The construct validity of general and specific dimensions of personality pathology

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 834-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. F. Williams ◽  
M. D. Scalco ◽  
L. J. Simms
Keyword(s):  
Construct Validity ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Internalizing Symptoms ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Psychosocial Impairment ◽  
Diagnostic Interviews ◽  
Interpersonal Dysfunction ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Bifactor Modeling ◽  
Pathological Personality Traits

BackgroundModern personality disorder (PD) theory and research attempt to distinguish transdiagnostic impairments common to all PDs from constructs that explain varied PD expression. Bifactor modeling tests such distinctions; however, the only published PD criteria bifactor analysis focused on only 6 PDs and did not examine the model's construct validity.MethodsWe examined the structure and construct validity of competing PD criteria models using confirmatory and exploratory factor analytic methods in 628 patients who completed structured diagnostic interviews and self-reports of personality traits and impairment.ResultsRelative to alternative models, two bifactor models – one confirmatory model with 10 specific factors for each PD (acceptable fit) and one exploratory model with four specific factors resembling broad personality domains (excellent fit) – fit best and were compared via connections with external criteria. General and specific factors related meaningfully and differentially to personality traits, internalizing symptoms, substance use, and multiple indices of psychosocial impairment. As hypothesized, the general factor predicted interpersonal dysfunction above and beyond other psychopathology. The general factor also correlated strongly with many pathological personality traits.ConclusionsThe present study supported the validity of a model with both a general PD impairment dimension and separate individual difference dimensions; however, it also indicated that currently prominent models, which assume general PD impairments and personality traits are non-overlapping, may be misspecified.

Generality or Specificity? Examining the Relation between Personality Traits and Mental Health Outcomes Using a Bivariate Bi–factor Latent Change Model

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 467-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenting Mu ◽  
Jing Luo ◽  
Lauren Nickel ◽  
Brent W. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Latent Factors ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Change Models ◽  
Pairwise Correlations ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Using Data

Most previous research has focused on the relationships between specific personality traits and specific facets of mental health. However, in reality most of the Big Five are associated at non–trivial levels with mental health. To account for this broad correlation, we proposed the ‘barometer hypothesis’, positing that behind both ratings of mental health and personality lies a barometer that indicates one's general feelings of positivity or negativity. To the extent that both the general factors of personality and mental health reflect this same barometer, we would expect them to be correlated. We tested alternative models using data from a large longitudinal panel study that includes two cohorts of participants who were assessed every two years, resulting in parallel 4–year longitudinal studies. Similar results were obtained across both studies. Supporting the ‘barometer hypothesis’, findings revealed that the optimal model included general latent factors for both personality traits and mental health. Compared to the broad raw pairwise correlations, the bi–factor latent change models revealed that the relation among levels and changes in the specific factors were substantially reduced when controlling for the general factors. Still, some relations remained relatively unaffected by the inclusion of the general factor. We discuss implications of these findings. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Personality Psychology

Pathological Personality Traits and Intimacy Processes within Roommate Relationships

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Ackerman ◽  
Conrad A. Corretti
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Personality Pathology ◽  
Interpersonal Process ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Perceived Responsiveness ◽  
Interpersonal Dysfunction ◽  
Interpersonal Values ◽  
Pathological Personality Traits ◽  
Interpersonal Motives

Problems with intimacy constitute an important area of interpersonal dysfunction in those with personality pathology. Drawing on the interpersonal process model of intimacy, the present research used a longitudinal dyadic design of same–sex roommate pairs (n = 103) to address how certain pathological personality traits (i.e. Negative Affect, Detachment, and Antagonism) relate to the development of disclosure, perceived responsiveness, and closeness. We expected that participants’ pathological traits would be linked to both their own and their roommate's intimacy development, and that the mechanisms underlying these links would include the endorsement of interpersonal values and/or the dispositional expression of interpersonal behaviour in the roommate relationship. Our findings demonstrate that interpersonal motives and/or behaviours primarily help to explain how individuals with higher levels of Detachment manifest difficulty with intimacy. Implications of our findings for research on personality pathology, normative traits, and intimacy are discussed. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology

