The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) has become influential in the dimensional assessment of personality dysfunction. Though most studies have examined links between PID-5 trait domains and personality pathology, a number of investigations have assessed relationships between PID-5 scores and symptom disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety). We employed meta-analytic techniques to synthesize findings in this area, identifying 26 publications assessing associations between PID-5 scores and symptom disorders (N of effect sizes across the five trait domains = 260). PID-5 domain score effect sizes (rs) ranged from 0.20 for Antagonism to 0.35 for Negative Affect (all ps < .00001). Relationships between PID-5 scores and specific forms of psychopathology were generally consistent with expectations, with some unanticipated relationships as well. Findings confirm that the pathological personality traits assessed by the PID-5 predict symptom disorders as well as personality dysfunction, extending the heuristic value and clinical utility of the measure.

The degree to which schizoid and avoidant personality styles represent unique variants of interpersonal detachment remains controversial. This study contrasted core traits associated with schizoid versus avoidant personalities in a mixed-sex sample of 221 community adults, using the five traits that comprise the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD). The International Personality Disorders Examination Screening Questionnaire was used to assess schizoid and avoidant personality traits; the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 was used to assess negative affectivity, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition, and psychoticism. As expected, schizoid and avoidant scores were both positively associated with AMPD detachment scores (rs were .68 and .57, respectively). Regression analyses confirmed that, in addition to detachment, high levels of negative affectivity and low levels of disinhibition were uniquely predictive of avoidant personality traits, whereas low levels of antagonism were uniquely predictive of schizoid personality traits. The present findings support the distinctiveness of these two contrasting expressions of detachment.

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, researchers' operationalizations of romantic infidelity and the techniques that they employed to measure it were surveyed along with the demographic characteristics of their respondent samples. A meta-analytic synthesis of infidelity prevalence estimates and their moderators is provided. The APA PsycINFO, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and ERIC databases were searched for peer-reviewed, English-language studies reporting infidelity prevalence rates that were published as of September 2022. Weighted aggregate estimates of different forms of infidelity were calculated and the moderating effects of certain methodological variables on these estimates were examined. Study-level risk of bias was assessed using the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS). A total of 305 studies met the inclusion criteria, with an aggregate sample size of 508,241 respondents across 47 countries. Multiple forms of infidelity were identified, with sexual infidelity receiving the most research attention and many studies lacking clear infidelity operationalization. Anonymous data collection and convenience sampling were found to result in greater report of sexual, but not emotional, infidelity. The findings indicate that nonsexual forms of infidelity remain underexplored. Additionally, operational ambiguity and sample demographic homogeneity are widespread in the existing infidelity research literature. Research practices in this field raise concern regarding the effects of impression management, self-selection, and response biases.

Avoidant personality disorder was introduced in DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1980), and debate persists regarding the utility of having two separate variants of the "detached personality." The present study addressed this issue through ratings of open-ended self-descriptions provided by community adults with high scores on schizoid versus avoidant personality traits (N = 229). The self-concept of individuals with avoidant personality style reflected a lack of positive self-regard and low self-efficacy/agency. Regarding schizoid personalities, neither positive nor negative self-regard, self-complexity, or self-efficacy/agency was found. Examination of specific variables yielded a relationship between avoidant personality styles, depression, and anxiety, consistent with literature noting simultaneous desire and fear of interpersonal relationships in avoidant patients (APA, 1980; Sheldon & West, 1990). Similarly, examination of individual variables yielded a negative association between schizoid personality styles and tolerance for contradictory aspects of the self, consistent with theoretical writings in this area (Kernberg, 1976; McWilliams, 2006). Results support the argument that these two personality styles represent distinct constructs. Findings support the utility of self-concept assessment to assist treatment planning and differential diagnosis. Treatment implications include using open-ended descriptions of patients' self-concepts to explore changes that may not be accessible via more structured forms of patient self-report.

