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Abstract
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Objective: The alternative model to diagnose Personality Disorders (PD) in DSM-5 section-III introduced the dimensional approach “Level of Personality Functioning-Scale” (LoPF, rated by the therapist) as an overall measure of PD severity (criterion A). Four dimensions of personality functioning are supposed to describe the core impairments of PD: identity, self-direction, empathy/prosociality, and intimacy/attachment. To enable the use and evaluation of this concept in adolescents from 12-18 years we developed the self-report questionnaire LoPF-Q 12-18.
Methods: We used our established instrument AIDA (Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence) as item pool for a shorter module to assess the dimension identity. For the further three dimensions, each theory-based models were elaborated and item pools were deduced by an expert team. In a pilot test with N=314 students and N=65 patients we investigated basic psychometric properties and established the final item pool. The construction study consisted of N=592 adolescents, combining N=353 sudents from three Swiss schools and N=239 patients from six clinics (Innsbruck, Heidelberg, Berlin, Mainz, Homburg-Saar, Basel). N=46 (19.2%) of the patients showed a SKID-2 diagnosed PD (70% BPD).
Results: It was possible to establish a reliable and valid version of LoPF-Q 12-18 with 97 items. The four total scales identity, self-direction, empathy, and intimacy showed good scale reliabilities alpha (.92, .94, .87, .92) and were able to discriminate highly signficant and with large effect sizes d>0.8 between students and PD-patients (1.8, 1.7, 0.8, 2.0). As the PD-group consisted of 70% BPD patients, who are supposed to show their main impairments in the area identity, we have to enlarge the patient group with other types of PD-patients for a sufficient analysis of criterion validity. Until 2017, especially patients with supposed main imairments in self-direction (anxious-avoidant, dependent) , empathy (antisocial, narcissistic), and intimacy (schizotypal, obsessive-compulsive, paranoid) will be assessed and results will be presented.
Conclusion: The final version of LoPF-Q 12-18 enables the assessment of impaired personality functions and the evaluation of emerging personality disorders in adolescents in self-report in a time-efficient and valid way. Culture-adapted versions are in validation in Spanish (Mexico) and English (USA).
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