Search

Background: The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Brief Form + Modified (PID-5-BF+M) is a self-report questionnaire measuring maladaptive personality traits, as defined by the dimensional classifications of personality disorders in DSM-5 Section 3 and ICD-11. The instrument combines both classifications to capture six personality domains and 18 underlying personality facets, operationalized by two items each. This study examined the construct validity of this questionnaire in older adults, by examining the factor structure and the reliability of the domains and facets. Additionally, the study investigated the relationship between maladaptive personality traits and resilience, as measured by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC)., Method: The PID-5-BF+M was administered to 251 older adults from the general population, 104 of the respondents also filled in the CD-RISC., Results: The hierarchical factor structure of the PID-5-BF+M was corroborated in in older adults. Additionally, the domain and facet scales were found to be internally consistent. The correlations with the CD-RISC showed logical associations. The domain of Negative Affectivity and the facets Emotional Lability, Anxiety and Irresponsibility were negatively associated with resilience., Conclusion: Based on these results, this study supports the construct validity of the PID-5-BF+M in older adults. However, future research on the age-neutrality of the instrument is still needed.

Background: The Dutch Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5-NL) is the APA recommended questionnaire to assess maladaptive personality traits as defined in the Alternative DSM-5 model of personality disorders., Aim: To describe of the psychometric qualities of the PID-5-NL, present of normative data and apply the PID-5-NL in clinical practice., Method: The PID-5-NL was administered in a sample of adults from the general population in Flanders (Belgium) and in a sample of patients with a personality disorder in mental health care in the Netherlands. Scores on the PID-5 of a patient with borderline personality disorder are illustrated in a case vignette., Results: Reliability and validity of the PID-5-NL were satisfactory to good, and comparable with results from international research on the PID-5. It was remarkable that in the current research group, patients scored as low as or even lower than the group from the general population on a number of trait facets., Conclusion: The PID-5-NL questionnaire is a useful tool to gain insight in a straightforward way into a wide range of relevant personality traits for diagnosis and treatment planning; provisional reference groups for the clinical practice in regular mental health care are made available on the basis of this study. Further refinement of the reference groups and further research within patients with externalizing personality problems is recommended.

Background: Although it is generally agreed that personality disorders are an important topic in old-age psychiatry, DSM-5 has paid relatively little attention to older persons affected with this severe mental disorder., Aim: To look closely and carefully at several aspects of the way in which DSM-5 defines personality disorders relating to older persons., Method: We make a critical evaluation of the description of personality disorders given in DSM-5., Results: First of all, we question whether the phrase 'personality change due to another medical condition' should really be included in the dsm-5 chapter of personality disorders because a personality change actually has the features of a persistent conduct disorder. Secondly, we argue that in a future revised version of dsm-5 personality disorders affecting older persons should be referred to specifically as 'late-onset' personality disorders. Thirdly, we stress that the research programme relating to the dimensional dsm-5 model of personality disorders should involve a larger number of older persons. In addition, more research is needed with regard to the use, wording and validity of the phrase 'personality change due to a medical condition'. Those responsible for the revision of the DSM-5 should ensure that the concept 'late-onset personality disorders' is incorporated in the text., Conclusion: The description of personality disorders in DSM-5 is confusing. This is probably due to the transitional period between the old categorical (dsm-iv) system and the newly proposed dimensional approach to personality disorders in DSM-5, an approach that needs further investigation. However, this intervening period could be a good opportunity for doing further research into personality disorders in older adults.

Compared to other domains in personality research, research on personality and personality pathology in the elderly is still in its infancy. However, with the growing proportion of older people in the population, the interest in this topic has increased sharply in the past years. Nevertheless, our knowledge about this domain remains relatively limited. Researchers in this domain are facing several challenges. On the one hand, little is known about the course of personality and psychopathology in later life, because longitudinal studies are scarce or non-existent. On the other hand, both clinical practice and the research literature indicate a growing demand for reliable and valid instruments for the assessment of personality in the elderly. In this article we discuss the main conceptual and methodological issues, as well as recent evolutions concerning this research domain in the Netherlands and Flanders.