Antonella Somma

The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Brief Form: Evidence for Reliability and Construct Validity in a Sample of Community-Dwelling Italian Adolescents.

To assess the reliability and construct validity of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Brief Form (PID-5-BF) among adolescents, 877 Italian high school students were administered the PID-5-BF. Participants were administered also the Measure of Disordered Personality Functioning (MDPF) as a criterion measure. In the full sample, Cronbach’s alpha values for the PID-5-BF scales ranged from .59 (Detachment) to .77 (Psychoticism); in addition, all PID-5-BF scales showed mean interitem correlation values in the .22 to .40 range. Cronbach’s alpha values for the PID-5-BF total score was .83 (mean interitem r = .16). Although 2-month test–retest reliability could be assessed only in a small (n = 42) subsample of participants, all PID-5-BF scale scores showed adequate temporal stability, as indexed by intraclass r values ranging from .78 (Negative Affectivity) to .97 (Detachment), all ps <.001. Exploratory structural equation modeling analyses provided at least moderate support for the a priori model of PID-5-BF items. Multiple regression analyses showed that PID-5-BF scales predicted a nonnegligible amount of variance in MDPF Non-Cooperativeness, adjusted R2 = .17, p < .001, and Non-Coping scales, adjusted R2 = .32, p < .001. Similarly, the PID-5-BF total score was a significant predictor of both MDPF Non-Coping, and Non-Cooperativeness scales.

Adaptive and Maladaptive Personality Traits in High-Risk Gamblers

Gambling Disorder (GD) is an addictive disorder resulting in significant impairment in occupational and social functioning. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship of GD risk to adaptive and maladaptive personality dimensions in a sample of nonreferred Italian gamblers. The authors found the risk for GD to show significant associations with the Openness and Conscientiousness scales of the Big Five Inventory (BFI); however, these effects were not significant after controlling for alcohol and drug use. GD risk showed significant associations with the Detachment and Antagonism domains of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5), as well as with the PID-5 facet scales of Hostility, Callousness, Deceitfulness, Manipulativeness, Irresponsibility, and (low) Rigid Perfectionism, even when controlling for alcohol and drug use. Maladaptive personality dispositions may serve as risk factors for pathological gambling, even beyond their impact on frequently concomitant problems with alcohol and other drugs.

Testing Relationships between DSM-5 Section III Maladaptive Traits and Measures of Self and Interpersonal Impairment in Italian Community Dwelling Adults

In order to study the relationships between DSM–5 Section III maladaptive personality traits and personality dysfunction, 312 Italian community dwelling adults completed the Italian translations of the Personality Inventory for DSM–5 (PID-5) and the Measure of Disordered Personality Functioning Scale (MDPF); participants were also administered the Iowa Personality Disorder Screen (IPDS). Consistent with previous findings, 22 (88.0%) PID-5 maladaptive trait scales showed moderate and significant correlations with MDPF Non Coping (median r value = .32), and Non Cooperativeness, (median r value = .24) scales. Regression analyses showed that PID-5 trait scales explained roughly 59% and 35% of the variance in MDPF Non Coping and Non Cooperativeness scales, respectively. PID-5 traits were significantly associated also with the IPDS total score, adjusted R2 = .45, p < .001. As a whole, our data seemed to indicate that the wide majority of the PID-5 scales showed significant relationships of at least moderate size with a self-report measure of personality dysfunction, lending further support to the criterion validity of the PID-5.

The Factor Structure and Construct Validity of the Short Version of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory in Two Independent Samples of Nonreferred Adolescents

To assess the internal consistency, factor structure, and construct validity of the Italian translation of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory–Short Version (YPI-S), both the YPI-S and its full version, the YPI, as well as self-reports of delinquency, aggression, and Big Five domains, were administered to two independent samples (N = 868 and N = 881) of Italian community, nonreferred adolescents. The internal consistency of the YPI-S was adequate, and confirmatory factor analyses showed a good fit of the theoretical three-factor model of the YPI-S in both samples. Hierarchical regression models suggested the same pattern of associations with self-report measures of delinquency and aggression for the YPI-S and YPI, although the YPI was a better predictor of Big Five domains than the YPI-S. The findings support the internal consistency, factor validity, and construct validity of the YPI-S.

Assessing the triarchic model of psychopathy in adolescence: Reliability and validity of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) in three samples of Italian community-dwelling adolescents.

To assess the psychometric properties and construct validity of the Italian translation of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) in adolescents, we administered the inventory to 3 independent samples of Italian high school students (Ns = 609, 618, and 1,142). Cronbachs alpha values greater than .80 were observed for the TriPM scale scores in all samples. In Sample 1, overall scores on the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory correlated substantially with TriPM total scores, r = .77, p < .001. Data from Study 1 also demonstrated adequate 3-month test-retest reliabilities for the 3 TriPM subscales. In Study 2, TriPM scores significantly predicted scores on a self-report measure of delinquent behaviors, Radjusted2 = .25, p < .001. In Study 3, five-factor domain scores showed significant relations with TriPM scale scores consistent with results reported for adults. Consistent with a hypothesized role of fearlessness in psychopathy, adolescents at high psychopathy risk (i.e., >97th percentile on the TriPM) reported lower fear in response to emotion-eliciting movie clips than low-psychopathy participants. In addition, scores on a measure of hedonistic moral tendencies discriminated between adolescents at high as opposed to low psychopathy. Similarly, scores on the Reflective Function Questionnaire for Youths were negatively correlated with TriPM scores. As a whole, our findings provide further support for the reliability and validity of the TriPM and its cross-cultural utility, and provide initial evidence of its effectiveness with community-dwelling adolescents.

