Barbara De Clercq

General and maladaptive traits in a Five-Factor Framework for DSM-5 in a university student sample

The relationships between two measures proposed to describe personality pathology, that is the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-3) and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5), are examined in an undergraduate sample (N = 240). The NEO inventories are general trait measures, also considered relevant to assess disordered personality, whereas the PID-5 measure is specifically designed to assess pathological personality traits, as conceptualized in the DSM-5 proposal. A structural analysis of the 25 PID-5 traits confirmed the factor structure observed in the U.S. derivation sample, with higher order factors of Negative Affectivity, Detachment, Antagonism, Disinhibition, and Psychoticism. A joint factor analysis of, respectively, the NEO domains and their facets with the PID-5 traits showed that general and maladaptive traits are subsumed under an umbrella of five to six major dimensions that can be interpreted from the perspective of the five-factor model or the Personality Psychopathology Five. Implications for the assessment of personality pathology and the construction of models of psychopathology grounded in personality are discussed.

A meta-analysis of psychopathy-, antisocial PD- and FFM associations

This research meta‐analytically summarizes the relationships of the Five‐Factor Model (FFM) with psychopathy and Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD). Effect sizes of the associations between psychopathy, APD and the FFM were compiled from 26 independent samples (N = 6913) for psychopathy and 57 independent samples (N = 16 424) for APD. The results revealed predominantly points of similarity and some differences in the FFM associations of both disorders. Symptoms of psychopathy and APD were negatively associated with Conscientiousness and Agreeableness facets and positively with scores on Angry–Hostility (N2), Impulsiveness (N5), Excitement Seeking (E5) and negatively with Warmth (E1). Only psychopathy had a small negative association with Anxiety (N1) and was characterized by stronger negative associations with Agreeableness and Straightforwardness (A2), Compliance (A4) and Modesty (A5) compared to APD. The moderator analyses showed that sample type, use of the NEO‐PI‐R and APD instrument moderated the APD FFM associations, while psychopathy instrument and age group were moderators in the psychopathy MA. Implications of this research for the assessment of APD and psychopathy relying on dimensional models of personality pathology are discussed. Copyright

Childhood antecedents of personality disorder: An alternative perspective

One of the fundamental limitations of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) categorical model of personality disorder classification has been the lack of a strong scientific foundation, including an understanding of childhood antecedents. The DSM-IV-TR personality disorders, however, do appear to be well understood as maladaptive variants of the domains and facets of the general personality structure as conceptualized within the five-factor model (FFM). Integrating the classification of personality disorder with the FFM brings to an understanding of the personality disorders a considerable body of scientific research on childhood antecedents. The temperaments and traits of childhood do appear to be antecedent to the FFM of adult personality structure, and these temperament and traits of childhood and adolescence are the likely antecedents for adult personality disorder, providing further support for the conceptualization of the adult personality disorders as maladaptive variants of the domains and facets of the FFM. Conceptualizing personality disorders in terms of the FFM thereby provides a basis for integrating the classification of abnormal and normal personality functioning across the life span.

General Personality and Psychopathology in Referred and Nonreferred Children and Adolescents: An Investigation of Continuity, Pathoplasty, and Complication Models

This study investigated the continuity, pathoplasty, and complication models as plausible explanations for personality-psychopathology relations in a combined sample of community (n = 571) and referred (n = 146) children and adolescents. Multivariate structural equation modeling was used to examine the structural relations between latent personality and psychopathology change across a 2-year period. Item response theory models were fitted as an additional test of the continuity hypothesis. Even after correcting for item overlap, the results provided strong support for the continuity model, demonstrating that personality and psychopathology displayed dynamic change patterns across time. Item response theory models further supported the continuity conceptualization for understanding the association between internalizing problems and emotional stability and extraversion as well as between externalizing problems and benevolence and conscientiousness. In addition to the continuity model, particular personality and psychopathology combinations provided evidence for the pathoplasty and complication models. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Integrating a developmental perspective in dimensional models of personality disorders

There is growing evidence that manifestations of personality pathology are traceable in early years of life. Nevertheless, the existing diagnostic nomenclature contains little recognition of childhood antecedents of adult personality disorders (PD). The current paper suggests that these childhood antecedents are more readily recognized to the extent that the personality disorders are themselves understood as configurations of extreme Five-Factor Model personality traits. From this dimensional perspective, we propose the Dimensional Personality Symptom Itempool (DIPSI), an age-specific model for describing child and adolescent trait pathology. We suggest that the DIPSI represents a comprehensive conceptualization of childhood PD antecedents and may contribute to the understanding of the developmental course of personality disorders. Issues and concerns to further elaborate this life-span perspective on personality disorders are discussed.