We examined discrepancies in 81 patient-therapist dyads' alliance ratings early in treatment (3rd or 4th session) in relation to Personality Assessment Inventory clinical scales, subscales and global psychopathology. Results indicated that PAI global psychopathology (mean clinical elevation) and the scales of Aggression [AGG], Somatization [SOM], and Anxiety-Related Disorders [ARD] were significantly, negatively associated with an absolute difference of patient and therapist alliance ratings at Session 3. Higher initial scores on these clinical scales at treatment onset are associated with less difference (i.e., more convergence) in patient/ therapist ratings of alliance at Session 3. Correlations between PAI clinical subscales and absolute differences of patient and therapist alliance ratings at Session 3 also demonstrated statistically significant inverse relationships for several PAI subscales of Aggression- Attitude [AGG-A], Aggression-Physical [AGG-P], Somatic- Health Concerns [SOM-H], Anxiety-Related Disorders-Traumatic Stress [ARD-T], Anxiety-Related Disorders- Obsessive Compulsive [ARD-O], Borderline Features-Affective Instability [BOR-A], Borderline- Self-Harm [BOR-S], Anxiety-Physiological [ANX-P], Depression-Physiological [DEP-P] and Antisocial-Stimulus Seeking [ANT-S]. Again, higher scores on these subscales at treatment onset are associated with less difference (i.e., more convergence) in patient/therapist ratings. We also examined group differences between patients rating alliance higher (Group 1) and therapists rating alliance higher (Group 2) and found that Group 1 had significantly lower scores on Mania-Activity Level [MAN-A]. Clinical implications of results are discussed.

Abstract The literature on intergenerational transmission of trauma is predominantly focused on the mental health functioning of children and grandchildren of trauma survivors. Research shows that having a traumatized parent is related to increased psychopathology and dysfunctional attachment patterns in the next generation, but little is known about the effects of parental trauma on other aspects of interpersonal relating. The current study addresses this gap. Participants were young adult students from an urban college; individual and parental trauma histories, and indices of unhealthy dependency, dysfunctional detachment, and healthy dependency, were obtained. Results indicated that a wide range of parental traumas were positively correlated with dysfunctional detachment, but not related to destructive overdependence or healthy dependency. These results suggest that a wide range of parental traumas have a negative impact on the next generation's interpersonal dependency by fostering a tendency to distance themselves from close relationships.

ABSTRACT:There is lack of empirical findings on a direct link between suicidality and dependency in youth. This is particularly relevant for children and adolescents with a trauma history, since traumatization is a well-established risk factor for suicidality in this population. Research on dependency predominantly uses self-report assessments, which may be susceptible to biases. In this study, performance-based interpersonal dependency scores in inpatient children and adolescents with trauma history were compared with patients' suicidal behavior (suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts) as derived from chart records. The results showed a gender effect. High dependency scores were associated with higher suicidal ideation for girls and with lower suicidal attempts for boys. These findings demonstrate that a relationship between dependency and suicidality for hospitalized traumatized youth is impacted by gender.

Smartphones are increasingly widespread throughout the world and, although smartphones provide various benefits, excessive and maladaptive use is often reported. Given the penetration of smartphones in the individual’s daily life, it is relevant to identify the mechanisms sustaining their use, including the affective bond that the owner may develop with the device. The aim of the current study is to test a novel model to explain smartphone and Social Network Sites (SNS) use from an interpersonal perspective. We hypothesized that adult attachment style and interpersonal patterns (i.e., features of interpersonal dependency) generalize to the emotional bond with the mobile device, interacting with psychological correlates and background factors to predict smartphone and SNS consumption. 341 nonclinical adults (57.2% females; age M = 35.5, SD = 14.6) completed a battery consisting of the Attachment Style Questionnaire, the Relationship Profile Test, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Young Adult Attachment to Phone Scale, and the Social Network Intensity and Social Network Access via Mobile phone Applications. A multi-mediation model supported the hypothesis regarding the influence of interpersonal style in the relationship of the individual with their smartphone and use of SNS. A parallel between attachment style and the emotional bond with the smartphone emerged, with anxious attachment style and destructive overdependence being potential risk factors for maladaptive smartphone use especially in individuals involved in a romantic relationship. Findings are discussed in terms of theoretical implications and intervention strategies towards smartphone dependency.

This investigation examined links between three related personality styles as assessed with the Relationship Profile Test-destructive overdependence, dysfunctional detachment, and healthy dependency-and indices of health and health-related behavior in a mixed-sex (74% female) sample of 100 primary care patients with a mean age of 38.62 (SD = 12.99). Fourteen primary care physicians also participated. As hypothesized, destructive overdependence and dysfunctional detachment scores were positively correlated with number of contacts with the emergency department; healthy dependency scores were inversely related to emergency department contacts and number of overnight hospitalizations. Healthy dependency scores were associated with an array of positive health behaviors; destructive overdependence scores were negatively associated with positive health behaviors. In addition, healthy dependency scores were inversely related to physician ratings of a difficult doctor-patient relationship. These results demonstrate that destructive overdependence, dysfunctional detachment and healthy dependency scores are associated in expected ways with indices of health and health-related behavior, and help illuminate the underlying factors that contribute to comparatively poor health and variations in health service use among overdependent and detached medical patients.

