Matthew M. Yalch

The Convergent Structure of DSM-5 Personality Trait Facets and Five-Factor Model Trait Domains

The DSM-5 Personality and Personality Disorder Work Group have proposed diagnosing personality disorder based in part on 25 pathological traits. Initial research suggests that five factors explain the covariance among these traits and that these factors reflect the domains of the well-validated Five-Factor Model (FFM) of normative personality. This finding is important because it signifies the potential to apply normative trait research to personality disorder classification in the DSM-5. In this study, trait scale scores on the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) and domain scores from the FFM Rating Form (FFMRF) were subjected to a conjoint exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to test the higher-order convergence of the DSM-5 pathological trait model and the FFM in a nonclinical sample (N = 808). Results indicate that the five higher-order factors of the conjoint EFA reflect the domains of the FFM. The authors briefly discuss implications of this correspondence between the normative FFM and the pathological PID-5.

The Role of Implicit Theories in Mental Health Symptoms, Emotion Regulation, and Hypothetical Treatment Choices in College Students

Abstract Beliefs about how much people can change their attributes—implicit theories—influence affective and cognitive responses to performance and subsequent motivation. Those who believe their attributes are fixed view setbacks as threatening and avoid challenging situations. In contrast, those who believe these attributes are malleable embrace challenges as opportunities to grow. Although implicit theories would seem to have important mental health implications, the research linking them with clinical applications is limited. To address this gap, we assessed how implicit theories of anxiety, emotion, intelligence, and personality related to various symptoms of anxiety and depression, emotion-regulation strategies, and hypothetical treatment choices (e.g., medication versus therapy) in two undergraduate samples. Across both samples, individuals who believed their attributes could change reported fewer mental health symptoms, greater use of cognitive reappraisal, and were more likely to choose individual therapy over medication. These findings suggest that implicit theories may play an important role in the nature and treatment of mental health problems.

Evaluating the Domain Specificity of Mental Health–Related Mind-Sets

Mind-sets are beliefs regarding the malleability of self-attributes. Research suggests they are domain-specific, meaning that individuals can hold a fixed (immutability) mind-set about one attribute and a growth (malleability) mind-set about another. Although mind-set specificity has been investigated for broad attributes such as personality and intelligence, less is known about mental health mind-sets (e.g., beliefs about anxiety) that have greater relevance to clinical science. In two studies, we took a latent variable approach to examine how different mind-sets (anxiety, social anxiety, depression, drinking tendencies, emotions, intelligence, and personality mind-sets) were related to one another and to psychological symptoms. Results provide evidence for both domain specificity (e.g., depression mind-set predicted depression symptoms) and generality (i.e., the anxiety mind-set and the general mind-set factor predicted most symptoms). These findings may help refine measurement of mental health mind-sets and suggest that beliefs about anxiety and beliefs about changeability in general are related to clinically relevant variables.

Convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity of DSM-5 traits.

Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edi.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) contains a system for diagnosing personality disorder based in part on assessing 25 maladaptive traits. Initial research suggests that this aspect of the system improves the validity and clinical utility of the Section II Model. The Computer Adaptive Test of Personality Disorder (CAT-PD; Simms et al., 2011) contains many similar traits as the DSM-5, as well as several additional traits seemingly not covered in the DSM-5. In this study we evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity between the DSM-5 traits, as assessed by the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5; Krueger et al., 2012), and CAT-PD in an undergraduate sample, and test whether traits included in the CAT-PD but not the DSM-5 provide incremental validity in association with clinically relevant criterion variables. Results supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the PID-5 and CAT-PD scales in their assessment of 23 out of 25 DSM-5 traits. DSM-5 traits were consistently associated with 11 criterion variables, despite our having intentionally selected clinically relevant criterion constructs not directly assessed by DSM-5 traits. However, the additional CAT-PD traits provided incremental information above and beyond the DSM-5 traits for all criterion variables examined. These findings support the validity of pathological trait models in general and the DSM-5 and CAT-PD models in particular, while also suggesting that the CAT-PD may include additional traits for consideration in future iterations of the DSM-5 system. (PsycINFO Database Record

Interpersonal Style Moderates the Effect of Dating Violence on Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression

Over a quarter of young women have experienced some form of violence within a dating relationship. The experience of dating violence is associated with problems in psychological functioning, including symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, not all women who experience dating violence exhibit anxious or depressive symptoms. One factor that may influence symptom expression is interpersonal style. In this study, we examined the main and moderating effects of dimensions of interpersonal style (dominance and warmth) on the association between dating violence and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Warmth exhibited a main effect on anxious and depressive symptoms over and above the effects of dating violence and other life stressors. Dominance moderated the association between dating violence and anxious and depressive symptoms. When levels of dating violence were high, women with higher levels of dominance reported fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression than women with lower dominance. These results indicated that whereas high warmth was associated with fewer symptoms of psychopathology generally, high dominance was a buffer against the effect of dating violence on symptoms more specifically. Directions for future research are discussed.

