Mark A. Ruiz

Externalizing pathology and the five-factor model: a meta-analysis of personality traits associated with antisocial personality disorder, substance use disorder, and their co-occurrence.

In this meta-analysis we examined Five-Factor Model of personality (FFM) characteristics of externalizing disorders. Two pathologies, Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD), have significant levels of co-occurrence that may be due to shared personality traits. Results from 63 samples (N = 15,331) were analyzed in order to summarize and compare five-factor results for APD, SUD, and co-occurring APD/SUD. Shared and unique personality features were identified at both the domain and the facet level of the FFM. Moderation analyses indicated that sample source (clinical versus community) and diagnosis (psychopathy versus DSM-based APD) accounted for some of the variability at the domain level. Results are discussed with respect to personality and externalizing disorders.

On the Validity of Validity Scales: The Importance of Defensive Responding in the Prediction of Institutional Misconduct

This study examined the effects of defensive responding on the prediction of institutional misconduct among male inmates (N = 349) who completed the Personality Assessment Inventory (L. C. Morey, 1991). Hierarchical logistic regression analyses demonstrated significant main effects for the Antisocial Features (ANT) scale as well as main effects for the Positive Impression Management (PIM) scale in some instances. Significant ANT x PIM interactions also were evident, particularly when examining recommended cut scores on these scales. These results demonstrate the predictive validity of ANT with prisoners and reinforce the importance of context when considering whether validity scales are in fact valid.

Taxometric analyses of borderline personality features in a large-scale male and female offender sample.

Few studies to date have examined the extent to which borderline personality features are best construed as representing an underlying dimension or a discrete class or taxon. The authors conducted taxometric analyses using a large-scale sample of male (n=787) and female (n=368) prison inmates who had completed the Personality Assessment Inventory (L. C. Morey, 2007). Analyses based on the 4 subscales of the Borderline Features Scale offered compelling support for a dimensional structure in both the full sample and the female subsample--even after controlling for the potentially confounding effects of negative response distortion. Theoretical and pragmatic implications of these findings are reviewed.

Recovery and Replication of Internalizing and Externalizing Dimensions Within the Personality Assessment Inventory

In this study, we examined the internal structure of 13 Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991, 2007) scales in a corrections sample (N = 1,099). Previous findings regarding the PAI internal structure have been somewhat inconsistent. We investigated the utility of a 2-dimensional model comprised of internalization and externalization to organize the 11 PAI clinical scales and 2 additional scales, Suicidal Ideation and Aggression. We randomly divided the sample, and a factor analysis revealed a 2-dimensional model representing internalization and externalization. Confirmatory factor analyses conducted with an independent subsample revealed acceptable fit when the model was revised to include correlated error terms between mood and anxiety disorder scales. The revised model exhibited acceptable fit when cross-validated, had better fit than a 1-dimension model, and demonstrated preliminary construct validity in relation to extratest variables.

Factor Structure and Correlates of the Dissociative Experiences Scale in a Large Offender Sample

The authors examined the psychometric properties, factor structure, and construct validity of the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) in a large offender sample (N = 1,515). Although the DES is widely used with community and clinical samples, minimal work has examined offender samples. Participants were administered self-report and interview measures, and a subsample was followed longitudinally to determine criminal and violent recidivism. The DES exhibited good psychometric properties, but an identified three-factor structure was of questionable replicability. Moreover, the DES factors displayed no evidence of differential correlates. DES total scores were correlated with trauma-related variables even after controlling for negative affectivity. Total scores were related to measures of antisocial behavior and aggression but did not predict recidivism. These findings support the reliability and construct validity of the DES in offenders but raise questions regarding the clinical utility of the DES factor scores above and beyond that of the total score.

The relationship between dissociation and personality

Abstract The present study investigated the relationship between the five-factor model of personality and dissociation in a large sample of university students. Participants were administered a battery of self-report measures that assessed personality, dissociation and childhood trauma and/or abuse. Significant correlations were found between the dimensions of the five-factor model of personality and dissociation. Cluster analytic techniques were also used to identify personality subtypes among participants scoring above average on the dissociation measure. Three reliable subtypes were identified with one subtype having a profile resembling personality profiles found in samples determined to have psychopathology. Differences among the subtypes were found in the levels of remembered childhood sexual abuse and amnestic dissociative experiences. Possible implications of these results for understanding the relationship between personality, dissociation, and dissociative pathology were discussed.

Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Problems in Offenders: Implications for Risk Assessment

We undertook a secondary data analysis to study issues relevant to co-occurring mental health and substance disorder in a combined sample of offenders (N = 3,197). Using the Personality Assessment Inventory, we compared the frequency of depressive, traumatic stress, and personality disorder symptom elevations across offenders with and without substance problems, identified the extent to which co-occurring problems were accompanied by risk factors for suicide and aggression, and tested for gender differences. Offenders with substance problems were more likely than others to have increased mental health problems and risk factors for suicide or aggression. Women with substance problems, compared with men, had higher depression, traumatic stress, and borderline features, in addition to lower antisocial features. The frequency with which suicide and aggression risk factors were associated with mental health problems was generally similar across men and women. Measurement issues relevant to co-occurring disorder and risk assessment are discussed.

Risk factors for institutional misconduct among incarcerated women: an examination of the criterion-related validity of the Personality Assessment Inventory

Abstract Although widely researched in male offender samples, relatively little is known about the clinical utility of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) among female prisoners. In this study, we examined the utility of various theoretically relevant PAI scales to predict 3 types of institutional misconduct (general, aggressive/defiant, and covert infractions) in a sample of 113 female inmates incarcerated for at least 1 year. The Antisocial Features (ANT) scale was the most consistent and effective predictor of misbehavior, with limited evidence to suggest that other PAI scales could demonstrate any incremental validity beyond this measure. More important, ANT continued to be associated with institutional misconduct even after controlling for criminal background variables such as prior convictions and a history of violence.

Identification of Mental Disorders in an In-Patient Prison Psychiatric Unit: Examining the Criterion-Related Validity of the Personality Assessment Inventory

Identifying inmates with mental disorders is a crucial function of correctional mental health services. This study examined the utility of several theoretically relevant scales and subscales of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991, 2007) to identify various broad diagnostic categories (i.e., mood, psychotic, and substance use disorders) in a sample of prisoners in an inpatient psychiatric facility (N 57). Results indicated moderate effect sizes and classification accuracy for most but not all PAI scales and subscales. Experimental scales for the detection of substance use disorders performed worse than the PAI Drug Problems scale in isolation.

Structure and Correlates of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) in Offenders: Implications for Psychopathy and Externalizing Pathology

Based on a large sample of offenders (male, n= 1,316; female, n= 267), we (a) tested the relative fit of alternative factor models for the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), and (b) assessed the pattern of relationships among BIS-11 scales and theoretically relevant measures of psychopathy and externalizing pathology. Of four alternative factor models, none yielded satisfactory fit to these data in confirmatory factor analyses. Although the BIS-11 subscales generated from models were, as predicted, associated primarily with the socially deviant features of psychopathy, these subscales exhibited a pattern of associations with externalizing pathology that was generally inconsistent with expectations. These results call into question the validity of previously reported BIS-11 factor models. The findings are discussed within the context of the externalizing spectrum of pathology and the construct validation of impulsivity measures.