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The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fifth Edition's (DSM-5) Level of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS) was introduced as a dimensional rating of impairments in self- and interpersonal functioning, and the LPFS–Brief Form (LPFS-BF) was the first published corresponding self-report. The updated LPFS-BF 2.0 has been translated into several languages and international research supports many of the instrument's psychometric properties; however, its measurement invariance has only been evaluated across a few countries. This study expands previous studies as an introductory step in a global evaluation of the LPFS-BF 2.0s measurement invariance. Archival data (N = 5,618, 57% female) from seven countries (Canada, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Italy, United Arab Emirates, United States of America) were used for this study. Participants were recruited from both community (n = 4,677) and student (n = 941) populations. After confirming adequate model fit separately in the community and student samples, we evaluated a series of increasingly stringent model comparisons to test three aspects of measurement invariance (configural, metric, scalar) and then examined latent mean differences across countries. Full scalar invariance was supported in the community sample and partial scalar invariance was supported in the student sample. Evaluation of latent mean differences revealed multiple significant differences. Overall, the LPFS-BF 2.0 appears to assess self- and interpersonal functioning impairment similarly across the included countries. Findings are discussed through the lenses of the cultures from which participants were recruited, as well as in the context of alternative explanations. Limitations, plans for future research, and implications for both research and clinical practice are offered. Public Significance Statement: The Level of Personality Functioning Scale–Brief Form 2.0 is a brief self-report measure of personality functioning that appears to assess self- and interpersonal functioning impairment similarly across many different countries, which offers encouraging evidence supporting its international use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central innovation in the International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11) is a dimensional personality disorder model differentiating five personality trait domains. The Personality Inventory for ICD-11 (PiCD) is a frequently used measure to assess these components of the ICD-11 personality disorder model. Conceptually, the ICD-11 personality trait domains correspond to trait domains from the five-factor model (FFM) of personality. However, empirically, it is unclear how the PiCD scales align with the FFM. In this questionnaire study with 480 German community adults, we assessed the joint factor structure of the PiCD trait domain scales and the FFM personality facets (assessed with the Big Five Inventory-2 [BFI-2]). A principal axis factor analysis revealed a joint five-factorial structure. The PiCD trait domain scales and the BFI-2 facet scales of the respectively corresponding FFM trait domains were almost perfectly aligned, including a bipolar anankastia–disinhibition factor along the conscientiousness dimension. Facets of openness to experience formed a fifth factor, separate from the PiCD scales. Together, these findings demonstrate structural correspondences of the PiCD trait domain scales and the respective BFI-2 facet scales, mirroring conceptual analogies between the ICD-11 and FFM personality models. Public Significance Statement: The study suggests that the Personality Inventory for ICD-11 (PiCD) aligns with the five-factor model (FFM) of personality. Thus, the PiCD appears to reflect theoretically postulated correspondences between the FFM and the ICD-11 personality disorder model, which supports the validity of the PiCD trait domain scores for assessing the ICD-11 personality trait domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine psychometric properties of the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R). The LOT-R was administered in five clinical samples, three samples of the adult general population, and one sample of adolescents. Seven of the studies were performed in Germany and two in Colombia. All of the sample sizes were above 300. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were between.57 and.75 for the eight adult samples, the correlations between the scales optimism and pessimism ranged from −.05 to −.37, and the coefficients of temporal stability (test-retest correlations) of the scales ranged from.43 to.69. There were no systematic age and gender effects observed in the nine studies. While the one-factor model of confirmatory factor analyses showed clearly insufficient fit indices among all of the samples, the two-factor model fit was markedly better. The LOT-R proved to be a suitable instrument for measuring dispositional optimism in patients and in the general population, though the sum score should be viewed with caution. Studies comparing the LOT-R mean scores of different samples need not take age and gender distributions into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Educational track choices have far-reaching consequences because they are associated with long-term life success. Theoretical approaches and previous empirical research have nearly exclusively identified family background and achievement as determinants of these choices. Although students' educational track choices might fit their personality, individual differences in personality have not been explored. We investigated the effects of two personality aspects-RIASEC interests and Big Five traits-on hierarchically ranked track choices (vocational vs. general educational track), alongside family background and achievement.Method: We used two German data sets (TOSCA 10 study: N = 473; TOSCA study: N = 4,218) focusing on choices between the general educational track (leading to higher educational attainment) and the vocational track (leading to work life) at two different stages in educational careers. We ran several multiple (logistic) regressions.Results: The results showed that certain aspects of students' personality matter for educational track choices. Accordingly, across both studies, students with high Investigative or Enterprising interests more often chose the general educational track, whereas students with high Social or Conventional interests more often chose the vocational track-after the Big Five personality traits, achievement, and family background were controlled for. The Big Five traits showed no or only small significant associations with educational track choices.Conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of considering individual differences when investigating important life outcomes such as track choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Delayed study progress in medical school is a challenging issue for the tax paying community, the faculty and the medical students themselves. Reasons for a delay might be different from known risk factors for academic difficulties. Methods: An online survey regarding delays in the study progress and including a personality test (BFI-10) was presented to medical students from four German medical schools after completion of their 3rd year of study. Results: Of 617 students, 51.2% reported a mean delay of 2.1 ± 1.5 semesters. Frequent risk factors were secondary employment (69.5%, odds ratio (OR) 1.7, p=0.004), female gender (69.8%, OR 1.6, p=0.007), work or study abroad (35.9%, OR 1.5, p=0.02), a late graduation (5.9%, OR 2.4, p=0.02), as well as support through scholarship or mentoring (19.9%, OR 1.8, p=0.004). "Working on doctoral thesis" (11.3%, OR 1.9, p=0.03) and structural curricular issues (36.6%, OR 0.9, p=0.7) were frequently identified as obstacles. "Support by friends/family" was considered helpful by 24.1% (OR 1.4, p=0.09), as well as a high intrinsic motivation (19.1%, OR 0.5, p=0.01). In the BFI-10, students with study delay were more prone to openness and agreeableness. Conclusions: Risk factors for delay are not identical to those for academic difficulties. To decrease the risk for delays, firm curricular structures should be identified and alleviated. Intrinsic motivation is a strong impetus of study progress and additionally might be strengthened by curricular changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research in social and health psychology has shown that affiliation motivation is associated with health behavior, especially for high-risk populations, suggesting that targeting this motivation could be a promising strategy to promote physical activity. However, the effects that affiliation appeals (e.g., pictures depicting companionship during physical activities) and accompanying slogans have on motivating physical activity have been largely unexplored. Hence, our two studies experimentally tested the effects of exposure to affiliation-based pictures for overweight or less active people, as well as the moderating effect of affiliation motivation. The results of these two studies give some indication that group pictures (with or without an accompanying slogan) can be an effective strategy to improve high-risk populations’ attitudes, self-efficacy, and intentions to engage in physical activity. Affiliation motivation as a personality trait did not interact with these effects, but was positively associated with attitudes, independent of the group picture effect. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives:Adopting a social-psychological approach, this research examines whether emotional empathy, an affective reaction regarding another’s well-being, fosters hand hygiene as this affects other’s health-related well-being extensively. Design:Three studies tested this notion: (a) a cross-sectional study involving a sample of health care workers at a German hospital, (b) an experiment testing the causal effect of empathy on hand hygiene behaviour and (c) an 11-week prospective study testing whether an empathy induction affected disinfectant usage frequency in two different wards of a hospital. Main outcome measures:Self-reported hand hygiene behaviour based on day reconstruction method was measured in Study 1, actual hand sanitation behaviour was observed in Study 2 and disinfectant usage frequency in two different hospital wards was assessed in Study 3. Results:Study 1 reveals an association of empathy with hand hygiene cross-sectionally, Study 2 documents the causal effect of empathy on increased hand sanitation. Study 3 shows an empathy induction increases hand sanitiser usage in the hospital. Conclusions:Increasing emotional empathy promotes hand hygiene behaviour, also in hospitals. Besides providing new impulses for the design of effective interventions, these findings bear theoretical significance as they document the explanatory power of empathy regarding a distal explanandum (hand hygiene). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Differentiating autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) without accompanying intellectual impairment from personality disorders is often challenging. Identifying personality traits and personality pathology specific to ASD might facilitate diagnostic procedure. We recruited a sample of 59 adults with ASD without accompanying intellectual impairment, 62 individuals with narcissistic personality disorder, 80 individuals with borderline personality disorder, and 106 nonclinical controls. Personality traits, measured with the neo-personality inventory-revised (NEO-PI-R), and personality pathology, measured with the dimensional assessment of personality pathology (DAPP-BQ), were assessed. Personality traits and personality pathology specific to ASD could be identified. ASD individuals scored significantly lower on the NEO-PI-R scales extraversion and openness to experience and significantly higher on the DAPP-BQ scales inhibitedness and compulsivity relative to all other groups. Diagnostic implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Compared to externalizing problem behavior, European and American research has indicated the danger of developing internalizing symptoms, especially in migrant children and adolescents. However, further specific risk factors in relation to internalizing disorders, for example gender aspects, were often found. Subjects and methods: The present study investigates a child and adolescent psychiatric health care population ( N = 6,269) from 2005 to 2011 in Germany. Around 50 % were diagnosed with internalizing disorders ( N = 3,706). Logistic regressions indicated whether migration background, such as ethnicities, or contextual factors could predict internalizing disorders. Results: Ethnicity or migration background had only a minor influence on internalizing disorders, with the exception of those of Asian origin. Generally, the influence of other environments was much stronger than migrant's characteristics such as gender, living in a single-parent family setting, medium educational background of parents, average or above average intelligence level of children, psychopathological problems of family members, abnormal parenting practice or acute burden living conditions. Interactions between migration background and risk factors were only visible in abnormal parenting practice or abnormal environments. Conclusions: Possibly, migrant children are currently not sufficiently supplied with psychiatric health services. Cross-cultural as well as familial aspects should increasingly be considered in psychiatric work with children showing internalizing symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The primary objective of this study is to identify the personal characteristics that predict dropout versus continuation among dual career athletes from different sports who attend sports schools. These schools provide an optimal environment for combining an academic education with a sports career. Methods At the end of the school year, all 10th graders (52 girls, 73 boys) from five out of six sports schools in Saxony, Germany, completed a standardised questionnaire that measured personal characteristics deemed important for a successful career – personality traits (Freiburger Persönlichkeitsinventar – FPI), goal orientation (Sport Orientation Questionnaire – SOQ), and volitional skills (Volitional Components in Sport – VKS). In addition, demographic and sport-related data were collected. One year later, at the end of 11th grade, all participants again completed the questionnaire. Results At Time 2, 37 athletes (29.6%) had dropped out of their sport career, and 88 athletes were still pursuing their sport career. A majority of the dropouts were from individual sports (n = 31) and were females (n = 23). A logistic regression analysis of physical complaints (higher for dropouts), win motivation and self-optimisation (each lower for dropouts) as significant covariates correctly classified 65% of the dropouts and 92% of the non-dropouts. Conclusions Personal characteristics, motivation and volition in particular, played important roles for those adolescent athletes who remained active in their sport. Accordingly, it is suggested that young athletes receive psychological training focused on these specific personal characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines a false start in the application of psychology to the law. While there had been expert testimony from physicians in criminal and civil cases in America since the nineteenth century, forensic psychology first emerged in the early twentieth century. Following European traditions of experimental psychology, Hugo Münsterberg applied the nascent science of memory research to the assessment of witness credibility. A brilliant and popular Harvard professor, Münsterberg touted his technique of word-association to determine truth. Forensic psychology's development was stalled by resistance from within legal authorities, including John Henry Wigmore, the leading expert on evidence. However, Münsterberg was a sensation in popular media. In this article, the authors examine early attempts to import experimental psychology into the courtroom and the arguments against them. Not only were Münsterberg's findings premature, they touched on a forbidden domain for witnesses: fact finding. While sincere, he learned that the determination of truth lay within the province of juries and judges, not psychologists. Thus, the application of psychology to the law was delayed. The authors review the lessons from Münsterberg's false start and comment on developments in the admissibility of scientific testimony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: More evidence is needed for diagnostic criteria of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) before it can be included as a disorder, according to DSM-V. Some studies suggest differences between an addicted and highly engaged online-gaming behavior. The current pilot study investigates differences between engagement and addiction in a German sample of high-level players of World of Warcraft. Methods: 577 participants (mean age 24.38 years; 77.1% male) from German speaking areas (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) participated in our online-study with an adapted version of the “Asheron’s call” questionnaire (covering six addiction criteria including salience, euphoria, tolerance), the Internet Addiction Scale (ISS-20; covering criteria like tolerance and withdrawal symptoms), a quality-of-life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), an Immersion Tendency Questionnaire and a brief personality questionnaire. Results: 93.6% are high-level player (level 85); only 3.1% are addicted to the internet (ISS-20). Addicted gamers play 30.7 h per week compared to engaged players (20.9 h), have higher scores in the immersion questionnaire and lower scores in all quality-of-life dimensions. Conclusions: Our results suggest that criteria like cognitive salience, tolerance and euphoria are not suitable for IGD. Further research studies should address criteria to differ between high engagement and addiction for a clinically adequate measurement of IGD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When questionnaire data with an ordered polytomous response format are analyzed in the framework of item response theory using the partial credit model or the generalized partial credit model, reversed thresholds may occur. This led to the discussion of whether reversed thresholds violate model assumptions and indicate disordering of the response categories. Adams, Wu, and Wilson showed that reversed thresholds are merely a consequence of low frequencies in the categories concerned and that they do not affect the order of the rating scale. This article applies an empirical approach to elucidate the topic of reversed thresholds using data from the Revised NEO Personality Inventory as well as a simulation study. It is shown that categories differentiate between participants with different trait levels despite reversed thresholds and that category disordering can be analyzed independently of the ordering of the thresholds. Furthermore, we show that reversed thresholds often only occur in subgroups of participants. Thus, researchers should think more carefully about collapsing categories due to reversed thresholds. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