Betrayal Trauma and Dimensions of Borderline Personality Organization

Borderline personality pathology can be conceptualized as one of many conditions within a broader spectrum of borderline personality organization (BPO). This spectrum is composed of several specific dimensions of psychological functioning (primitive psychological defenses, identity diffusion, and reality testing). Although several theories associate trauma with borderline pathology, betrayal trauma theory specifies that trauma with a high degree of betrayal has an especially pernicious influence on borderline pathology. In addition, betrayal trauma theorists propose that constructs related to each BPO dimension are influenced by traumatic betrayal, but this has not yet been tested within the context of borderline pathology specifically. In this article, we examine the relation between trauma with varying levels of betrayal and the specific dimensions of BPO using a Bayesian approach to multiple regression. Results indicated that trauma with a high degree of betrayal was associated with each dimension of BPO, that medium betrayal trauma was associated with problems in reality testing, and that low betrayal trauma was associated with primitive psychological defenses. These effects differed by gender. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are also discussed.

Main and Moderating Influence of Temperament Traits on the Association Between Intimate Partner Violence and Trauma Symptoms

Trauma symptoms are common among survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), although not all women who experience IPV develop trauma symptoms. One of the factors that may influence whether women develop trauma symptoms upon exposure to IPV is temperament. In this study, we examined the main and moderating effects of temperament traits (constraint, negative emotionality, and positive emotionality) on the association between IPV and trauma symptoms in a sample of young adult women (N = 654) using a Bayesian approach to multiple linear regression to address significant non-normality in the data. Our results indicated that each temperament trait incrementally predicted trauma symptoms over and above the effects of IPV and other negative life events. Results further indicated that both negative emotionality and constraint moderated the influence of IPV on trauma symptoms such that IPV was positively associated with trauma symptoms at high levels of these traits but not at low levels. However, these effects differed depending on the type of violence experienced (physical, sexual, or psychological). These results extend previous research on the influence of temperament traits to the context of IPV; this underscores the importance of incorporating temperament in the study of IPV, as well as in the study of traumatic stress more generally.

The influence of borderline personality features on inpatient adolescent suicide risk.

Suicide is a leading cause of death among adolescents and suicidal behavior is one of the primary risk factors for youth psychiatric hospitalizations. A number of studies indicate that depression and substance abuse are associated with suicide risk in this population, but less is known about the role of borderline personality features or their incremental influence over other known risk factors in indicating suicidal behavior among adolescents. This study examined whether borderline features were associated with suicide risk when controlling for symptoms of depression and substance abuse in a sample of adolescents hospitalized in an inpatient psychiatric facility. Self-report data from 477 adolescent psychiatric inpatients were used to test hypotheses about the association of borderline features with suicide risk after controlling for other common risk factors. Borderline features were significantly related to suicide risk even after accounting for symptoms of depression and substance abuse. These findings underscore the clinical value of routinely assessing borderline features among adolescents.

Main and Moderating Effects of Temperament Traits on the Association Between Intimate Partner Violence and Hazardous Alcohol Use in a Sample of Young Adult Women

Objective: Hazardous alcohol use is a common problem among survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), although not all women who experience IPV exhibit hazardous alcohol use. Recent research has suggested that 1 factor that may influence hazardous alcohol use is temperament, although this has not yet been examined in the context of IPV. Method: In this study, we examine the main and moderating effects of temperament traits (constraint, negative emotionality, and positive emotionality) on the association between IPV and hazardous alcohol use in a sample of young adult women (N = 654) using a Bayesian approach to multiple linear regression. Results: Results indicated that each temperament trait incrementally predicted hazardous alcohol use over and above the effects of IPV and other negative life events. Results further indicated that both negative emotionality and positive emotionality moderated the influence of IPV on hazardous alcohol use such that IPV was positively associated with hazardous alcohol use at high levels of these traits but not at low levels. Conclusions: Study findings extend previous research on the effects of temperament traits to the context of IPV, underscoring the importance of including temperament in the assessment of IPV survivors.

Target-, Informant-, and Meta-Perceptual Ratings of Maladaptive Traits

Target–informant agreement about target personality traits can depend on the nature of the traits being considered, whether or not targets or informants are asked to take into account the other’s point of view, and the relationship between the informant and the target. This study sought to further explore these patterns by extending existing research in 3 ways in a sample of 335 targets and 548 informants. First, unlike previous research that has focused nearly exclusively on normal range traits with potentially limited clinical relevance or personality disorder categories with questionable validity, we assessed personality using a comprehensive model of maladaptive traits. Second, we gathered 4 sets of ratings: target self-ratings, informant ratings of targets, targets’ metaperceptions of how they believe targets would rate them, and informant metaperceptions of how they believe targets would rate themselves. Third, we compared the ratings of informants with different relationships to the targets, including fathers, mothers, siblings, friends, and romantic partners. Results suggest that the degree to which targets and informants agree differs depending on the trait being rated and whether targets or informants metaperceived their trait ratings, and that these differences are particularly apparent when examined within specific kinds of relationships. These results have implications for which informants clinicians might select in clinical personality assessment, as well as for future research on the multimethod assessment of maladaptive traits.