Factor Structure and Incremental Utility of the Distress Tolerance Scale: A Bifactor Analysis

Assessment ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Travis A. Rogers ◽  
Joseph R. Bardeen ◽  
Thomas A. Fergus ◽  
Natasha Benfer
Keyword(s):  
Factor Structure ◽  
Distress Tolerance ◽  
Self Report ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Factor Measurement ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Bifactor Modeling ◽  
Order Domain ◽  
Report Measure

The Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) is a self-report measure of perceived capacity to withstand aversive emotions. Initial factor analysis of this measure suggested a structure comprising one higher-order factor and four lower-order domain-specific factors. However, there is limited evidence in support of the DTS’s purported multidimensionality, and despite use of the DTS subscales, research has yet to assess their incremental utility. The current investigation sought to rectify the paucity of evidence in support of the DTS’s factor structure and independent use of DTS subscales via bifactor analysis. In the present study ( N = 826 community adults), a bifactor model of the DTS provided the best fit to the data. However, an examination of statistical indices associated with bifactor modeling, as well as results from an examination of incremental utility, suggest that the domain-specific factors are largely redundant with the general factor and do not provide incremental utility in predicting relevant clinical constructs beyond the general factor. Measurement invariance between sexes was confirmed. Taken together, results support use of a DTS total score, but not subscale scores.

Core dimensions of personality pathology

2020 ◽  
pp. 1201-1210
Author(s):  
Andrew E. Skodol ◽  
Leslie C. Morey
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Five Factor Model ◽  
Personality Pathology ◽  
Psychosocial Impairment ◽  
Personality Functioning ◽  
Diagnostic Approaches ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Pathological Personality Traits

This chapter describes the emergence of dimensional models for the classification and diagnosis of personality pathology. Broad personality traits underlie the meta-structure of psychopathology in general and describe the myriad manifestations of personality disorders (PDs) specifically. Domains of personality functioning distinguish personality styles from PD, and PD from other types of psychopathology, and represent the important construct of severity in personality pathology. This chapter describes the alternative Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) model for personality disorder (AMPD) and the five-factor model of personality (FFM) by which it was inspired. It summarizes the development and longitudinal course of personality traits, personality functioning, and PD; the relationship of personality and PD with physical health and psychosocial impairment; and the clinical utility of dimensional diagnostic approaches. Finally, it illustrates how traditional DSM subtypes of PD can be rendered according to impairments in personality functioning and pathological personality traits in a ‘hybrid’ dimensional–categorical model.

All General Factors Are Not Alike

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 428-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Construct Validity ◽  
Principal Components ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Specific Factors

In their focal article, Ree, Carretta, and Teachout (2015) argue that a large general factor (DGF), defined as the first component of an unrotated principal components solution, is characteristic of many different domains. In their view, ignoring the DGF in assessment and prediction in industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology is counterproductive. They readily acknowledge that the existence of a DGF does not preclude the existence of distinguishable specific factors. Their message is simply that the general factor (unrotated) frequently accounts for over half the reliable variance, and rather than ignore it, the reasons for it and the usefulness of it should be investigated. Further, the general factor is a construct, and all constructs must be supported by the various kinds of evidence that demonstrate construct validity. The DGF is no exception.

Comparing Hierarchical Models of Personality Pathology

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Whitney R. Ringwald ◽  
Aidan G.C. Wright ◽  
Joseph E. Beeney ◽  
Paul A. Pilkonis
Keyword(s):  
Hierarchical Models ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Hierarchical Classification ◽  
Personality Pathology ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Conceptual Structures ◽  
Individual Personality ◽  
Exploratory Factor Analyses ◽  
Specific Factors

Two dimensional, hierarchical classification models of personality pathology have emerged as alternatives to traditional categorical systems: multi-tiered models with increasing numbers of factors and models that distinguish between a general factor of severity and specific factors reflecting style. Using a large sample (N=840) with a range of psychopathology, we conducted exploratory factor analyses of individual personality disorder criteria to evaluate the validity of these conceptual structures. We estimated an oblique, “unfolding” hierarchy and a bifactor model, then examined correlations between these and multi-method functioning measures to enrich interpretation. Four-factor solutions for each model, reflecting rotations of each other, fit well and equivalently. The resulting structures are consistent with previous empirical work and provide support for each theoretical model.

