Cognitive distortions are associated with aggression, but it remains unclear whether self-serving (SS) and self-debasing (SD) distortions represent distinct and criterion-relevant dimensions within the Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire (CD-Quest). This distinction is theoretically consequential because SS and SD distortions are thought to carry different implications for externalising versus internalising outcomes, and clarifying their separability has direct relevance for targeted assessment and formulation. This study examined whether SS and SD distortions are structurally distinguishable and whether they show differential associations with trait aggression after accounting for content overlap and rating-method variance. A community sample of 712 UK adults completed the CD-Quest and the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Multitrait–multimethod confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using a correlated trait–correlated method minus one (CT-C(M−1)) parameterisation, with frequency ratings specified as the reference method and belief ratings modelled as the non-reference method. Structural models tested associations between latent SS, SD, belief-method factors, and aggression. The two-trait CT-C(M−1) model provided the best interpretable fit and significantly improved over the one-trait model, indicating that SS and SD were statistically distinguishable. However, their latent correlation was very high ( r = .947), suggesting near-unidimensionality. Variance decomposition showed that CD-Quest responses primarily reflected substantive trait variance rather than rating-method effects. SS and SD showed comparable associations with aggression when examined separately, and constraining their paths to equality did not significantly worsen model fit. A general cognitive distortion factor was robustly associated with aggression, whereas the belief-method factor showed no incremental association. The CD-Quest supports a statistically detectable but weakly differentiated SS/SD structure. In community adults, aggression-relevant variance is better captured by a general cognitive distortion dimension than by separable SS- and SD-specific pathways.
Social Safety Theory posits that perceptions of social safety and social threat shape human health and behavior, yet no instrument exists for assessing these constructs. To address this gap, we developed and validated the 20-item Social Safety Questionnaire (SSQ) in a community sample of 503 adults (preregistration: osf.io/qaeh3). Four factors were identified: social rejection, social support, social acceptance, and interpersonal trust. As expected, social safety positively related to perceived social support ( r = . 75 ) and social safeness ( r = . 81 ), and negatively to loneliness ( r = − . 53 ), psychological distress ( r = − . 64 ), and everyday discrimination ( r = − . 51 ). Additionally, the SSQ alone explained 41.4% of the variability in psychological distress; even after controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and subjective socioeconomic status, SSQ predicted lower distress (standardized β = − . 60 , p < . 001 ). The SSQ is thus a concise, theoretically sound, and psychometrically robust instrument for assessing social safety and threat in research and, potentially, in clinical settings for case conceptualization, treatment planning, and patient monitoring.
The DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) identifies impairments in self and interpersonal functioning, Criterion A, as central to personality pathology. One measure that has been developed to measure Criterion A impairment is the Level of Personality Functioning Scale–Brief Form 2.0 (LPFS-BF 2.0), a brief, self-report questionnaire. The present study investigated the psychometric properties, factor structure, and change across brief treatment of the LPFS-BF 2.0 in a large, naturalistic psychiatric sample. Patients ( N = 820) completed the LPFS-BF 2.0 alongside psychiatric measures at admission and discharge at a brief, intensive partial hospital program. The LPFS-BF 2.0 demonstrated good internal consistency and convergent validity. Confirmatory factor analysis generally supported a two-factor structure, with modifications improving fit. As hypothesized, LPFS-BF 2.0 total and subscores did not change significantly from pre-to post-treatment. Altogether, we present the largest psychometric evaluation of the LPFS-BF 2.0 in a transdiagnostic partial hospital sample serving patients with acute needs, with and without personality disorders. Our findings provide incremental support for the reliability, convergent validity, and clinical utility of the LPFS-BF 2.0 as a brief screening tool in transdiagnostic psychiatric settings.
Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT) was developed to target overcontrolled coping style and is gaining traction as a gold-standard treatment in the transdiagnostic intervention repertoire. The RO-DBT manual offers two instruments that explicitly measure overcontrol: the Adult Styles of Coping Word-Pair Checklist (ASC-WP) and the Overcontrol Trait Rating Scale (OCTRS). There is virtually no psychometric information about these measures, and they have not been examined through a construct validity framework. A sample of 482 undergraduates, oversampled for overcontrolled coping style, completed these measures via self-report. Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs) did not display one-factor solutions of these instruments, suggesting that a strictly unidimensional representation of these measures was not supported. When considerations of interpretability were paired with quantitative support for exploratory factor analyses, obvious factor structures did not form and were not easily reconciled with theory. However, the OCTRS factor structure was stronger than that of the ASC-WP. Nomological network analyses of the measures revealed that in general, the OCTRS evidenced promising convergent validity and weak discriminant validity, while the ASC-WP demonstrated globally weak construct validity. Taken together, these results suggest that refining the measurement of overcontrol is crucial, and use of the ASC-WP measure warrants particular caution.
The Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) measures the grandiose-manipulative, callous-unemotional, and daring-impulsive components of psychopathy, along with conduct disorder (CD) symptoms. Although several psychometric studies have been conducted on the PSCD, its psychometric properties have not been examined in justice-involved girls. Accordingly, this study tested the factor structure, reliability, and validity of PSCD in 122 justice-involved girls. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the proposed hierarchical four-factor model. Internal consistency of the PSCD total and subscale scores was satisfactory. Convergent and criterion validity were supported, as PSCD scores were significantly associated with scores of another psychopathy measure (Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory; YPI) and relevant correlates, including DSM-5 CD symptoms/diagnosis, proactive aggression, trait impulsivity, and school performance. Discriminant validity was also demonstrated, as the PSCD scores were unrelated to anxiety and depression. Furthermore, profile similarity analyses revealed weak to strong similarity among the nomological networks of the PSCD subscales; though, coefficients remained below redundancy thresholds, supporting meaningful differentiation. Finally, PSCD scores showed small but significant incremental contributions over corresponding YPI scores, with the CD subscale demonstrating the strongest incremental values over the YPI total score. Overall, the PSCD holds promise as a research tool in justice-involved girls, although incremental validity requires further investigation.
