The Level of Personality Functioning Scale‐Brief Form 2.0: Update of a brief instrument for assessing level of personality functioning

Abstract

Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) introduced the alternative model of personality disorders that includes assessing levels of personality functioning. Here, we describe the development, preliminary psychometric evaluation and sensitivity to change of a revised brief self-report questionnaire, the Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form 2.0 (LPFS-BF 2.0). Patients (N = 201) referred to a specialized centre for the assessment and treatment of personality disorders completed the LPFS-BF 2.0, the Brief Symptom Inventory and the Severity Indices of Personality Problems Short Form and were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I and Axis II Disorders. Internal structure and aspects of construct validity were examined. A subsample of 39 patients also completed the questionnaires after 3 months of inpatient treatment. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated better fit for a two-factor solution (interpretable as self-functioning and interpersonal functioning) than for a unidimensional model, though acceptable model fit was evident only after two post hoc modifications. The LPFS-BF 2.0 demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency and promising construct validity. Sensitivity to change after 3 months of treatment was high. The LPFS-BF 2.0 constitutes a short, user-friendly instrument that provides a quick impression of the severity of personality pathology. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Prevalence and structure of self‐other problems in SAPAS screening for personality disorder in a National Sample

“…Accordingly, this structure supports previous empirical research on the DSM‐5 AMPD framework of self/other functioning . Our finding is particularly consistent with previous research on self‐reported personality dysfunction in Danish psychiatric patients and incarcerated addicts as well as Dutch psychiatric patients . Notably, in the present study we identified a correlation of.31 between the latent factors of self‐ and interpersonal functioning, which suggests that the two subdomains are somewhat entwined or inter‐dependent.…”

“…The findings of the present study warrant replication using complete and more updated self‐report measures of DSM‐5‐AMPD and ICD‐11 personality dysfunction (e.g., including features of identity disturbance). This may particularly involve the 12‐item Level of Personality Functioning Scale – Brief Form 2.0 (LPFS‐BF), the 80‐item Level of Personality Functioning Scale–Self‐Report (LPFS–SR), the 97‐item Level of Personality Functioning Questionnaire for adolescents (LoPF–Q12–18), the Level of Personality Functioning Scale – Self Report version for criterion A (LPFS‐SRA) and Observer‐Rated version for criterion A (LPFS‐ORA), and various forms of the DSM–5 Levels of Personality Functioning Questionnaire (DLOPFQ) …”

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

“…[309,310]). Currently, there is only a single study showing that the LPFS-BF can be used as an outcome measure in a 3month residential treatment program [31]. Fifth, one study has questioned the necessity of utilizing the complex hybrid model of the AMPD for diagnosing PDs, since applying the diagnosis of PD-TS (i.e., meeting the general PD criteria but not the criteria of not any specific type) provides full coverage of all personality pathology [311].…”

“…For the purpose of gathering self-report data, some researchers have asked participants to judge themselves according to the prototypical descriptions of the 12 subdomains [48-50]. Only recently, self-report measures building on the LPFS were newly developed, including the Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Self Report (LPFS-SR) [29], the Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form (LPFS-BF) [30,31], the DSM-5 Levels of Personality Functioning Questionnaire (DLOPFQ) [27,28], the Self and Interpersonal Functioning Scale (SIFS) [33], and the Levels of Personality Functioning Questionnaire for adolescents (LoPF-Q 12-18) [32]. For the purpose of informant ratings, it has been suggested that the 60 prototypical descriptions of the LPFS can also be rated individually by laypersons [47••, 51].…”

“…Initial validation studies of self-report measures assessing criterion A indicated substantial convergence with established measures of personality functioning and PD severity [29-31, 33, 128, 129, 136••, 137]. In addition, associations with a range of constructs have been shown, including symptom distress and health problems [30,31,33,135,137]; low wellbeing [27,33,135,138]; low self-esteem [33]; suicidality [128]; narcissism, borderline symptoms, and aggression [33]; maladaptive schemas [128,135]…”