Patients who complain of social dysfunction as their main problem: II. Comparison with other outpatients seen for...

Forty socially dysfunctional patients (avoidant personality disorder, DSM-III) and 76 other patients also seen for behavioral psychotherapy rated 30 items from the Social Situations Questionnaire on dimensions of distress and frequency of involvement. A discriminant function analysis showed that socially dysfunctional patients formed a distinct group as compared with other patients on ratings of distress. The main characteristics were over initiating social contact and carrying on a conversation with people one does not know. The separation between groups on the rating of frequency of involvement was less clear cut with some degree of overlap. The differences were in interactions with relative strangers and making decisions affecting them. A subsequent classification of cases using the derived discriminant function validated the above findings.