Initial development of pathological personality trait domain measures using the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI).

Abstract

This study set out to create measures of the five personality disorder trait domains outlined in Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) from the Personality Assessment Inventory items (Morey, 2007). Rasch rating scale model analyses and classical test theory analyses were applied to existing data sets (N = 3,877; community, clinical, offender, college) to identify relevant items. Five scales were created that had acceptable unidimensionality and generally conformed to Rasch model expectations. The ability of the items to cover the underlying construct and their differential item function by sex were acceptable, though a few of the proposed scales had weaknesses in these areas. Internal consistency was acceptable for all scales and the factor structure was generally consistent with expectations, but some scales had concerning cross-loadings. Preliminary analyses demonstrated validity of the scales in relation to history of mental health treatment/current symptoms, substance abuse, and, for one scale, violent rearrests. There were small-to-moderate associations with noncorresponding traits, suggesting a degree of saturation with general personality impairment. The relevance of the proposed scales for the assessment of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition personality disorder is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Personality assessment inventory items in relation to patient‐ and therapist‐rated alliance

“…Our findings add to the extant literature on analysing PAI items to predict a number of patient variables, such as malingering, pathological traits, behaviour change and suicide risk (Aita et al, 2017;Gaines et al, 2013;Penson et al, 2018;Ruiz et al, 2018;Sinclair et al, 2016). Additionally, our present findings expand on findings from our previous work (Cersosimo et al, 2021), which revealed that patients who reported lower early session alliance also reported more ANT; specifically, more antisocial behaviours and therapists reported higher early session alliance with patients who reported more ARD, specifically those with traumatic stress.…”

“…In a study by Ruiz et al (2018), researchers developed PAI measures of five pathological character trait domains from the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) reflected in the study by PID-5 (Personality Inventory for DSM-5; Krueger et al, 2012).…”

“…More broadly, items from the PAI have been used to develop indices and subscales that predict of a number of patient variables. Examples of these include feigning illness (Aita et al, 2017; Gaines et al, 2013), pathological traits (Ruiz et al, 2018), behaviour change (Penson et al, 2018) and suicide risk (Sinclair et al, 2016). Much of this work utilized item‐level data, among other methods, to conduct analyses and develop indices and subscales intended for use in forensic, clinical and community settings.…”

“…In a study by Ruiz et al (2018), researchers developed PAI measures of five pathological character trait domains from the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐5) reflected in the study by PID‐5 (Personality Inventory for DSM‐5; Krueger et al, 2012). Results demonstrated that clinical subscales of negative affectivity, detachment and psychoticism within the PAI exhibited the strongest psychometric properties and convergence with PID‐5 classifications.…”

A Brief but Comprehensive Review of Research on the Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders

“…For example, disorderspecific impairment scales of criterion A have been developed that allow for investigating whether the individual impairment criteria for the six specific PDs listed under the rubric of criterion A are valid and useful [87, 88••, 89]. Moreover, it has been shown that the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) [90], a well-established broadband clinical self-report measure, can be scored to recover the DSM-5 trait domains and facets [91,92]. For the purpose of assessing dynamic changes in personality pathology, ambulatory assessment measures have been applied with the potential to uncover nuanced temporal dynamics of impairments and maladaptive trait expressions [45,49,93].…”