INTRODUCTION:People vary in the degree to which they affiliate with others; exaggerated efforts maintain interpersonal closeness versus distance are codified in longstanding categorical models of personality pathology, and in contemporary dimensional frameworks as well. OBJECTIVE:To examine associations between destructive overdependence (DO), dysfuntional detachment (DD), and healthy dependency (HD) and qualities of the self-concept. METHOD:A mixed-sex sample of 229 adults completed the Relationship Profile Test to assess DO, DD, and HD, and the Object Relations Inventory (ORI) to assess qualities of the self-concept. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Analyses indicated that (1) the ORI Strong dimension was uniquely predictive of DO (inversely related); (2) ORI Warm and Nurturing were unique predictors of DD (both inversely related); and (3) ORI Nurturing and Successful were unique predictors of HD. This study illuminates key intrapersonal features of these three personality styles.

Abstract. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) have been criticized frequently in recent years, with most critiques focusing on perceived limitations of diagnostic categories. These criticisms notwithstanding, the most promising approach to refining the diagnostic systems is not to replace the categorical model, but to expand the range of assessment methods that are used by clinicians to render diagnoses. This article presents an evidence-based framework for integrating interview and Rorschach data to enhance diagnostic precision, improve treatment planning, and provide a novel paradigm for studying the dynamics of psychopathology in clinical and community settings. Following a discussion of problems associated with monomethod assessment based on patient self-reports, the advantages of multimethod assessment in psychiatric diagnosis are described. A three-step approach to evidence-based multimethod diagnosis is outlined, emphasizing patients’ underlying dynamics, self-attributions, and expressed behaviors. The possibility of updating DSM and ICD symptom criteria to capture these three levels of patient functioning is discussed, strategies for exploring convergences and divergences between interview and Rorschach data are presented, and avenues for expanding the scope of Rorschach practice and research in the 21st century are described.

We examined relationships between the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) clinical scales (e.g., Somatic Complaints [SOM]) and subscales (e.g., Conversion [SOM-C]) with patient- and therapist-rated alliance early in treatment (third or fourth session). We also replicated and extended findings from a previous study examining PAI treatment scales (Treatment Rejection, Treatment Process Index) and early session therapist-rated alliance. We used PAI protocols from a clinical outpatient sample (N = 84). Data were analyzed using stepwise linear regressions. Results suggest that patients who report lower early session alliance also report more antisocial features (β = −.219, p = .050, f2 = 0.05) specifically more antisocial behaviors (β = −.315, p = .004, f2 = 0.11). Additionally, therapists report higher early session alliance with patients who report more anxiety-related disorders (β = .274, p = .012, f2 = 0.08), specifically traumatic stress (β = .325, p = .003, f2 = 0.12). No significant relationships were found between patient- or therapist-rated alliance and Treatment Rejection and Treatment Process Index, consistent with prior findings. Clinical implications are discussed.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) have been criticized frequently in recent years, with most critiques focusing on perceived limitations of diagnostic categories. These criticisms notwithstanding, the most promising approach to refining the diagnostic systems is not to replace the categorical model, but to expand the range of assessment methods that are used by clinicians to render diagnoses. This article presents an evidence-based framework for integrating interview and Rorschach data to enhance diagnostic precision, improve treatment planning, and provide a novel paradigm for studying the dynamics of psychopathology in clinical and community settings. Following a discussion of problems associated with monomethod assessment based on patient self-reports, the advantages of multimethod assessment in psychiatric diagnosis are described. A three-step approach to evidence-based multimethod diagnosis is outlined, emphasizing patients' underlying dynamics, self-attributions, and expressed behaviors. The possibility of updating DSM and ICD symptom criteria to capture these three levels of patient functioning is discussed, strategies for exploring convergences and divergences between interview and Rorschach data are presented, and avenues for expanding the scope of Rorschach practice and research in the 21st century are described.

