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The joint hierarchical structure of adolescent personality pathology: converging evidence from two approaches to
Shauna C Kushner1, Jennifer L Tackett, Barbara De Clercq
1University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.
Objective:
To examine the joint hierarchical structure of two measures of adolescent personality pathology within a community sample of Canadian adolescents.
Method:
Self-reported data on demographic information and pathological personality traits were obtained from 144 youth (M age = 16.08 years, SD = 1.30). Personality pathology was measured using the youth-version of the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP-Y; Linde, Stringer, Simms, & Clark, in press) and the Dimensional Personality Symptom Item Pool (DIPSI; De Clercq, De Fruyt, Van Leeuwen, & Mervielde, 2006). Lower-order scales were subjected to structural hierarchical analyses.
Results:
Scales from the two measures were complementary in defining higher-order traits. Traits at the 4-factor level of the hierarchy (Need for Approval, Disagreeableness, Detachment, and Compulsivity) showed similarities and differences with previous results in adults.
Conclusions:
The current investigation integrated top-down and bottom-up measures for a comprehensive account of the higher-order hierarchy of adolescent personality pathology. Results are discussed in the context of convergence across approaches and in comparison with previous findings in adult samples.
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