Personality Assessment Screener, Childhood Abuse, and Adult Partner Violence in African American Women Using Primary Care

Abstract

This study assessed the relationship between psychopathology with the Personality Assessment Screener (PAS) and childhood physical and sexual abuse and adult physical and sexual partner violence in a primary care sample of 98 urban-dwelling African American women. Patients completed the PAS, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and the Conflict Tactics Scale. The PAS total score significantly correlated with all measures of childhood and adult abuse. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that PAS element scores of Suicidal Thinking and Hostile Control significantly predicted a history of childhood physical abuse; Suicidal Thinking, Hostile Control, and Acting Out significantly predicted a history of childhood sexual abuse; Suicidal Thinking, Negative Affect, and Alienation significantly predicted current adult partner physical violence; and Psychotic Features, Alcohol Problems, and Anger Control significantly predicted current adult sexual partner violence. The PAS appears to be a useful measure for fast-paced primary care settings for identifying patients who need a more thorough assessment for abuse.

Concurrent validity of the personality assessment screener in a large sample of offenders.

“…Our results also converge with previous evidence of positive associations between PAS scores and dissociative symptoms (McLeod et al, 2004) as well as a history of abuse or trauma (Porcerelli et al, 2015). Thus, elevations on the PAS may prompt further assessment that uncovers a disorder associated with dissociative features and/or trauma (e.g., psychotic-spectrum disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder), which is important for facilitating appropriate offender rehabilitative services.…”

Convergence of Self-Reports and Informant Reports on the Personality Assessment Screener

“…First, although approximately half of our undergraduate sample presented with at least moderate risk of some form of emotional/behavioral dysfunction, replication is needed in psychiatric, community, and primary care samples where certain traits and behaviors may be more prevalent (e.g., suicidality, substance use). In primary care settings, patients are not necessarily seeking evaluation for psychological concerns, but nonetheless may give indications through self-report that they are experiencing emotional/behavioral difficulties warranting follow-up or referral (e.g., history of trauma, intimate partner violence; Porcerelli et al, 2015). The utility of informant perspectives in further identifying these individuals outside strictly mental health contexts presents an interesting avenue for future research.…”

“…Although relatively few studies have examined the performance of the PAS, extant research suggests that the measure effectively screens for the presence of schizophrenia (Christensen, Girard, Benjamin, & Vidailhet, 2006), mood disorders, personality disorders, and substance use disorders (Porcerelli, Kurtz, Cogan, Markova, & Mickens, 2012). The PAS exhibits further utility in predicting a history of childhood abuse and ongoing intimate partner violence among urban women (Porcerelli, Hurrell, Cogan, Jeffries, & Markova, 2015) and dissociative symptoms (McLeod, Byrne, & Aitken, 2004), depression, and suicidality among inmates (Harrison & Rogers, 2007).…”

Association between dating violence and personality type in Mexican university students

“…Different scales have been used to measure the relation between personality traits and dating violence. However, these have mainly focused on psychopathologies already explored, for example: the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5, the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality-II, or the Personality Assessment Screener (Boladale et al, 2015;Carleton, Mulvogue, & Duranceau, 2015;Dowgwillo et al, 2016;Porcerelli, Hurrell, Cogan, Jeffries, & Markova, 2015) putting personality types considered normal aside. When using the MBTI, it is possible to measure the personality type without considering it as pathological (Schultz & Shultz, 2009), thus aiding to identify the relation between the personality type and dating violence.…”

“…When using the MBTI, it is possible to measure the personality type without considering it as pathological (Schultz & Shultz, 2009), thus aiding to identify the relation between the personality type and dating violence. Together, these types of assessments could inform prevention programs for dating violence, regardless of violence taking place and prevent the future likelihood of violence in intimate relationships (Boladale et al, 2015;Carleton et al, 2015;Dowgwillo et al, 2016;Falb et al, 2014;Porcerelli et al, 2015).…”