Using the Personality Assessment Inventory Antisocial and Borderline Features Scales to Predict Behavior Change: A Multisite Longitudinal Study of Youthful Offenders

Abstract

A substantial amount of research has examined the developmental trajectory of antisocial behavior and, in particular, the relationship between antisocial behavior and maladaptive personality traits. However, research typically has not controlled for previous behavior (e.g., past violence) when examining the utility of personality measures, such as self-report scales of antisocial and borderline traits, in predicting future behavior (e.g., subsequent violence). Examination of the potential interactive effects of measures of both antisocial and borderline traits also is relatively rare in longitudinal research predicting adverse outcomes. The current study utilizes a large sample of youthful offenders ( N = 1,354) from the Pathways to Desistance project to examine the separate effects of the Personality Assessment Inventory Antisocial Features (ANT) and Borderline Features (BOR) scales in predicting future offending behavior as well as trends in other negative outcomes (e.g., substance abuse, violence, employment difficulties) over a 1-year follow-up period. In addition, an ANT × BOR interaction term was created to explore the predictive effects of secondary psychopathy. ANT and BOR both explained unique variance in the prediction of various negative outcomes even after controlling for past indicators of those same behaviors during the preceding year.

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.…”

“…This might potentially aid in evaluating personality pathology across contexts while using an updated diagnostic framework. Penson et al (2018) focused their work on whether antisocial (ANT) and borderline personality disorder (BOR) clinical scales on the PAI could predict future offending behaviour and other negative life outcomes in a multisite study of adolescent offenders (n = 1354).…”

“…While researchers in this study did not create a scale directly, the regression equation developed can potentially act as an indicator of future outcome in terms of behaviour change. Sinclair et al (2016) In sum, most of the research in this area has used logistic and/or binomial regression equations to identify item-or scale-level correlates with a given patient construct in an effort to develop and validate indices of the PAI that inform and aid in diagnosis, treatment and triage across treatment settings (Aita et al, 2017;Brown & Morey, 2016;Gaines et al, 2013;Penson et al, 2018;Sinclair et al, 2013Sinclair et al, , 2016. However, no studies have focused on PAI items from specific clinical scales in relation to early therapeutic alliance.…”

The Mediating Role of Hostile Attribution Bias in the Relationship between Cluster B Personality Traits and Reactive Aggression: An Event-Related Potentials Study

“…Higher scores reflected the greater degree of personality traits. According to Morey [28], several studies have demonstrated the reliability and validity of the PAI subscales in normal, clinical, and student populations [29]. In our study, the internal consistency was excellent for the ASPD features scale (α = .91) and the BPD features scale (α = .90).…”

“…This result was surprising given that several studies have shown BPD to be a good predictor of reactive aggression [6,7,9]. In a recent longitudinal study, however, Penson et al [29] showed that BPD characteristics were not sufficient in significantly predicting aggressive behaviors and rather, that ASPD characteristics were better predictors. Thus, it is likely that, in our regressions, ASPD traits were more effective predictors of reactive aggression than BPD traits.…”