One of humanity's most pressing problems is the inequality between people from 'developed' and 'developing' countries, which counteracts joint efforts to combat other large scale problems. Little is known about the psychological antecedents that affect the perception of and behavioral responses to global inequality. Based on, and extending, Duckitt's dual-process model, the current research examines psychological antecedents that may explain how people in an industrialized Western country respond to global inequality. In two studies (N1 = 116, N2 = 117), we analyzed the relationship between the Big Five and justice constructs, right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO), and behavioral intentions to reduce global inequality. Two-group path analysis revealed support for the dual-process model in that RWA and SDO were important predictors of behavioral intentions and partially acted as mediators between personality and such intentions. Moreover, justice sensitivity explained variance beyond the 'classic' DPM variables. In Study 2, we additionally assessed individuals' global social identification and perceived injustice of global inequality that explained additional variance. Extending previous work on the dual-process model, these findings demonstrate that individual and group-based processes predict people's responses to global inequality and uncover potentials to promote behavior in the interest of global justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Although impaired recognition of affective facial expressions has been conclusively linked to antisocial behavior, little is known about the modifiability of this deficit. This study investigated whether and under which circumstances the proposed perceptual insensitivity can be addressed with a brief implicit training approach. Method. Facial affect recognition was assessed with an animated morph task, in which the participants (44 male incarcerated violent offenders and 43 matched controls) identified the onset of emotional expressions in animated morph clips that gradually changed from neutral to one of the six basic emotions. Half of the offenders were then implicitly trained to direct attention to salient face regions (attention training, AT) using a modified dot-probe task. The other half underwent the same protocol but the intensity level of the presented expressions was additionally manipulated over the course of training sessions (sensitivity to emotional expressions training, SEE training). Subsequently, participants were reassessed with the animated morph task. Results. Facial affect recognition was significantly impaired in violent offenders as compared with controls. Further, our results indicate that only the SEE training group exhibited a pronounced improvement in emotion recognition. Conclusions. We demonstrated for the first time that perceptual insensitivity to facial affect can be addressed by an implicit training that directs attention to salient regions of a face and gradually decreases the intensity of the emotional expression. Future studies should focus on the potential of this intervention to effectively increase empathy and inhibit violent behavior in antisocial individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) frequently suffer from sleep disturbances. The authors investigated circadian rhythms, sleep, and well-being in women with BPD in their habitual life conditions during 3 weeks with morning light therapy (LT) and 3 weeks without LT (oLT). Sleep-wake cycles were measured using wrist actimetry, proximal skin temperature as an indirect index of relaxation, as well as weekly salivary melatonin to document the internal circadian rhythm phase. Questionnaires assessed clinical state throughout the 6-week protocol. Ten matched healthy women followed the same 6-week protocol without light treatment. Women with BPD had significantly worse subjective sleep quality and reduced daytime alertness compared to controls. Sleep-wake cycles in BPD ranged from highly disturbed to extremely regular patterns. Melatonin and proximal skin temperature profiles revealed appropriate synchronization of the circadian system with the sleep-wake cycle in most BPD women and in all controls. Morning LT significantly phase-advanced activity in BPD compared to oLT, shortened sleep duration, decreased movement time, and increased skin temperature during sleep (a marker of relaxation). Although general depression scores and borderline symptoms did not change, daytime alertness improved with morning LT, and atypical depression scores were attenuated. Morning LT is a potential adjunct treatment for BPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personality may influence the risk of death, but the evidence remains inconsistent. We examined associations between personality traits of the five-factor model (extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience) and the risk of death from all causes through individual-participant meta-analysis of 76,150 participants from 7 cohorts (the British Household Panel Survey, 2006–2009; the German Socio-Economic Panel Study, 2005–2010; the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, 2006–2010; the US Health and Retirement Study, 2006–2010; the Midlife in the United States Study, 1995–2004; and the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study's graduate and sibling samples, 1993–2009). During 444,770 person-years at risk, 3,947 participants (54.4% women) died (mean age at baseline = 50.9 years; mean follow-up = 5.9 years). Only low conscientiousness—reflecting low persistence, poor self-control, and lack of long-term planning—was associated with elevated mortality risk when taking into account age, sex, ethnicity/nationality, and all 5 personality traits. Individuals in the lowest tertile of conscientiousness had a 1.4 times higher risk of death (hazard ratio = 1.37, 95% confidence interval: 1.18, 1.58) compared with individuals in the top 2 tertiles. This association remained after further adjustment for health behaviors, marital status, and education. In conclusion, of the higher-order personality traits measured by the five-factor model, only conscientiousness appears to be related to mortality risk across populations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT Criteria to differentiate personality disorder from extremes of normal personality variations are important given growing interest in dimensional classification because an extreme level of a personality dimension does not necessarily indicate disorder. The DSM-5 proposed classification of personality disorder offers a definition of general personality disorder based on chronic interpersonal and self/identity pathology. The ability of this approach to differentiate personality disorder from other mental disorders was evaluated using a self-report questionnaire, the General Assessment of Personality Disorder (GAPD). This measure was administered to a sample of psychiatric patients ( N = 149) from different clinical sub-sites. Patients were divided into personality disordered and non-personality disordered groups on the basis of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Disorders (SCID-II). The results showed a hit rate of 82% correct identified patients and a good accuracy of the predicted model. There was a substantial agreement between SCID-II interview and GAPD personality disorder diagnoses. The GAPD appears to predict personality disorder in general, which provides support of the DSM-5 general diagnostic criteria of personality disorder. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-focus and self-presentation traits have been found to predict performance under pressure. The interactionist principle of trait activation indicates that situational demands encourage different traits to be relevant to performance in high-pressure situations. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship of self-focus and self-presentation traits with performance in a private high-pressure setting. Because the private high-pressure situation offered motivational incentives but only minimal self-presentation cues, only a self-focus trait (private self-consciousness), but not self-presentation traits (public self-consciousness and narcissism), was hypothesized to predict performance under pressure in a private setting. After completing personality questionnaires, future physical education university students (N = 59) with experience in sport competitions performed eight throws at a target in low-pressure and high-pressure conditions. The conditions were identical with the exception that the high-pressure condition involved a monetary incentive and a cover story. Participants' state anxiety increased from low to high pressure. Neither self-focus nor self-presentation traits predicted performance under low pressure. Only the self-focus trait, but not self-presentation traits, negatively contributed to the prediction of high-pressure performance. Hence, findings support the applicability of the trait activation principle and underline that the situational demands of private high-pressure situations activate self-focus personality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: This study investigates the association between the five-factor model of personality measured by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering (OASES). The OASES measures the adverse impact of stuttering on a person's life. Design: Participants in the present study were 112 persons who stutter from Germany. Methods: All participants filled in both the NEO-FFI and the OASES questionnaires. Results: Results revealed a strong positive correlation between the personality trait Neuroticism and scores on the OASES. Moreover, Extraversion was negatively correlated with the OASES scores. Conclusions: The findings suggest that people with higher Neuroticism and lower Extraversion scores experience a greater impact of stuttering on their daily life. The results underscore the importance of considering personality as a potential moderator or mediator factor in future stuttering research and, potentially, also in treatment. Educational objectives : The reader will learn (a) about the different personality dimensions reflected by the NEO-FFI, (b) why it is important to consider the impact of stuttering on everyday life from the perspective of the people who stutter and (c) how personality is linked to the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering (OASES). