Malignant Self-Regard in clinical outpatient samples

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• The Malignant Self-Regard construct and its questionnaire (MSRQ) have been validated in non-clinical settings.
• Empirical evaluation in a clinical population was previously lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the construct and incremental validity of the MSRQ in a clinical outpatient sample.
• To assess the MSRQ's utility in a psychiatric and internal medicine setting.

Main Methods:

• 139 outpatients completed the MSRQ and other measures.
• Internal consistency, correlations, and incremental prediction analyses were performed.

Main Results:

• The MSRQ showed good internal consistency in both clinical samples.
• MSRQ scores positively correlated with personality functioning, dependency, attachment styles, and well-being.
• The MSRQ incrementally predicted variance in functioning and well-being beyond DSM-5 traits.

Conclusions:

• The MSRQ is a valid and clinically useful tool for assessing malignant self-regard in patient populations.
• Findings support the MSRQ's application in clinical settings for understanding personality and well-being.