Screening for personality disorder in probationers: Validation of the Standardised Assessment of Personality—Abbreviated Scale (SAPAS)

Abstract

Personality disorder (PD) is an important indicator of future recidivism, and a brief assessment of PD would be of great value to those working in the criminal justice system. There is insufficient research on PD among probation populations. We examined the concurrent validity of a mini‐interview for PD, the Standardised Assessment of Personality—Abbreviated Scale (SAPAS), by comparing its performance with that of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV Personality Disorders (SCID‐II) in a sample of 40 individuals on probation in Lincolnshire, UK. The SCID‐II identified 30/40 (75%) of the sample as having a PD. The most common category was antisocial PD, for which 20/40 (50%) were positive. A cut score of 3 on the SAPAS produced a good balance of sensitivity (0.73) and specificity (0.9) for case identification. We conclude that the SAPAS is a valid screening tool for PD among those on probation and is of potential value to those working in the criminal justice system. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Borderline personality disorder: Prevalence and psychiatric comorbidity among male offenders on probation in Sweden

“…First, eligible clients were given oral and written information about the study from their probation officers; second, written consent was collected by the probation officers; Third, screening questionnaires, including the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) [39] and the Adult ADHD Self Report Scale-Screener (ASRS-S) [40] (see measures below), were administered. Probation officers were trained in how to inform clients verbally about the study in accordance with the ethical guidelines of Helsinki Declaration, emphasizing the voluntary part and the possibility to refuse participation.…”

“…The McClean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) [39] contains 10 items covering the 9 diagnostic criteria for BPD of the 5th version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) [1]. Items are answered "Yes" or "No".…”

“…Scores above 8 indicate possible major depression [39] and 27.3% of participants with BPD scored more than two standard deviations over the mean in the Swedish normal population (M = 3.98, SD = 3.44) [48].…”

“…For example, 4400 offenders were in prison compared with 11,500 on probation or parole in Sweden during a specific day in October 2013 [37]. Despite this, probationer mental health including BPD has been less studied [38]; though a small study (n = 40; [39]) suggested a 20% BPD prevalence. BPD may be under-acknowledged in the correctional system.…”

Adaptation and Validation of the Standardized Assessment of Personality – Abbreviated Scale as a Self-Administered Screening Test (SA-SAPAS)

“…Since the publication of the SAPAS in 2003, several researchers have used it in its initial form as an interview [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47]. Various validations using new samples are also available [48][49][50]. Most of these have revealed a good classification of PDs as well as sensitivity and specificity levels similar to those originally found by Moran and colleagues [16].…”