Prevalence and structure of self-other problems in SAPAS screening for personality disorder in a National Sample

This study investigated the prevalence and factorial structure of personality disorder features in the general community measured with the self-report form of the Standardized Assessment of Personality - Abbreviated Scale (SAPAS-SR).

SAPAS-SR was administered to a Danish national community sample (N = 50,326; 53% women). The hierarchical latent structure was examined using exploratory factor analyses (EFA) for one to three levels.

We found that 11.3% of the community sample fulfilled the estimated screening criteria for a personality disorder, which was slightly higher for woman and younger people. As hypothesized, a two-factor model corresponded to aspects of self (e.g., being a worrier) and others (e.g., having difficulty making and keeping friends), whereas a three-factor model corresponded to trait domains of negative affectivity, detachment, and externalization.

These findings suggest that personality disorder features play a significant role for at least one out of ten individuals in the Danish general community. Such features are primarily organized in a pattern of self- and interpersonal functioning, which is consistent with the conceptualization of core personality dysfunction in the DSM-5 Alternative Model of Personality Disorders and the ICD-11 Classification of Personality Disorders. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.