Authoritarianism is good for you: Right-wing authoritarianism as a buffering factor for mental distress

Although common knowledge seems to agree that authoritarianism is ‘bad to the self’, previous studies yielded inconclusive results with respect to the relationship between authoritarianism and mental distress. The present research explores whether the impact of facilitators of mental distress on actual mental distress depends on the level of authoritarianism. Study 1 includes a sample of 132 adults and demonstrated less negative consequences of D‐type personality on depression for individuals with high rather than low levels of authoritarianism. Study 2 conducted in a sample of 109 elderly revealed that the effects of negative stressful life events on mental distress were curbed by higher levels of authoritarianism. It is concluded that while previous studies have amply shown that authoritarianism has adverse consequences for other people, these negative effects do not appear to be particularly present for the self. Copyright

Childhood personality pathology: Dimensional stability and change

Studies on the developmental course of personality disorders have suggested that adult personality disorders enclose both features with a natural plasticity over time, as well as stable components represented by underlying trait dimensions. The current study broadens this dimensional stability perspective toward an earlier developmental stage, and describes with different indices of stability the longitudinal behavior of basic childhood maladaptive trait dimensions in a community sample of 477 Flemish children. The results underscore structural, rank-order, and within-person stability for the disagreeableness, emotional instability, introversion, and compulsivity dimensions and suggest a similar maturation principle as has been proposed for adults. Individual growth curve analyses indicate that childrens maladaptive trait scores generally decrease as they grow older, with a smaller decline for high-scoring individuals. Childhood maladaptive traits and general psychopathology dimensions show similar longitudinal patterns in terms of shape and change over time, supporting a spectrum conceptualization of Axis I related pathology and personality disorder precursors at young age. The implications of these findings for a developmental perspective on dimensional conceptualizations of personality disorders are discussed.Studies on the developmental course of personality disorders have suggested that adult personality disorders enclose both features with a natural plasticity over time, as well as stable components represented by underlying trait dimensions. The current study broadens this dimensional stability perspective toward an earlier developmental stage, and describes with different indices of stability the longitudinal behavior of basic childhood maladaptive trait dimensions in a community sample of 477 Flemish children. The results underscore structural, rank-order, and within-person stability for the disagreeableness, emotional instability, introversion, and compulsivity dimensions and suggest a similar maturation principle as has been proposed for adults. Individual growth curve analyses indicate that childrens maladaptive trait scores generally decrease as they grow older, with a smaller decline for high-scoring individuals. Childhood maladaptive traits and general psychopathology dimensions show similar longitudinal patterns in terms of shape and change over time, supporting a spectrum conceptualization of Axis I related pathology and personality disorder precursors at young age. The implications of these findings for a developmental perspective on dimensional conceptualizations of personality disorders are discussed.

Assessing Personality at Risk in Personnel Selection and Development

This paper demonstrates the validity and usefulness of a count technique to screen for potential personality dysfunctioning in NEO‐PI‐R ratings obtained in selection and professional development assessments. The usefulness of this screening technique for Industrial, Work and Organizational (IWO) psychologists is demonstrated in five different samples that were administered the NEO‐PI‐R for selection or development purposes. Three additional samples served as normative data to compute FFM PD count cut‐offs that can be used for selection and career development decisions. Evidence for the construct validity of 6 out of 10 FFM PD counts was provided, and all FFM PD compound scales were significantly related to important criteria, including the final selection decision, the results of a behaviourally oriented selection interview and self‐rated work competencies. The practical utility and limitations of this count technique for personnel selection and development are discussed. Copyright

Antecedents of Personality Disorder in Childhood and Adolescence: Toward an Integrative Developmental Model

Antecedents of personality disorder in childhood and adolescence have been a neglected area in official taxonomies of mental disorders such as the International Classification of Diseases or the different editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. An evolving research field, however, underscores the importance of antecedents for understanding psychopathology and personality pathology in adulthood. The current article summarizes the history, updates reviews, and incorporates new research findings into an integrative scheme for conceptualizing personality pathology in childhood and adolescence. Implications of this model for assessment, future research, and intervention are discussed.

The hierarchical structure and construct validity of the PID-5 trait measure in adolescence

The DSM-5 may be the first edition that enables a developmental perspective on personality disorders because of its proposal to include a trait assessment in the Axis II section. The current study explores the reliability, structure, and construct validity of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5; Krueger, Derringer, Markon, Watson, & Skodol, 2012) in adolescents, a measure that assesses the proposed DSM-5 traits. A community sample of Flemish adolescents (N = 434; 44.7% male) provided self-reports on the PID-5 and the Dimensional Personality Symptom Itempool (DIPSI; De Clercq, De Fruyt, Van Leeuwen, & Mervielde, 2006). Results indicate an acceptable reliability for the majority of the PID-5 facets and a tendency toward structural convergence of the adolescent PID-5 structure with the adult proposal. Convergent validity with age-specific facets of personality pathology was generally supported, but discriminant validity appeared to be low. Beyond the findings that support the applicability of the PID-5 in adolescents, developmental issues may be responsible for specific differences in the adolescent PID-5 structure, the rather poor discriminant validity of the PID-5, and the lower reliability of a small number of PID-5 facets. These results indicate that further research on the validity of the PID-5 in younger age groups is required.