Borderline Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder Diagnoses From the Perspective of the DSM-5 Personality Traits: A Study on Italian Clinical Participants.

Abstract To evaluate the associations between Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) Alternative Model of Personality Disorder traits and domains and categorically diagnosed narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD), respectively, 238 inpatient and outpatient participants who were consecutively admitted to the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Unit of San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, Italy, were administered the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders (SCID-II). Based on SCID-II, the participants were assigned to the following groups: a) NPD (n = 49), b) BPD (n = 32), c) any other PD (n = 91), and d) no PD (n = 63). Emotional lability, separation insecurity, depressivity, impulsivity, risk taking, and hostility were significantly associated with BPD diagnosis. Attention seeking significantly discriminated participants who received an SCID-II categorical NPD diagnosis. Separation insecurity, impulsivity, distractibility, and perceptual dysregulation were the DSM-5 traits that significantly discriminated BPD participants. Domain-level analyses confirmed and extended trait-level findings.

A Head-to-Head Comparison of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) With the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4 (PDQ-4) in Predicting the General Level of Personality Pathology Among Community Dwelling Subjects.

In order to evaluate if measures of DSM-5 Alternative PD Model domains predicted interview-based scores of general personality pathology when compared to self-report measures of DSM-IV Axis II/DSM-5 Section II PD criteria, 300 Italian community adults were administered the Iowa Personality Disorder Screen (IPDS) interview, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5), and the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+ (PDQ-4+). Multiple regression analyses showed that the five PID-5 domain scales collectively explained an adequate rate of the variance of the IPDS interview total score. This result was slightly lower than the amount of variance in the IPDS total score explained by the 10 PDQ-4+ scales. The PID-5 traits scales performed better than the PDQ-4+, although the difference was marginal. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the PID-5 domain and trait scales provided a moderate, but significant increase in the prediction of the general level of personality pathology above and beyond the PDQ-4+ scales.

The DSM-5 alternative model of personality disorders from the perspective of adult attachment: A study in community-dwelling adults

Abstract To assess how the maladaptive personality domains and facets that were included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) Alternative Model of Personality Disorders relate to adult attachment styles, 480 Italian nonclinical adults were administered the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) and the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ). To evaluate the uniqueness of the associations between the PID-5 scales and the ASQ scales, the participants were also administered the Big Five Inventory (BFI). Multiple regression analyses showed that the ASQ scales significantly predicted both PID-5 domain scales and BFI scales; however, the relationships were different both qualitatively and quantitatively. With the exception of the PID-5 risk taking scale (adjusted R2 = 0.02), all other PID-5 trait scales were significantly predicted by the ASQ scales, median adjusted R2 value = 0.25, all ps < 0.001. Our findings suggest that the maladaptive personality domains and traits listed in the DSM-5 Alternative Model of Personality Disorders show meaningful associations with adult attachment styles.

Assessing Dimensions of Pathological Narcissism: Psychometric Properties of the Short Form of the Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory in a Sample of Italian University Students

ABSTRACT To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Italian translation of the Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory–Short Form (FFNI–SF), 1,063 Italian university students were administered the scale, along with the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) and the Measure of Disordered Personality Functioning (MDPF). In general, the FFNI–SF scales showed good internal consistency (median α = .76; median interitem r = .44) and structural analyses suggested a 3-component model of FFNI–SF scales that was similar to that reported by Sherman et al. (2015). FFNI–SF second-order scales yielded meaningful convergent and discriminant correlations with PNI second-order grandiose and vulnerable dimensions. Finally, FFNI–SF second-order scales correlated in expected ways with 2 dimensions of personality dysfunction.

Profiling Pathological Narcissism According to DSM-5 Domains and Traits: A Study on Consecutively Admitted Italian Psychotherapy Patients.

Pathological narcissism represents a clinically relevant, albeit controversial personality construct, with multiple conceptualizations that are operationalized by different measures. Even in the recently published Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM–5), 2 different views of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) are formulated (i.e., Section II and Section III). The DSM–5 Section III alternative PD model diagnosis of NPD is based on self and interpersonal dysfunction (Criterion A) and a profile of maladaptive personality traits (Criterion B), specifically elevated scores on Attention Seeking and Grandiosity. Given the diversity of conceptualizations of pathological narcissism, we evaluated the convergences and divergences in DSM–5 trait profiles characterizing multiple measures of narcissism in a clinical sample of 278 consecutively admitted Italian psychotherapy patients. Patients were administered the Italian versions of the Personality Inventory for DSM–5 (PID-5) and 4 measures of NPD, (a) the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI); (b) the NPD scale of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+; (c) the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis II Personality Disorders, Version 2.0 (SCID-II) as an observer-rated measure of NPD; and (d) the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI). Multiple regression analyses showed that PID-5 traits explained from 13% to more than 60% of the variance in the different NPD measures. Attention Seeking was consistently associated with all measures of NPD, whereas Grandiosity was associated with some of the NPD measures. All measures of NPD were also significantly related to additional DSM–5 maladaptive traits.