Journal of Personality Disorders最新文献

The Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form 2.0 (LPFS-BF 2.0) was developed as a screening tool for personality functioning. Its generalizability and comparability across groups with diverse mental health histories have not been explored yet. This study examined configural, metric, scalar, and strict measurement invariance of the scale between treatment-seeking (n = 1113) and non-treatment-seeking (n = 690) groups. Results supported the invariance of the two-factor structure of the LPFS-BF 2.0 and demonstrated good psychometric properties in both groups. The findings provide evidence of the generalizability and construct equivalence of the LPFS-BF 2.0. The scale effectively captured both healthy functioning and disturbances. Associations with the severity of psychopathology symptoms and meaningful differences in severity classification across groups further supported its validity. At the same time, findings suggested that LPFS-BF 2.0, especially self-functioning, might be an overall indicator of mental health difficulties severity rather than being specific to the severity of personality dysfunction.

Identity impairment is central to personality pathology generally, but less is known about how identity impairment appears differently across personality pathology. The AMPD lists a criterion for disorder-specific identity impairment for each personality disorder (PD), but these criteria have not been adequately empirically examined. N = 305 university students completed self-report measures of personality pathology (traditional DSM-5 and AMPD conceptualizations) and identity impairment (identity diffusion). We explored which identity diffusion items associated most strongly with each PD scale. Results were mixed. Predictions were partially supported in that at least one expected identity diffusion item emerged as most strongly associated with antisocial, avoidant, and borderline PDs. For narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive, and schizotypal PDs, predictions were not supported. Results were somewhat consistent between DSM Section II and AMPD scales for most PDs, except avoidant and obsessive-compulsive PD. We emphasize the need for further empirical study on disorder-specific identity impairment across personality pathology.

Research has sought to understand the relationship among childhood maltreatment, maladaptive personality, and antisocial behaviors. However, most of the literature overlooks possible gender differences by using primarily male samples. The current study examined these relationships, focusing on the mediating role of personality dysfunction, in samples of women who are incarcerated (N = 200) and undergraduate students (N = 187). Correlations revealed moderate to strong associations among childhood trauma, personality psychopathology, and antisocial behavior (rs = .31-.66). The findings demonstrated a mediation pathway from childhood trauma to BPD (β = .37) and ASPD/psychopathy (βs = .25-.34) to antisocial behavior (βs = .35-.67). This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the associations among childhood trauma, personality psychopathology, and antisocial behavior. Additionally, it expands existing research by presenting a mediation model, demonstrating the role of personality dysfunction in mediating the relationship between childhood maltreatment and antisocial behavior in women.

Contingent self-esteem, or the notion that self-worth is tied to successes or failures, is theorized to be important to narcissism. Contingent self-esteem likely manifests as a dynamic between transient states (e.g., emotions) and feelings of self-worth. The current study examined whether narcissism was associated with the link between negative affect and self-esteem. Participants (N = 862) came from two samples of undergraduates and one of community individuals. Participants completed trait-based assessments of narcissism and an ecological momentary assessment protocol capturing state-level negative affect and self-esteem. Grandiosity was associated with higher average momentary self-esteem (β = .12). Vulnerability and contingent self-esteem were associated with higher momentary averages of negative affect (βs = .23; 20, respectively) and lower momentary averages of self-esteem (βs = -.37; -.32, respectively). Vulnerability and contingent self-esteem also amplified the negative affect and self-esteem link (βs = -0.10 and -0.11, respectively). The findings suggest that contingent self-esteem is an important process underlying narcissism.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) shows strong associations with the general factor of personality disorders, which is proposed to reflect the level of impairment in personality functioning as defined by Criterion A in the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders. Limited evidence regarding the convergent validity between BPD and Criterion A, particularly in developmental contexts, poses a barrier to integrating categorical and dimensional models of personality disorders. To address this, we employed a latent variable cross-lagged panel model to examine the longitudinal associations between BPD features and personality functioning in a two-wave adolescent cohort. Results revealed a unidirectional cross-lagged effect from BPD features to subsequent personality functioning impairments, suggesting that BPD may serve as a developmental marker of broader personality pathology. However, the absence of a reciprocal longitudinal effect raises questions about the sensitivity of personality functioning in capturing the developmental emergence of BPD symptomatology over time.