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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This study empirically examines the construct of emotional Intelligence (EI) cross-culturally. Participants (N = 200) from Germany (N = 100) and India (N = 100) completed the Emotional Intelligence Scale, NEO-Five Factor Personality Inventory (Form-S) and Hofstede's Value Survey (Module 94). The major objectives of the study were to examine cross-culturally (a) the factor structure of EI, and (b) the construct of EI as distinct from personality. Results revealed different factor structures for these two cultures, and the construct of EI failed to correlate with the dimensions of personality. Implications of the findings for leadership in a specific culture as well as across different cultures are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we evaluated a German version (EPP-D) of the Eysenck Personality Profiler (EPP). The EPP measures 21 traits, seven for each of Eysenck's superfactors Extraversion, Emotionality (Neuroticism), and Adventure/Caution (Psychoticism). Each of these scales consists of 20 items with a trichotomous response scale (yes/can't decide/no in the English original and yes/no/don't know in the German translation). The 420-item questionnaire was completed by a sample including employees, university students, and high-school students (N = 2,006; mean age 31 years). The study applied three strategies: 1) abandoning the indifferent response category "don't know," 2) excluding missing values from the data analysis, which were coded equal to the indifferent response category, and 3) considering the results of item analyses including information on construct validity gained through confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Findings from the EPP-D indicate that 155 items are sufficient to gain satisfactory psychometric properties of 15 primary scales (five traits each assigned to the superfactors). The EPP-D 155-item version has advantages in quality of data and administration time compared to the original EPP 420-item version. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This article reports comparisons of the Giessen Test (GT) with the NEO-Five-Factor-Inventory (NEO-FFI) based on a dimensional as well as on a typological approach. Method: Data were collected from 1673 subjects (aged between 18 and 96 years) constituting a representative sample of the German population. Results: The results indicate only moderate agreement (ranging from .25 to .61) between the subscales of the two personality inventories. The correspondence seems to be somewhat higher, when the typological approach was used instead of the dimensional approach. Conclusions: The typological approach is less dependent on the underlying questionnaires and provides a useful extension of the dimensional approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The five-factor model (FFM) is currently the predominant model in trait psychology. To meet the need for an extremely brief measure of the FFM, Gosling, Rentfrow, and Swarm (2003) developed the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI), which can be administered in about a minute. Here we describe the development and construct validation of a German version of the TIPI (the TIPI-G). Using a multijudge (self and peer), multiinstrument/TIPI-G and the German version of the NEO-PI-RI design, we evaluated the TIPI-G in terms of internal consistency, factor structure, convergent and discriminant validity, and coverage of the NEO-PI-R facets. Together the analyses suggest that the 10 unipolar items of the TIPI-G can provide an efficient approximation for longer measures of the FFM personality constructs. As such, the TIPI-G is recommended for research where time is limited, where the primary theoretical focus is on other constructs, or where it is desirable to reduce the testing burden on participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether universality of the 5-factor model (FFM) of personality operationalized by the Revised NEO Personality Inventory is due to genetic influences that are invariant across diverse nations. Factor analyses were conducted on matrices of phenotypic, genetic, and environmental correlations estimated in a sample of 1,209 monozygotic and 701 dizygotic twin pairs from Canada, Germany, and Japan. Five genetic and environmental factors were extracted for each sample. High congruence coefficients were observed when phenotypic, genetic, and environmental factors were compared in each sample as well as when each factor was compared across samples. These results suggest that the FFM has a solid biological basis and may represent a common heritage of the human species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiple score personality test used at Vassar College has been administered to German and Austrian students. Intercultural differences between Vassar College students and female German university students were less significant than personality differences within each culture. Female German university students had scores similar to Vassar College freshmen in Social Maturity and Dominance and Confidence, similar to Vassar College seniors in Impulse Expression and Developmental Status, and more masculine than Vassar College freshmen or seniors on the ME scale. German students in education have means significantly lower than the other German students in Social Maturity, Developmental Status, Dominance and Confidence, Impulse Expression, and Masculine Role. Austrian students had scores similar to Vassar College seniors on Developmental Status, lower than Vassar College students in Social Maturity and Dominance and Confidence, and higher than Vassar College students in Impulse Expression and Masculine Rôle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: We have analysed the MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism in the promoter region of the X-chromosomal monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene. The first aim was to examine the association between the MAOA genotype and the alcoholic phenotype. In the second part of the paper we have analysed the association of the MAOA genotype with impulsive and aggressive behaviour. Genotypes with 3 or 5-repeat alleles (MAOA-L-genotype) were reported to be associated with impulsive and aggressive traits., Methods: The MAOA genotype was determined in 371 male alcohol-dependent subjects and 236 male controls all of German descent. Behavioural and personality traits were evaluated using the self-report questionnaires Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), Buss Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI), Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). A median split in BIS, Buss Durkee Physical Assault, Buss Durkee Irritability, TCI and NEO-FFI was conducted., Results: No association could be detected between the MAOA genotype and the alcoholic phenotype. Based on the results of the BIS questionnaire, we were able to make out an association between the MAOA-L genotype and higher levels of impulsivity (p = 0.043). Furthermore - without reaching statistical significance - we detected a very slight association between the MAOA-L genotype and higher scores in the BDHI subcategory physical aggression (p = 0.058)., Conclusion: Taken together, these findings suggest that the MAOA-L genotype is to some extent associated with impulsive and antisocial personality traits in alcoholic men. Further studies on that question are needed., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Objective: Attachment style and temperament could influence a stress-relapse relationship in multiple sclerosis. We therefore aimed to probe for an association of these personality-related variables with disease activity in patients with clinically isolated syndrome and early multiple sclerosis (MS)., Methods: Study participants completed following psychometric instruments: Adult Attachment Scale (AAS), Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Clinical data encompassed the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), annualized relapse rate, disease duration and therapy. Relapses and MRI data were recorded at regular outpatient visits., Results: Study participants (n=84), 38 with a clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of MS (CIS) and 46 with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS), were assessed with a low EDSS (median 2). No significant differences concerning personality-related variables were revealed by group comparisons between CIS and RRMS and within the RRMS subgroup based on clinical measures (EDSS/year; within RRMS subgroup: annualized relapse rate). However, a higher lesion load per years of disease duration within the RRMS subgroup was associated with higher values in the temperament trait harm avoidance (p<0.05)., Conclusions: Although harm avoidance may be related to subclinical disease activity in early RRMS adult attachment and temperament do not seem to contribute to differences between CIS and RRMS or clinical variability in early multiple sclerosis., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is considered as the most prevalent personality disorder in an inpatient setting. The McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) was developed to identify individuals with BPD reliably, valid and economically. To examine the discriminatory ability and diagnostic efficiency of the German version of the MSI-BPD in a sample with patients who meet probable BPD and seek a disorder-related inpatient treatment program. Based on a sample (N=298) containing 178 BPD-patients (60%), the area under the curve was AUC=0.70 (CI 95%: 0.647. 84% of individuals with BPD (sensitivity) and 39% of individuals without BPD were identified correctly (specificity). Results suggest that a self-rated screening measure as the MSI-BPD should not be used in a sample with patients who meet probable BPD., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

