Current dimensional measures of early personality pathology (e.g., the Dimensional Personality Symptom Item Pool, DIPSI; De Clercq, De Fruyt, Van Leeuwen, & Mervielde, 2006) describe personality difficulties within a 4-dimensional framework. The present study corroborates recent evidence on the relevance of including a 5th Oddity-related domain for a more comprehensive description of personality pathology, and presents the construction of an empirically based taxonomy of early Oddity features. Psychometric and factor analytic procedures were conducted on self- and maternal ratings of adolescents (N = 434), resulting in 4 internally consistent facets that empirically collapse in 1 higher-order "Oddity" factor. From a structural perspective, this Oddity factor emerged as a clear 5th factor beyond the earlier proposed 4-dimensional structure of child and adolescent personality pathology. Significant associations of Oddity with both general and maladaptive trait equivalents support the construct validity of this 5th factor, and challenge current hypotheses on the applicability of the continuity hypothesis on general and maladaptive trait variance within the openness field. The results further suggest that Oddity traits are meaningfully associated with general psychopathology at a young age. These findings are discussed in terms of the importance of including a 5th Oddity-related factor in dimensional models of developmental personality pathology in order to acquire a more comprehensive description of the building blocks that underlie early personality difficulties.

In the present paper, we discuss the potential of ambulatory assessment for an idiographic study of the structure and process of personality. To this end, we first review important methodological issues related to the design and implementation of an ambulatory assessment study in the personality domain, including methods of ambulatory assessment, frequency of measurement and duration of the study, ambulatory assessment scales and questionnaires, participant selection, training and motivation, and ambulatory assessment hard-and software. Next, we provide a detailed outline of available analytical approaches that can be used to analyze the intensive longitudinal data generated by an ambulatory assessment study. By doing this, we hope to familiarize personality scholars with these methods and to provide guidance for their use in the field of personality psychology and beyond.

The inclusion of a dimensional trait model of personality pathology in DSM-5 creates new opportunities for research on developmental antecedents of personality pathology. The traits of this model can be measured with the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5), initially developed for adults, but also demonstrating validity in adolescents. The present study adds to the growing body of literature on the psychometrics of the PID-5, by examining its structure, validity, and reliability in 187 psychiatric-referred late adolescents and emerging adults. PID-5, Big Five Inventory, and Kidscreen self-reports were provided, and 88 non-clinical matched controls completed the PID-5. Results confirm the PID-5's five-factor structure, indicate adequate psychometric properties, and underscore the construct and criterion validity, showing meaningful associations with adaptive traits and quality of life. Results are discussed in terms of the PID-5's applicability in vulnerable populations who are going through important developmental transition phases, such as the step towards early adulthood.

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Research on developmental trajectories of early maladaptive features for understanding later personality disorders (PDs) is increasingly recognized as an important study area. The course of early odd features is highly relevant in this regard, as only a few researchers have addressed childhood oddity in the context of emerging PDs. Using latent growth modeling, the current study explores growth parameters of odd features in a mixed sample of Flemish community and referred children (N = 485) across three measurement waves with 1-year time intervals. Personality pathology was assessed at a fourth assessment point in adolescence. Beyond a general declining trend in oddity characteristics, the results demonstrated that both an early onset and an increasing trend of oddity-related characteristics over time are independent predictors of adolescent PDs. Childhood oddity tends to be the most manifest precursor for PDs with a core oddity feature (i.e., the schizotypal and borderline PD), but also appears to predict most of the other DSM-5 PDs. Results are discussed from an overarching developmental framework on PDs (Cicchetti, 2014), specifically focusing on the principle of multifinality. From a clinical perspective, the significance of increasing or steady-high childhood oddity trajectories for adolescent PDs highlights the relevance of systematic screening processes across time.