A comparison of latent class, latent trait, and factor mixture models of DSM-IV borderline personality disorder criteria in a community setting: implications for DSM-5

Clinical profiles of adolescent personality pathology: a latent structure examination of the Semi-Structured Interview for Personality Functioning DSM-5 (STiP-5.1) in a help-seeking sample

BACKGROUND

Despite the introduction of dimensional conceptualisations of personality functioning in the latest classification systems, such as Criterion A of the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders in the DSM-5, heterogeneous clinical presentation of personality pathology remains a challenge. Relatedly, the latent structure of personality pathology as assessed by the Semi-Structured Interview for Personality Functioning DSM-5 (STiP-5.1) has not yet been comprehensively examined in adolescents. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the latent structure of the STiP-5.1, and, based on those findings, to describe any unique clinical profiles that might emerge.

METHODS

The final sample comprised 502 participants aged 11-18 years consecutively recruited from a specialised personality disorder outpatient service, as well as general day clinic and inpatient wards at the University Hospital University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bern, Switzerland. Participants were assessed using the STiP-5.1, as well as a battery of other psychological measures by clinical psychologists or trained doctoral students. Variations of Factor Analysis, Latent Class Analysis and Factor Mixture Models (FMM) were applied to the STiP-5.1 to determine the most appropriate structure.

RESULTS

The best fitting model was an FMM comprising four-classes and two factors (corresponding to self- and interpersonal-functioning). The classes differed in both overall severity of personality functioning impairment, and in their scores and clinical relevance on each element of the STiP-5.1. When compared to the overall sample, classes differed in their unique clinical presentation: class 1 had low impairment, class 2 had impairments primarily in self-functioning with high depressivity, class 3 had mixed levels of impairment with emerging problems in identity and empathy, and class 4 had severe overall personality functioning impairment.

CONCLUSIONS

A complex model incorporating both dimensional and categorical components most adequately describes the latent structure of the STiP-5.1 in our adolescent sample. We conclude that Criterion A provides clinically useful information beyond severity (as a dimensional continuum) alone, and that the hybrid model found for personality functioning in our sample warrants further attention. Findings can help to parse out clinical heterogeneity in personality pathology in adolescents, and help to inform early identification and intervention efforts.

Subgroups of borderline personality disorder: A latent class analysis

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by instability in interpersonal, affective, cognitive, self-identity, and behavioral domains. For a BPD diagnosis, individuals must present at least five of nine symptoms, resulting in 256 possible symptom combinations; thus, individuals diagnosed with BPD can differ substantially. Specific symptoms of BPD tend to co-occur, suggesting BPD subgroups. To explore this potential, we analyzed data from 504 participants diagnosed with BPD enrolled in one of three randomized controlled trials conducted at center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada from 2002 to 2018. An exploratory latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted to identify symptom subgroups of BPD. Analyses indicated three latent subgroups. The first group (n = 53) is distinguished by a lack of affective instability and low levels of dissociative symptoms (non-labile type). The second group (n = 279) is characterized by high levels of dissociative and paranoid symptoms but low abandonment fears and identity disturbance (dissociative/paranoid type). The third group (n = 172) is characterized by high efforts to avoid abandonment and interpersonal aggression (interpersonally unstable type). Homogenous symptom subgroups of BPD symptoms exist and may have important implications for how to refine BPD treatment interventions.

Distinguishing Among Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Borderline Personality Disorder in a Community Sample of Women

The diagnosis of complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) was included in the ICD-11 in 2018. Debates are still ongoing in the scientific community regarding the conceptual distinction between CPTSD symptoms and those of comorbid PTSD and borderline personality disorder (BPD). The present study aimed to determine whether (a) patterns of symptoms reported by women in a community sample would reveal a CPTSD profile distinct from PTSD and BPD profiles and (b) the resulting profiles could be compared on measures of cumulative childhood trauma exposure, dissociation, and life satisfaction. Women who reported at least one potentially traumatic experience (N = 438) completed questionnaires assessing PTSD, CPTSD, and BPD symptoms. We performed latent profile analyses testing seven models, with the five-profile model emerging as the most appropriate solution. The profiles were characterized as "high PTSD symptoms" (12.0%), "high CPTSD symptoms" (7.6%), "high BPD symptoms" (9.9%), "high CPTSD and BPD symptoms" (3.8%), and "low symptoms" (66.7%). Group comparisons revealed that the profiles characterized by high CPTSD symptoms, high BPD symptoms, and high CPTSD and BPD symptoms tended to include participants with higher levels of cumulative childhood trauma exposure and symptoms of dissociation and lower ratings of life satisfaction compared to the profiles characterized by high PTSD symptoms and low symptoms, ds = 0.55-1.06. These findings support the distinction between ICD-11 CPTSD symptoms and those of PTSD and BPD, promoting an integrative approach to understanding trauma sequelae, diagnosis, and treatment.