The Giessen Test was standardized in a representative German sample in 2006. This article presents new norm values for the scales. Because of the effects of age and gender on most of the scales, age and gender specific values are presented., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

We examined self and friends' ratings of social relationship quality and everyday social interactions in 3 studies involving 544 college students in Germany, Spain, and the United States. Scores on a situational judgment test measuring strategic emotion regulation ability (SERA) were negatively related to conflict with others. SERA was more consistently and strongly related to conflict with others than to the positive dimension of relationship quality (support, companionship, and nurturance). The relationship between SERA and conflict was generally not mediated by trait positive or negative affect, and it remained significant or marginally significant controlling for the Big Five personality traits. These findings highlight the importance of the ability to evaluate emotional situations and identify effective responses to these in interpersonal emotion regulation. Furthermore, they suggest that situational judgment and flexible response selection may help people to manage conflicts more than to bond with others., (© 2011 The Authors. Journal of Personality © 2011, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Previous studies have shown that self-reports of an individual's anger expression vary between the home and the work domain. The aim of this study was to investigate the validity of such self-reports by comparing them with reports of intimate partners and work colleagues in the respective domain. Participants (N= 86) rated their anger expression on the general and on domain-specific versions of the State-Trait-Anger Expression Inventory (Spielberger, 1988). The self-rated anger-out-home scores correlated highly with partner ratings of anger-out-home scores (r = .61) and colleague ratings of anger-out-work scores correlated substantially with self-rated anger-out-work scores (r = .54). A similar but weaker correlation pattern emerged for anger control but not for anger-in. Self-other correspondence was higher for the domain-specific anger expression assessment than for the general anger expression assessment. These results demonstrate that the domain-specific strategy for the assessment of self-reported anger expression can validly measure differences in anger expression in different domains.

