When the Others Are Dangerous: Paranoid Presentations in Subclinical Forms of Personality Disorders

The discriminant validity of paranoid personality disorder has been recently questioned, and paranoid presentations are now conceived of as transdiagnostic features of personality disorders (PDs). However, empirical results are inconsistent. This study investigated the link between subclinical personality disorders (except paranoid PD) and paranoid presentations, exploring how the severity of personality functioning affects this relationship. Nonclinical participants (N = 270, females: n = 194; 71.9%) completed self-report measures of the constructs of interest. In multiple regression analyses, subclinical borderline PD was primarily related to a wide range of paranoid presentations. Moreover, the severity of personality functioning increased the strength of the association between subclinical BPD and severe paranoid presentations. Results suggest that, when exploring unique contributions, paranoid presentations are especially associated with subclinical forms of BPD and highlight the importance of considering personality dysfunction severity. Additionally, the findings demonstrate that paranoid presentations are a relatively transdiagnostic dimension.