A developmental approach to youth maladaptive personality traits: Variable- versus person-centered change in the transition from childhood to adolescence

Abstract

Increasing evidence shows that personality pathology starts to develop from (late) childhood onwards. The current study extends previous research by examining maladaptive personality change using both a variable-centered approach (i.e., mean-level changes) and a person-centered approach (i.e., latent profile transitions). Data were used from a 3-wave longitudinal study on Dutch youth (at T1: N = 492, mean age = 10.1). Maladaptive personality traits (i.e., Emotional Instability, Disagreeableness, Introversion, and Compulsivity) were assessed yearly using the Dimensional Personality Symptom Item Pool (DIPSI). A Factor of Curves model indicated presence of a higher-order developmental factor, reflecting low initial levels and small decreases over time, which explained change in all DIPSI traits. Latent profile analyses revealed three quantitatively different maladaptive personality trait profiles. Latent Transition Analysis demonstrated substantial stability in profiles over time. Small groups showed a transition toward another (often more adaptive) profile. Although a person-centered approach may have some merit when aiming to detect high-risk subgroups, the current results suggest that a variable-centered approach—and a Factor of Curves model capturing shared underlying developmental processes in particular—is favorable over a person-centered approach.

Editorial: Youth personality development

“…There is growing consensus that a developmental perspective on personality pathology is critical for both understanding and targeting personality pathology in youth (Sharp & Wall, 2018). The studies by Aleva et al (2023) and Laceulle et al (2023) focus on these developmental patterns in youth, but do not provide support for youth being a particularly sensitive period for personality pathology. Instead, findings largely align with results from adult normative personality research: Both studies point towards mean-level personality maturation in population samples (i.e., decreases in pathological traits: Laceulle et al, 2023 and decreases in borderline features: Aleva et al, 2023).…”

“…The studies by Aleva et al (2023) and Laceulle et al (2023) focus on these developmental patterns in youth, but do not provide support for youth being a particularly sensitive period for personality pathology. Instead, findings largely align with results from adult normative personality research: Both studies point towards mean-level personality maturation in population samples (i.e., decreases in pathological traits: Laceulle et al, 2023 and decreases in borderline features: Aleva et al, 2023). However, differential age effects across 131 clinical samples suggested stability or even increases in average levels of borderline features (Aleva et al, 2023).…”

“…Overall, this special issue offers novel insights on youth personality development. The results on developmental patterns, predictors and mechanisms, and life outcomes provide a nuanced understanding on how youth from diverse European (Gonzalez Avilés et al, 2023; Bacchini et al, 2023; Bobba et al, 2023; De Moor et al, 2023; Karataş et al, 2023; Laceulle et al, 2023; Scherrer et al, 2023; Tetzner et al, 2023; Timar-Anton et al, 2023), American (Lawson et al, 2023), and Asian (Li et al, 2023) cultural contexts, develop in adolescence and in the transition to emerging adulthood. Importantly, this set of articles pave the way for more research that adopts integrative perspectives to further enrich a developmental understanding of youth personality.…”

`Virtual EMO-Mind´ for Primary School Students: Effects on Mindfulness Skills, Attention, Impulsiveness, and Emotional Stability

“…To the best of our knowledge, no other virtual mindfulness interventions have been developed for a school environment with a non-clinical population. Furthermore, the intervention was designed speci cally for use during middle childhood, a crucial period for developing emotional self-regulation, consolidating personality, and shaping future psychological wellbeing (Laceulle et al 2022).…”