Difficulties in emotional regulation are central to borderline personality disorder (BPD), which is characterized by heightened emotional reactivity and prolonged recovery from anger, often exacerbated by rumination. In this study, we examine the role of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as a vital indicator of parasympathetic nervous system activity in BPD patients exposed to anger-inducing films. We recruited 35 BPD patients and 35 healthy controls, collecting self-reported emotional symptoms and physiological data during baseline, induction, recovery, and relaxation sessions. The findings revealed that BPD participants exhibited significantly slower RSA recovery from anger, underscoring its critical role in emotional regulation. Furthermore, relaxation techniques were found to enhance emotional recovery, suggesting that lower parasympathetic activation during anger makes individuals with BPD more susceptible to intense emotions. This study highlights the importance of RSA in understanding the emotional recovery process in BPD.

A large body of research supports the efficacy of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study examined the trajectory of symptomatology change throughout a 12-month BPD intervention in 152 outpatients with BPD who experienced active suicidal ideation. Borderline symptoms were assessed weekly by therapists and every 3 months by outpatients. Analyses of linear mixed-effects models revealed a significant effect of intervention on reducing the frequency of BPD-related behaviors evaluated by both therapists and outpatients. Completers exhibited continuous reductions in symptomatology across treatment, with a tipping point between the sixth and ninth months. Reduced symptomatology was particularly pronounced for self-harm, suicidal threat, suicidal ideation, binge eating, risky behavior, and anger outbursts. However, addictive behaviors were more resistant to change over time. These findings open new avenues for further understanding of the mechanisms of change underpinning psychotherapy treatment for BPD and shed light on potential treatment-resistant BPD symptoms.

Maladaptive personality trait domains of negative affectivity, antagonism, and disinhibition undergird the borderline personality disorder (BPD) diagnosis according to the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD). The current study compared the associations among clinicians' ratings of maladaptive personality traits, categorical BPD diagnostic criteria, and the global BPD diagnosis in response to a clinical vignette using a large, diverse sample (N = 426) of licensed mental health care practitioners in the United States and Canada. Negative affectivity emerged as the most consistent predictor of BPD criteria and the global diagnosis. At the trait facet level, emotional lability was the most consistent independent predictor of BPD criteria and diagnosis. These findings suggest that clinicians' agreement with BPD diagnostic criteria corresponds with their perceptions of the patients as experiencing problems related to instability of emotional experiences, feelings of nervousness and frequent worry, and a tendency to engage in dangerous and risky behaviors.

An individual's awareness of their own and others' emotional experience is a key construct in several psychotherapy models, including for clients with personality disorders. Research into emotional awareness in personality disorders and their treatment has been scarce, yet it seems important to understand how these processes change in psychotherapy and how this change explains symptom reduction, in particular by conceptualizing situation-bound fluctuations of emotional awareness. In this current perspective article, we establish a theoretical consensus on models of emotional awareness and discuss current open research questions related to emotional awareness in clients with personality disorders. We conclude with the hypothesis that increased emotional awareness is a central mechanism of change in psychotherapies for personality disorders.

Poor relationship quality common among individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) may result, in part, from biased interpersonal decision-making. We examined memory biases for hypothetical interpersonal partner choices varying in the degree of familiarity. In Part 1 of our study, participants (n = 192) were asked to choose between novel or familiar partners based on lists of traits across six vignettes, and in Part 2, they completed a trait recognition task 36-60 hours later. Lower perceived social support was associated with a memory bias toward novel (over familiar) partners. BPD features were negatively related to an overall interpersonal memory bias (i.e., remembering both partners more negatively). However, when accounting for idiographic valence ratings, BPD features were positively related to this bias among those also low in social support. Memory biases may be related to partner choices associated with BPD features; however, it is critical to assess the role of perceived social support.