Background: There are only few data about the prevalence and familiarity of personality disorders (PD) in population based samples in Germany. Moreover, nearly no information exists for the prevalence of PDs among young adults. Thus, in the current study we examined the prevalence, familiarity and psychopathology of PDs, whereby middle-aged adults (about 45 years old) as well as the adult children of these persons (about 20 years old) were examined., Methods: Participants were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for Personality Disorders (SCID-II) which is based on the DSM-IV criteria for PDs and with the SCL-90. The sample consisted of 411 parents and their adolescent children (n=334)., Results: The prevalence for PDs was 11.2% in the parent sample and 14.7% in the adolescent sample. Cluster-B personality disorders (Cluster-B-PDs) were more often diagnosed in the adolescent sample, in particular. Moreover, we did find an elevated risk for children of parents with a PD than for children of parents without a PD to develop a PD where the former group also displayed elevated values with regard to their psychopathology., Conclusions: This study underlines the importance of PDs in community-based samples. The implications of our findings for treatment and classification of PDs are discussed., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

The Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS) is a well-validated multidimensional questionnaire measuring dimensions of mindfulness on four scales: Observing, Describing, Act With Awareness, and Accept Without Judgment. Even though the KIMS has been used in several clinical studies no information is available about the psychometric properties in different clinical samples. The present study includes two clinical samples: a German sample of people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, or major depression and an English sample of people diagnosed with recurrent depression. Results of confirmatory factor analysis offer good support for the hypothesized model of four correlated factors, whereas the model of one general underlying mindfulness factor as a second order construct was not confirmed. Furthermore, our analyses revealed that the KIMS scales show high internal consistency and that all KIMS scales are sensitive to change in a subsample of participants taking part in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.

Quality of life is an important patient-centered outcome and predictor of mortality in heart failure, but little is known about the role of personality as a determinant of quality of life in this patient group. We examined the influence of Type D personality (i.e., increased negative emotions paired with emotional non-expression) on quality of life in primary care heart failure patients, using a prospective study design. Heart failure patients (n = 251) recruited from 44 primary care practices in Germany completed standardized questionnaires at baseline and 9 months. The prevalence of Type D was 31.9%. Type D patients experienced poorer emotional (P < .001) and physical quality of life (P = .01) at baseline and 9 months compared to non-Type D patients. There was no significant change in emotional (P = .78) nor physical quality of life (P = .74) over time; neither the interaction for time by Type D for emotional (P = .31) nor physical quality of life (P = .91) was significant, indicating that Type D exerted a stable effect on quality of life over time. Adjusting for demographics, New York Heart Association functional class, and depressive symptoms, Type D remained an independent determinant of emotional (P = .03) but not physical quality of life (P = .29). Primary care heart failure patients with a Type D personality experienced poorer emotional but not physical quality of life compared to non-Type D patients. Patients with this personality profile should be identified in primary care to see if their treatment is optimal, as both Type D and poor quality of life have been associated with increased morbidity and mortality.

The assessment of the psychological consequences of an accident is a complex and sophisticated challenge for physicians. Pre-traumatic personality traits and the post-traumatic course must be assessed with care. The evaluation of pre-traumatic personality traits is often an issue of particular debate. In this paper, the concept of "psychopathy" according to Hare is outlined, and the potential application of this concept in the assessment procedure is discussed. Typical personality traits such as glibness, superficial charm, egocentricity, pathological lying and deception, lack of remorse and lack of empathy may provide valuable hints for the expert opinion.