Montreal Cognitive Assessment: Seeking a Single Cutoff Score May Not Be Optimal

Background

Cutoff scores of the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) for screening mild cognitive impairment in older adults differ across the world and within the Chinese culture. It is argued that to seek a cutoff score is essential to classify test participants. It was unknown how taking a classifying approach might reveal the cutoff score for identifying mildly cognitively impaired older adults.

Methods

Participants, selected from 13 communities in Wuhan, China, were tested with the Chinese version of MoCA and rated with the Activities of Daily Living and the Clinical Dementia Rating scales. Mixture modeling was applied to the data with certain covariates and MoCA sum scores as the outcome of the latent class. Models with different numbers of classes were compared in terms of information criteria, likelihood ratio test, entropy, and interpretability.

Results

A 3-class model (normal, mildly impaired, and severely impaired) was found to fit the data best. The normal class averaged a MoCA score of 24, while the severely impaired class averaged a score below 18. For those cases with MoCA scores above 18 and below 24, it is not certain if they are in the normal or the severely impaired classes.

Conclusion

Latent variable classification modeling provides another option to identify MCI in older adults. Some categorically different cases of MCI cannot be captured with any single MoCA sum score. A range of 18–24 MoCA scores might serve as a better screening criterion of MCI. Older adults who scored within this gray zone should be monitored for potential interventions.

The factor structure of the Zanarini Rating Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder: Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling and measurement invariance over time

OBJECTIVES

There is a lack of independent longitudinal evidence on the factor structure and validity of the Zanarini Rating Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder (ZAN-BPD). This study aimed to investigate the dimensionality of ZAN-BPD and its conceptual consistency over time.

METHODS

Adult BPD participants (n = 276) were recruited for a multicentre, two-arm randomised clinical trial with ZAN-BPD measured at baseline and follow up at 12, 24 and 52 weeks. The construct and stability of the ZAN-BPD across 52 weeks was examined through a measurement equivalence/invariance procedure via Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling.

RESULTS

Factor analysis results showed that the ZAN-BPD had a bi-2 factor structure that was stable over 52 weeks with a general factor and two specific factors. Factor loadings for eight of the nine items were greater for the general factor than the two specific factors. Factor 1 contrasts externalising distress with internalising distress. Factor 2 contrasts depression and self-destruction with interpersonal anxiety and conflict.

CONCLUSION

ZAN-BPD is a conceptually and empirically valid measure of total BPD symptom severity in BPD patients over time suitable for use in clinical trials. Two factors related to the expression of distress and self-harm may be utilised as possible predictors of outcome.

Heterogeneity of borderline personality disorder symptoms in help-seeking adolescents

BACKGROUND

The heterogeneous presentation of borderline personality disorder (BPD) represents a clinical challenge. There is an ongoing scientific debate whether the heterogeneity can best be understood in terms of qualitative (categorical) or quantitative (dimensional) differences between individuals. The present study examined the latent structure of BPD in adolescents.

METHODS

Five-hundred and six outpatients aged 12 to 17 years with risk-taking and/or self-harming behavior were assessed at baseline and one-year follow-up. Latent class analysis (corresponding with the categorical approach), factor analysis (corresponding with the dimensional approach), and factor mixture models (allowing for both categorical and dimensional aspects) were applied to the DSM-IV BPD criteria.

RESULTS

The best fitting model distinguished between a majority class with high probabilities for all BPD criteria ("borderline group") and a minority class with high probabilities for the impulsivity and anger criteria only ("impulsive group"). Sex significantly affected latent class membership, and both a latent factor and age explained within-class variability. The borderline group primarily consisted of females, frequently reported adverse childhood experiences, scored high on the emotion dysregulation and inhibitedness personality traits, and was associated with internalizing psychopathology. In contrast, the impulsive group primarily consisted of males, scored high on the dissocial behavior personality trait, and was associated with externalizing psychopathology. After one year, the two groups showed similar clinical improvement.

