Personality functioning in patients with avoidant personality disorder and social phobia

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Avoidant personality disorder (APD) and social phobia (SP) are closely related.
• They are hypothesized to represent different severity levels of a single social anxiety disorder.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare patients with APD to patients with SP.
• To focus on personality dysfunction in these patient groups.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 91 adult patients.
• Diagnostic interviews and self-report measures (Index of Self-Esteem, Severity Indices of Personality Problems).
• Patients categorized into: SP without APD (n=20), APD without SP (n=15), APD with SP (n=56).

Main Results:

• Patients with APD (with or without SP) reported more symptom disorders and psychosocial problems than patients with SP without APD.
• APD patients exhibited more criteria for personality disorders and greater personality dysfunction in self-esteem, identity, and relationships.
• These findings support APD as a distinct personality disorder.

Conclusions:

• Avoidant personality disorder involves more severe and extensive personality dysfunction compared to social phobia.
• Results support the conceptualization of APD as a personality disorder, aligning with DSM-5 proposals.