years, with three or more DSM-5 BPD features) in one of three randomized controlled trials conducted at youth mental health services in Melbourne, Australia. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that BPD severity, avoidant personality disorder diagnosis (AVPD), and psychotic disorder each independently predicted poorer overall QoL. Both BPD severity and AVPD independently predicted all psychosocial subscale dimensions of QoL. For the physical dimensions, AVPD independently predicted pain and senses, whereas BPD severity and psychotic disorder independently predicted independent living. Co-occurring mood or antisocial personality disorder predicted neither overall QoL nor any dimension of QoL. These findings provide additional weight to the argument that young people with BPD should be a high-priority group for early intervention.
Few studies have examined the prevalence, characteristics, and outcomes of treatment-seeking-suicidal adolescents with borderline personality disorder (BPD). To address this, we evaluated 108 suicidal adolescents seen in a specialized outpatient program and treated with Dynamic Deconstructive Psychotherapy (DDP) and examined changes in the severity of their BPD symptoms and suicide ideation over 6 months. Of these 108 adolescents, 81% (n = 87) met criteria for BPD on structured interviews. Adolescents with BPD had more frequent suicide attempts and recreational drug use, greater functional impairment and childhood adversity, and worse therapeutic alliance. However, they showed large improvements in BPD severity and suicide ideation on intent-to-treat analyses (d = 1.59 and .96, respectively), with 38% (n = 33) dropping out of treatment. These findings underscore the need for better identification of BPD among suicidal adolescents and additional research to evaluate the efficacy of DDP as a promising treatment for this population.
