Using clinician-rated five-factor model data to score the DSM-IV personality disorders

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry and Psychology
• Personality Disorders
• Dimensional Models

Background:

• The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is considering replacing categorical personality disorder (PD) diagnoses with a dimensional trait model.
• Clinicians and researchers express concerns about adapting to a new dimensional system, preferring familiar PD diagnoses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if clinician ratings of Five-Factor Model (FFM) traits can reconstruct DSM-IV PDs.
• To assess the validity and clinical utility of an FFM-based dimensional approach for personality pathology.

Main Methods:

• Clinician ratings of FFM traits were used to recreate DSM-IV PDs in 130 outpatients.
• Convergent and discriminant validity of FFM PD counts were tested against DSM-IV PDs.
• Correlations with self-reported personality traits and functional impairment were examined.

Main Results:

• FFM PD counts, derived from clinician ratings of FFM traits, demonstrated similar functioning to DSM-IV PDs.
• The FFM approach showed comparable correlations with self-reported personality traits and functional impairment as DSM-IV PDs.

Conclusions:

• A dimensional trait model, using FFM traits, can effectively assess constructs equivalent to current DSM-IV PDs.
• This supports the feasibility of integrating a dimensional trait model into future DSM revisions for personality pathology assessment.