Background: In children with pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD), a consistent pattern of elevations in inattention/hyperactivity, depression/anxiety, and aggression has been identified on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL-PBD profile). In Germany, no epidemiological study has included PBD to date., Objectives: To estimate the six-month prevalence of the CBCL-PBD profile in Germany in a large normative general population sample, and to examine subjects with CBCL-PBD profile with regard to symptoms assumed to coexist with PBD (e.g., suicidality, decreased need for sleep, and hypersexuality)., Methods: We studied a nationwide representative general population sample of 2,856 children and adolescents aged 4-18 years., Results: A total of 21 subjects [0.7% of the sample; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.5-1.1] met the criteria for the CBCL-PBD phenotype. CBCL-PBD subjects were more pervasively disturbed than clinical controls (n = 118; 4.1% of total sample; 95% CI = 3.4-4.9), demonstrated in significantly more social problems and delinquent behavior, and showed significantly higher rates of suicidality, decreased need for sleep and hypersexual behavior., Conclusions: The prevalence of CBCL-PBD subjects in the general German population compares to rates of PBD in US and Dutch epidemiological samples. Regardless of whether these subjects are affected by 'real' PBD or 'severe, pervasive ADHD' with pronounced emotional dysregulation, they constitute a group of seriously disturbed children and adolescents. The high rate of suicidality among CBCL-PBD subjects emphasizes the need for the identification and adequate treatment of children meeting this profile.

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence rates of depression and anxiety in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and the relationship with visual acuity and to develop a simple algorithm for depression screening., Methods: This cross-sectional, prospective, observational, multicenter study was performed in France, Germany, and Italy. Retina specialists at 10 centers per country each enrolled 12 consecutive patients with wet ARMD. Patients were stratified into four severity groups by using best eye (BE) and worst eye (WE) visual acuity (VA) thresholds (BE:VA 20/40 and WE:VA 20/200). Patients rated themselves on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Analysis of variance was performed to estimate the effect of VA severity levels on HADS scores adjusted on age, gender, and country., Results: Patients (females 60%) were recruited, with a mean age of 77 years and 2.3 years' disease duration. Mean BE:VA at inclusion was 0.49 logMar (logarithm of the minimum angled of resolution) and WE:VA 1.0 logMar. The prevalence of severe depression increased from 0% (BE:VA > or = 20/40+WE:VA > or = 20/200) to 7.6% (BE:VA < 20/40+WE:VA < 20/200), whereas anxiety was unrelated to VA loss. Moreover, total depression scores were strongly associated with VA severity (P = 0.006), but not total anxiety scores (P = 0.840). Responses to two HADS items ("I still enjoy things I used to enjoy"; "I can enjoy a good book or radio or television program") identified 95% of severely to moderately depressed patients., Conclusions: Self-rated depression in patients with AMD was associated with VA severity level. It should, therefore, be relatively easy for ophthalmologists to implement the screening procedure and refer identified patients to psychiatrists for proper assessment and treatment.

The prediction of dangerousness in mentally disordered offenders is still as well complex as insufficiently empirically proven. So far more or less valid criteria for predicting recidivism have been determined concerning historical and clinical aspects. Whereas biological, neurological and neuropsychological variables that could be of importance for the development of chronic delinquent behavior have mostly been neglected. This article deals with the relevance of neurological soft signs (NSS) for the prediction of dangerousness in mentally ill offenders as one possible factor in a multidimensional model. 155 patients were examined after a minimum time at risk of 2 years (mean 4 years). The results showed that on the one hand there is no relevant and valid connection between neurological soft signs and recidivism for the general heterogeneous group of forensic patients. On the other hand similar results arose for the subgroup of patients with a personality disorder without intellectual deficits as for the homogeneous group of offenders in prisons. Therefore a significant meaning of NSS for certain subgroups can be presumed.

Type D (distressed personality) comprises the joint tendency to experience negative emotions (negative affectivity) and to inhibit these emotions in social situations (social inhibition). The distressed personality can be assessed by the Type D scale (DS14). In the present study, the German version of the DS14 was to be validated especially with regard to its interrelation with anger, aggression and hostility. The study included a clinical sample of 90 patients with coronary heart disease and a nonclinical sample of 86 participants. The two-factor structure of the DS14 could be confirmed in both samples. As expected, the subscale negative affectivity correlates highly with neuroticism; the subscale social inhibition correlates highly with extraversion. Negative affectivity also relates to almost every anger and aggression scale applied in this study. Participants classified as Type D report higher anger experience than non-Type D-classified persons. They show both heightened anger-in and anger-out and encounter others with more cynicism and hostility. It seems promising to provide special psychological treatment for these patients.

Background: In many cases, patients with personality disorders currently receive psychopharmacological treatment as well as psychotherapy. Empirically oriented studies of outcome and efficacy are still rare, and clinical practice is still dominated by a symptomatic and rather pragmatic approach., Aim: This study provides empirical insight into the reality of psychopharmacological practice in psychiatric institutions in German speaking countries., Method: The use of psychotropic drugs in patients with personality disorders is demonstrated using the data base of the AMSP drug safety program. Recent changes are shown by comparing results from 1996 and 2003., Results: Our data show a symptom-driven, polypragmatic, and often off-label use of psychotropic drugs in personality disorders.

