General and distinct correspondence between personality disorder and interpersonal functioning.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• The Alternative Model of Personality Disorders (AMPD) in DSM-5 identifies interpersonal dysfunction as central.
• Understanding how specific interpersonal traits relate to personality dysfunction requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the associations between personality traits and social relationship patterns.
• To identify distinct ways interpersonal characteristics contribute to personality dysfunction.

Main Methods:

• Community participants completed self-report measures of personality functioning (LPFS-SR) and maladaptive traits (PID-5-BF).
• Social relationship patterns, including network size and relationship quality, were quantitatively assessed.
• Canonical correlation analysis was employed to examine the relationships between personality and social variables.

Main Results:

• Three significant canonical correlation patterns emerged, linking personality traits to relationship characteristics.
• Global dysfunction correlated with utilitarian, short-term, weaker, and smaller social networks.
• Externalizing traits were associated with more numerous, utilitarian, and short-term close relationships.
• Detached and callous traits corresponded to weaker relationships with mother and significant others.

Conclusions:

• Interpersonal functioning in personality disorders exhibits both common and specific patterns related to relationship characteristics.
• Distinct patterns within close relationships are crucial for understanding personality dysfunction.
• These findings emphasize the multifaceted nature of interpersonal deficits in personality disorders.