CONCLUSIONS

The study provides evidence for two distinct subgroups of adolescents with BPD features that resemble the subtypes of the ICD-10 emotionally unstable personality disorder. More research is needed to further investigate the diagnostic stability of the two groups over time and potential differential treatment indications.

The CDA-BPD: retrofitting a traditional borderline personality questionnaire under the cognitive diagnosis model framework

To obtain rich information about the cognitive diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD), this study attempted to retrofit a traditional borderline personality questionnaire so that the improved assessment (called CDA-BPD) could provide more diagnostic information. The retrofitting processes included the following steps: (1) applied an cognitive diagnosis model to analyze the psychometric characteristics of the traditional questionnaire; (2) under the guidance of cognitive diagnosis assessment (CDA), high-quality items were chosen to develop the CDA-BPD and tested on 1,097 subjects; (3) the quality of the CDA-BPD was evaluated; (4) the structure of the CDA-BPD was analyzed. Results indicated that: (1) the CDA-BPD had acceptable reliability and validity; (2) the CDA-BPD had sensitivity of 0.985 and specificity of 0.853 with area under curve (AUC) = 0.956; (3) the two structural factors of the traditional questionnaire were confirmed in the CDA-BPD; χ2 was 83.01 with df = 26, p < .0001, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.97, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.045. It was concluded that the practice of retrofitting a traditional borderline personality assessment for cognitive diagnostic purpose was feasible. Most importantly, under the cognitive diagnosis model framework, CDA-BPD could simultaneously provide general-level information and the detailed symptom criteria-level information about the posterior probability of satisfying each symptom criterion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ) for each individual, which gave further insight into tailoring individual-specific treatments for borderline personality disorder.

Les progrès dans la réalisation de la classification quantitative de la psychopathologie☆

Shortcomings of approaches to classifying psychopathology based on expert consensus have given rise to contemporary efforts to classify psychopathology quantitatively. In this paper, we review progress in achieving a quantitative and empirical classification of psychopathology. A substantial empirical literature indicates that psychopathology is generally more dimensional than categorical. When the discreteness versus continuity of psychopathology is treated as a research question, as opposed to being decided as a matter of tradition, the evidence clearly supports the hypothesis of continuity. In addition, a related body of literature shows how psychopathology dimensions can be arranged in a hierarchy, ranging from very broad "spectrum level" dimensions, to specific and narrow clusters of symptoms. In this way, a quantitative approach solves the "problem of comorbidity" by explicitly modeling patterns of co-occurrence among signs and symptoms within a detailed and variegated hierarchy of dimensional concepts with direct clinical utility. Indeed, extensive evidence pertaining to the dimensional and hierarchical structure of psychopathology has led to the formation of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) Consortium. This is a group of 70 investigators working together to study empirical classification of psychopathology. In this paper, we describe the aims and current foci of the HiTOP Consortium. These aims pertain to continued research on the empirical organization of psychopathology; the connection between personality and psychopathology; the utility of empirically based psychopathology constructs in both research and the clinic; and the development of novel and comprehensive models and corresponding assessment instruments for psychopathology constructs derived from an empirical approach.

Adolescent suicide risk and experiences of dissociation in daily life

Dissociation is associated with risk for suicide in adults, but this link is not well studied in adolescents, in spite of their marked suicide risk. This study assessed adolescents' dissociative experiences in daily life and evaluated the association between dissociative experiences and suicide risk, including the independence of this relationship from related affective and clinical states and demographic characteristics. Clinically referred early adolescents (N = 162; aged 11-13) were assessed via multi-informant clinical interview, questionnaires, and 4-day ecological momentary assessment protocol. Adolescents were classified as being at elevated suicide risk using multi-informant, multi-method reports of suicide risk behavior and/or at elevated proximal risk using the 4-day EMA only. Suicide risk was associated with daily dissociative experiences, and this relationship was independent of daily negative and positive affect and co-occurring borderline personality symptoms. Gender differences emerged, such that the relationship between daily dissociative experiences and suicide risk was only significant in adolescent girls. Overall, findings suggest dissociation may be independently relevant to adolescent suicide risk, above and beyond effects of psychopathology and affective disturbance, and especially in girls. Daily dissociative experiences may help understand and detect suicide risk among early adolescents and warrant further research.