How can assessors capture context-driven variability in personality and interpersonal behavior in ways that are both empirically sound and clinically useful? Scott et al. (2021) offer one potential solution as they discuss the Relational Self-Schema Measure, designed to assess variations in the self-schema across different relationship domains (e.g., self-with-parents, self-with-friends). This Comment outlines an evidence-based framework for assessing variability in personality and interpersonal behavior, describing three strategies that may be used by practitioners in the clinic and beyond. These are: 1) complementing decontextualized personality test results with domain-specific self-report and performance-based test data; 2) employing ambulatory assessment techniques to capture contextual variations in responding in vivo; and 3) using nomothetic test results as a springboard for patient narrative, with patient and therapist working together to explore relationship-specific variations in personality and interpersonal behavior.

This study presents the adaptation to the Italian context of the Relationship Profile Test (RPT; Bornstein & Languirand), a self-report measure of Destructive Overdependence (DO), Dysfunctional Detachment (DD), and Healthy Dependency (HD). The RPT was administered to a community sample of 661 nonclinical Italian adults together with the Attachment Style Questionnaire, the Relational-Interdependent Self-Construal Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Self-Compassion Scale, the Positive Affect-Negative Affect Scale, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. A randomly selected subset of participants (n = 67) completed the RPT again approximately 5 months after the first administration. The factor structure of the RPT obtained in the main sample was compared with that obtained in a sample of 603 adult participants from the US and was found to be similar. Internal consistency for DO, DD, and HD scores in the Italian sample fell between the acceptable to good range, and test-retest reliability coefficients were all above .70. The three scales yielded the expected pattern of correlations with theoretically related constructs, documenting good criterion validity. Findings are discussed in light of the literature on the RPT as a measure of interpersonal dependency and detachment. Suggestions for future research are offered.

Given the critical importance of manuscript review, the development of a more evidence-based approach is needed. Manuscript review is the final step in the research process, and limitations in this aspect of the process may have a negative impact on the quality of published research in psychology and in other disciplines as well. This article examines current findings regarding the strengths and limitations of manuscript review and identifies ways that the process can be improved. To move toward a more evidence-based framework, the current conceptualization of the review process as a method for evaluating manuscripts must be complemented by an appreciation of two dynamics that help shape this process. First, manuscript review is a signal-detection task wherein reviewers and editors attempt to distinguish signals (publishable manuscripts) from noise (manuscripts that do not warrant publication). Second, manuscript review involves a complex social interaction among authors, reviewers, and editors, each of whom brings particular goals to the endeavor and each of whom must communicate with multiple audiences simultaneously to achieve those goals. The practical implications of research in this area are discussed, and preliminary steps for moving toward a more evidence-based approach to manuscript review are outlined.

Multimethod assessment of personality and psychopathology plays a central role in diagnosis, treatment planning, and risk management. This chapter presents an evidence-based framework for multimethod assessment of personality and psychopathology in clinical and research settings, with an emphasis on test score integration. To implement this framework the clinician must: (a) understand the intra- and interpersonal processes that underlie different assessment methods; (b) interpret meaningful test score divergences as well as convergences; and (c) contextualize work in this area using ideas and findings from beyond clinical psychology. Following a discussion of major personality and psychopathology assessment tools and the intra- and interpersonal dynamics that influence responses to interviews, self-attribution tests (which have traditionally been identified as objective or self-report tests), and stimulus-attribution measures (traditionally labeled projective tests), conceptual, clinical, and empirical implications of current findings in this area are discussed. A template for multimethod assessment in clinical settings is presented, using personality pathology as an exemplar. A multimethod, process-focused approach to test score validation is described, which yields separate indices of outcome-focused and process-focused validity. Finally, the principles of multimethod assessment are applied to emerging models of personality and psychopathology.

We used self-reported narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability and a component derived from 11 potential grandiosity and narcissism variables (GNVs) coded from Rorschach behavior to predict fluctuations in self-esteem and their links to anger and defensive reactions. We assessed state mood, state self-esteem, and performance attributions in 105 college students who underwent a self-esteem manipulation involving success followed by failure on cognitive testing. Self-reported grandiosity predicted the disavowal of effortful ability as a factor in failure, but we did not replicate other previously reported findings for this variable. Self-reported vulnerability predicted oscillations in self-reported mood and self-esteem. The GNV scale predicted spontaneously expressed hostility and externalization following self-esteem insult, and attributions mediated its relationship with anger expressed after failure. We discuss implications of these results and recommend additional replication research.