The Development of Preliminary HiTOP Internalizing Spectrum Scales

Assessment ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 107319112110039
Author(s):  
David Watson ◽  
Miriam K. Forbes ◽  
Holly F. Levin-Aspenson ◽  
Camilo J. Ruggero ◽  
Yuliya Kotelnikova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Internalizing Symptoms ◽  
Self Report ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Item Pool ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Item Level ◽  
Formal Definitions ◽  
Body Dysmorphia ◽  
Item Writing ◽  
Report Measure

As part of a broader project to create a comprehensive self-report measure for the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology consortium, we developed preliminary scales to assess internalizing symptoms. The item pool was created in four steps: (a) clarifying the range of content to be assessed, (b) identifying target constructs to guide item writing, (c) developing formal definitions for each construct, and (d) writing multiple items for each construct. This yielded 430 items assessing 57 target constructs. Responses from a heterogeneous scale development sample ( N = 1,870) were subjected to item-level factor analyses based on polychoric correlations. This resulted in 39 scales representing a total of 213 items. The psychometric properties of these scales replicated well across the development sample and an independent validation sample ( N = 496 adults). Internal consistency analyses established that most scales assess relatively narrow forms of psychopathology. Structural analyses demonstrated the presence of a strong general factor. Additional analyses of the 35 nonsexual dysfunction scales revealed a replicable four-factor structure with dimensions we labeled Distress, Fear, Body Dysmorphia, and Mania. A final set of analyses established that the internalizing scales varied widely—and consistently—in the strength of their associations with neuroticism and extraversion.

Childhood trauma moderates morphometric associations between orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala: implications for pathological personality traits

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Nadia Bounoua ◽  
Rickie Miglin ◽  
Jeffrey M. Spielberg ◽  
Curtis L. Johnson ◽  
Naomi Sadeh
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Trauma Exposure ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Emotional Dysregulation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Pathological Personality Traits

Abstract Background Research has demonstrated that chronic stress exposure early in development can lead to detrimental alterations in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)–amygdala circuit. However, the majority of this research uses functional neuroimaging methods, and thus the extent to which childhood trauma corresponds to morphometric alterations in this limbic-cortical network has not yet been investigated. This study had two primary objectives: (i) to test whether anatomical associations between OFC–amygdala differed between adults as a function of exposure to chronic childhood assaultive trauma and (ii) to test how these environment-by-neurobiological effects relate to pathological personality traits. Methods Participants were 137 ethnically diverse adults (48.1% female) recruited from the community who completed a clinical diagnostic interview, a self-report measure of pathological personality traits, and anatomical MRI scans. Results Findings revealed that childhood trauma moderated bilateral OFC–amygdala volumetric associations. Specifically, adults with childhood trauma exposure showed a positive association between medial OFC volume and amygdalar volume, whereas adults with no childhood exposure showed the negative OFC–amygdala structural association observed in prior research with healthy samples. Examination of the translational relevance of trauma-related alterations in OFC–amygdala volumetric associations for disordered personality traits revealed that trauma exposure moderated the association of OFC volume with antagonistic and disinhibited phenotypes, traits characteristic of Cluster B personality disorders. Conclusions The OFC–amygdala circuit is a potential anatomical pathway through which early traumatic experiences perpetuate emotional dysregulation into adulthood and confer risk for personality pathology. Results provide novel evidence of divergent neuroanatomical pathways to similar personality phenotypes depending on early trauma exposure.

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