The Type D personality pattern, consisting of negative affectivity and social inhibition, has been shown by Denollet et al. to predict adverse prognosis in patients with coronary heart disease. For measuring the Type D characteristics, Denollet has devised the 14 item Type D scale (DS14). In the present study, this instrument was translated into German. The validity, reliability and adequacy of the German DS14 were then tested in 2421 persons, including cardiological and psychosomatic patients as well as healthy factory workers. The results document sound psychometric properties of the scale. Cronbach's alpha was 0.87 for the negative affectivity subscale and 0.86 for social inhibition. The two-factor structure of the original instrument could be clearly replicated. The prevalence rates of the Type D pattern were lowest in cardiological patients (25 %) and highest in psychosomatic patients (62 %). The prevalence in this German sample of cardiology patients was also lower than the one observed in healthy factory workers (32.5 %) and in CHD samples reported in the literature. These group differences could not be accounted for by differences in age and sex distribution. In conclusion, the DS14 is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used for an economic evaluation of the Type D characteristics in patients and healthy persons. The possible meaningfulness of the low Type D prevalence in cardiac patients and the prognostic relevance of this pattern require further study.

Individuals who do not develop opioid dependence although they have access to opioids might differ with regard to psychiatric risk factors from opioid-exposed subjects who developed opioid dependence. To test this assumption, the present investigation compared individuals who were in jail due to the German "Dangerous Drugs Act" (i. e. particular risk group due to facilitated opioid availability) according to presence or absence of opioid dependence and psychiatric comorbidity in each group. This study design is in line with the assumption that in addition to the (postulated) environmental risk factor of facilitated availability of opioids, psychiatric risk factors enhance the likelihood for the development of opioid dependence. Opioid addicts represent a risk group, not only for other forms of substance dependence, but also psychiatric disorders like anxiety disorders, suicide attempts and specific forms of personality disorders. However the difference between opioid dependent subjects and non-opioid dependent controls was less marked than initially postulated. Alcoholism of non-opioid dependent prisoners also was associated with depressive episodes, anxiety disorders as well as cocaine dependence. Despite the high frequency of life-time psychiatric comorbidity in the opioid dependent sample, this increased comorbidity was not paralleled by psychiatric treatment. In general, the sample of prisoners investigated here, was characterized by a high frequency of psychiatric disorders including substance dependence.

Four hundred twenty-eight participants wrote imaginative stories in response to 6 picture cues of a research version of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT; Morgan & Murray, 1935). Story protocols were coded for n (need) Power, n Achievement, and n Affiliation using Winter's (1991) integrated scoring system that provided detailed information about the motive profiles of individual picture cues. In general, picture cues differed strongly from each other with regard to how many scorable instances of power, achievement, or affiliation imagery they elicited. The n Affiliation, but not n Power, n Achievement, or activity inhibition--a measure of impulse control--was found to be higher in (a) women than in men and (b) individuals tested in a group than in individuals tested individually. TAT motive measures showed no significant overlap with questionnaire measures of motivational orientation (German Personality Research Form; Stumpf, Angleitner, Wieck, Jackson, & Beloch-Till, 1985) or traits (German NEO-Five-Factor Inventory; Borkenau & Ostendorf, 1993).

It can be hypothesized that affects like anxiety can be measured by content analysis of speech due to the phenomenon of mood congruent memory, which is found predominantly in females. To assess the effect of gender on the validity of the Gottschalk-Gleser Anxiety Scales, the standard procedure for obtaining verbal samples was followed and self-report measurements of comparable emotional constructs were applied concurrently. Measures of state and trait emotions were administered to 25 female and 25 male university students. In the female group 18 significant convergent validity coefficients were found. For males, content analytic anxiety scores showed four significant correlations with concurrent self-report scales. These results suggest that content analytic anxiety scores from female subjects may allow a more accurate prediction of state and trait emotions than anxiety scores from male subjects. Thus, gender might have a differential effect on the validity of the Gottschalk-Gleser Anxiety Scales.

Unlabelled: Objectives of our investigation are the assessment of the prevalence of psychological disorders of students, the kind of symptoms and complaints and the frequency of treatment required. Secondly it is investigated whether the disorders of the clients consulting a counseling service are clinically relevant. The method has been a multidimensional field study of 346 students at the University of Heidelberg compared with 342 patients of the Psychotherapeutic Counseling Service of the University., Results: 16% of the students assess themselves as severely mentally disordered and in need of treatment. This group shows objectively and clinically significant more frequent and more distinct psychological symptoms. The patients consulting a psychotherapeutic counseling service show the same degree of psychological symptoms as the persons of the control group who assess themselves as being in need of treatment. Depressive syndromes, working disorders, anxieties and interpersonal conflicts are the dominant areas of complaints. In the provision of counseling and treatment for students with psychological disorders, a psychotherapeutic counseling service plays its specific role.

Two samples of patients admitted during one year after suicide attempts were compared: patients of the University Surgical Department in Heidelberg and a random sample of those who were admitted to the detoxication ward of the University Department for Internal Medicine. The frequency of patients who used "hard" methods was 10% of those using "soft" methods. Patients with hard suicide methods displayed more social desintegration, were more often psychiatrically ill, had a shorter presuicidal phase, a shorter time span from decision to execution of the suicidal attempt, more negative self-esteem and more chronic suicidality. Aggressiveness was low in both groups. Although the number of patients with "hard" suicidal methods is small and does not justify a special service in the Surgical Hospital, these patients need particularly careful supervision because of their psychopathological and psychosocial profile.

The study investigates psychosomatic disturbances in Turkish women patients treated in general practices. Our research-tools were the Giessen-List of psychosomatic complaints and the doctors' charts. 25 patients were extensively interviewed. The whole sample was divided into one subgroup of more, one of less acculturated women. There were significant differences between the groups: in the non-acculturated group we found more psychic symptoms (depression, loss of interest, hypersensitivity). Acculturated women tend to see the physician more frequently and are more often certified ill for physical symptoms. Compared with a German sample the Turkish women showed a significant higher prevalence of somatic complaints.