Depression and Axis II Symptomatology in an Adolescent Community Sample: Concurrent and Longitudinal Associations

Abstract

The relationship between personality pathology and depression has been the focus of increasing attention, but few investigators have examined this issue prospectively or in adolescent community samples. The present study used both self report and interviewer assessments of personality disorder symptomatology and depression in a sample of 155 late adolescent women followed over three years. Personality pathology cluster and total scores demonstrated moderate to fairly high degrees of stability, indicating endurance of these traits in late adolescence. As predicted, Axis II symptoms were associated with concurrent depressive symptomatology. Overall, self-reported personality disorder symptoms, as well as those specifically in Clusters A and B, predicted interviewer-rated depression over two years beyond the contribution of initial depression, indicating that subclinical Axis II symptoms are a risk factor for subsequent depressive symptomatology.

Identity: Empirical Contribution: Changes in the Identity Integration of Adolescents in Treatment for Personality Disorders

“…These findings suggest that pathological variants of identity are a clinically meaningful construct, related to different forms of severe personality pathology and distinguishable from normal identity issues in adolescence. Research on identity diffusion in adolescents and the relationship with personality pathology is important in light of the increasing body of evidence that PDs can be diagnosed in adolescents (see, e.g., Chanen & McCutcheon, 2008;Grilo et al, 1998;Johnson et al, 2000;Westen, Shedler, Durett, Glass, & Martens, 2003) and are strongly associated with concurrent (see, e.g., Braun-Scharm, 1996;Johnson et al, 2005;Kasen et al, 2007;Lavan & Johnson, 2002;Serman, Johnson, Geller, Kanost, & Zacharapoulou, 2002;Westen et al, 2003) and future problems and dysfunctional behaviors (Chen, Cohen, Kasen, & Johnson, 2006;Daley et al, 1999;Daley, Rizzo, & Gunderson, 2006;Johnson, Chen, & Cohen, 2004;Johnson et al, 1999Johnson et al, , 2005Levy et al, 1999).…”

Personality disorders in children and adolescents

“…A recent study reported by Daley et al [7] provides additional evidence for the stability and consequences of personality pathology in women, across the transition from late adolescence to early adulthood. Dimensional scores corresponding to the three DSM clusters, derived from a self-report questionnaire given at the start of the study (when the participants were 18 years old on average) predicted dimensional scores corresponding to the three DSM clusters derived from the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID)-II, a clinical interview measure completed 3 years later.…”

The Developmental Psychopathology of Personality Disorders

“…For example, PD may be conceptualized as a complex of interpersonal deficits, stemming in large measure from problematic interpersonal experiences during childhood, and increasing risk for subsequent mental health problems (Johnson et al, 1997). Although this chapter is principally concerned with risk factors that may contribute to the development of PD, there is abundant evidence indicating that individuals with PD are at substantially elevated long-term risk for adverse mental health outcomes (Daley et al, 1999;Johnson et al, 1996;Johnson, Cohen, Brown, Smailes, & Bernstein, 1999;Kwon et al, 2000). Further, PDs and PD traits have been found to be particularly associated with risk for Axis I disorders in the context of stressful life events (Johnson & Bornstein, 1991).…”