Journal Article

Taxometric Evidence for the Dimensional Structure of Cluster-C, Paranoid, and Borderline Personality Disorders

Gielen, Dominique, Arntz, Arnoud, van Nieuwenhuyzen, Myrthe, Ruscio, John, Haslam, Nick, Bernstein, David, Penders, Krystle

2009

Overview

Despite a lively debate about the dimensional vs. categorical nature of Personality Disorders (PDs), direct empirical tests of the underlying structure are missing for most PDs. Taxometrics can be used to investigate whether latent structures are categorical or dimensional. We investigated the latent structure underlying Avoidant, Dependent, Obsessive-Compulsive, Depressive, Paranoid, and Borderline PD by means of three types of taxometric analyses. SCID-II based DSM-IV PD criterion scores from 1,816 patients from Mental Health and Forensic Institutes, and 63 nonpatients, were analyzed with three types of taxometric analyses. MAMBAC, MAXEIG, and L-MODE taxometric analyses were applied on multiple criteria sets, constituted both on theoretical grounds and randomly. Assumptions for taxometric analyses were generally met. All but two of the 78 taxometric analyses indicated greater evidence for a latent dimensional structure, with better fit of empirical data to dimensional than to taxonic simulations; mean Comparative Curve Fit Index (CCFI) = .23, SD = .09. Only two analyses yielded ambiguous evidence (CCFI in the .40-.60 range) and none indicated taxonic structure.

• Publisher: Guilford,Guilford Press
• Subject: Adult / Adult and adolescent clinical studies / Ambiguity / Analysis / Anxiety Disorders / Biological and medical sciences / Borderline personality disorder / Borderline Personality Disorder - classification / Borderline Personality Disorder - psychology / Compulsions / Criteria / Dependent Personality Disorder - classification / Dependent Personality Disorder - psychology / Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders / Disorders / Evidence / Female / Forensic psychiatry / Humans / Institutes / Male / Medical sciences / Mental depression / Mental disorders / Mental health / Models, Psychological / Nosology. Terminology. Diagnostic criteria / Objective Tests / Obsessive compulsive disorder / Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - classification / Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - psychology / Paranoia / Paranoid Personality Disorder - classification / Paranoid Personality Disorder - psychology / Patients / Personality / Personality disorders / Personality Disorders - classification / Personality Disorders - psychology / Personality Inventory / Personality Problems / Persuasive Discourse / Psychiatric Hospitals / Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry / Psychopathology / Psychopathology. Psychiatry / Research Methodology / Taxonomy / Techniques and methods / Validity