Analysis of the interaction between personality dysfunction and traits in the statistical prediction of physical aggression: Results from outpatient and community samples

Abstract

The Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD), included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) and the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (11th ed.; ICD-11) are, respectively, hybrid categorical-dimensional and dimensional frameworks for personality disorders (PDs). Both models emphasize personality dysfunction and personality traits. Previous studies investigating the links between the AMPD and ICD-11, and self-reported physical aggression have mostly focused on traits and did not take into account the potential interaction between personality dysfunction and traits. Thus, the aim of this study is to identify dysfunction*trait interactions using regression-based analysis. Outpatients with personality disorder from a specialized public clinic (N = 285) and community participants (N = 995) were recruited to complete self-report questionnaires. Some small-size, albeit significant and clinically/ conceptually meaningful personality dysfunction*trait interactions were found to predict physical aggression in both samples. Interaction analyses might further inform, to some degree, about the current discussion pertaining to the potential redundancy between dysfunction and traits, the optimal personality dysfunction structure (in the case of the AMPD), as well as clinical assessment based on AMPD/ICD-11 PD frameworks.

Personality dysfunction linked to future aggression in daily life: Findings from two experience sampling studies.

“…The Personality Psychopathology 5 has a scale measuring aggression, and this scale is positively correlated ( r = .44) with an antagonism scale (Brown & Sellbom, 2023). In a sample of 227 outpatients diagnosed with personality disorder (Leclerc, Savard, Vachon, Faucher, et al, 2022), self-reported aggression was positively associated with facets of negative affectivity ( r = .19, emotional lability), not associated with facets of detachment, and positively associated with facets of antagonism ( r s ranging .29–.33), disinhibition ( r s ranging .18–.45), and psychoticism ( r s ranging .26–.34). In a sample of community and clinical participants, self-reports of physical aggression were also related to Criterion A personality dysfunction ( r s = .33) and PID-5 trait domains ( r s around .3; Leclerc, Savard, Vachon, Payant, et al, 2022).…”

An exploratory study of associations between the ICD-11 personality disorder model and eating pathology

“…Another question regarding the relation of the ICD-11 personality disorder model with eating pathology concerns potential interactive effects. Recent research suggests that personality dysfunction moderates associations of maladaptive traits with relevant behaviors and outcomes [ 40 , 41 ]. For example, trait-specific behaviors and thought patterns (e.g., rigid standards) may be indicative of more pronounced eating pathology in persons with high personality dysfunction (e.g., be problematic in the presence of identity and self-worth problems) but unproblematic in persons with low personality dysfunction (e.g., persons with stable self-worth).…”