Redefining phenotypes to advance psychiatric genetics: Implications from hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology

Genetic discovery in psychiatry and clinical psychology is hindered by suboptimal phenotypic definitions. We argue that the hierarchical, dimensional, and data-driven classification system proposed by the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) consortium provides a more effective approach to identifying genes that underlie mental disorders, and to studying psychiatric etiology, than current diagnostic categories. Specifically, genes are expected to operate at different levels of the HiTOP hierarchy, with some highly pleiotropic genes influencing higher order psychopathology (e.g., the general factor), whereas other genes conferring more specific risk for individual spectra (e.g., internalizing), subfactors (e.g., fear disorders), or narrow symptoms (e.g., mood instability). We propose that the HiTOP model aligns well with the current understanding of the higher order genetic structure of psychopathology that has emerged from a large body of family and twin studies. We also discuss the convergence between the HiTOP model and findings from recent molecular studies of psychopathology indicating broad genetic pleiotropy, such as cross-disorder SNP-based shared genetic covariance and polygenic risk scores, and we highlight molecular genetic studies that have successfully redefined phenotypes to enhance precision and statistical power. Finally, we suggest how to integrate a HiTOP approach into future molecular genetic research, including quantitative and hierarchical assessment tools for future data-collection and recommendations concerning phenotypic analyses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Application of the mixture item response theory model to the Self-Administered Food Security Survey Module for Children

Background

The Self-Administered Food Security Survey Module for Children was developed to assess food insecurity of individual children and has not been used in Portugal. We aimed to apply the mixture item response theory model to the Self-Administered Food Security Survey Module for Children, to assess its reliability and validity, and to estimate the cut-offs of the food security status for Portuguese children.

Methods

The scale was self-administered to 2132 children of the Generation XXI birth cohort. The internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. We evaluated dimensionality and/or clustering, and Latent Class Analysis, Latent Trait Analysis and Mixture Latent Trait Analysis were tested. The number of classes and/or traits were defined according to the Akaike Information Criterion, Bayesian Information Criterion, Adjusted Bayesian Information Criterion, Vuong-Lo-Mendell-Rubin Likelihood Ratio Test, Bootstrapped Likelihood Ratio Test and Entropy. Construct validity was explored using socio-demographic characteristics. The classification tree was used to define cut-offs to predict cluster membership.

Results

The best model was a Mixture Latent Trait Analysis with 1 factor and 2 classes (food security and food insecurity), assuming class variant item parameters (for items 1 and 3). Based on the estimated posterior probabilities, the food insecurity prevalence was 17.6%. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.617. A higher proportion of less-educated mothers and low-income households was observed in the food insecurity class. The classification tree showed an accuracy of 100.0% by identifying the food security and food insecurity groups.

Conclusion

Our results supported that the Self-Administered Food Security Survey Module for Children provides a valid and reliable measure, which allows the identification of food insecurity among Portuguese children.

Oxandrolone for growth hormone-treated girls aged up to 18 years with Turner syndrome

BACKGROUND

The final adult height of untreated girls aged up to 18 years with Turner syndrome (TS) is approximately 20 cm shorter compared with healthy females. Treatment with growth hormone (GH) increases the adult height of people with TS. The effects of adding the androgen, oxandrolone, in addition to GH are unclear. Therefore, we conducted this systematic review to investigate the benefits and harms of oxandrolone as an adjuvant therapy for people with TS treated with GH.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of oxandrolone on growth hormone-treated girls aged up to 18 years with Turner syndrome.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, the ICTRP Search Portal and ClinicalTrials.gov. The date of the last search was October 2018. We applied no language restrictions.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs) that enrolled girls aged up to 18 years with TS who were treated with GH and oxandrolone compared with GH only treatment.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Three review authors independently screened titles and abstracts for relevance, selected trials, extracted data and assessed risk of bias. We resolved disagreements by consensus, or by consultation with a fourth review author. We assessed trials for overall certainty of the evidence using the GRADE instrument.

MAIN RESULTS

We included six trials with 498 participants with TS, 267 participants were randomised to oxandrolone plus GH treatment and 231 participants were randomised to GH only treatment. The individual trial sample size ranged between 22 and 133 participants. The included trials were conducted in 65 different paediatric endocrinology healthcare facilities including clinics, centres, hospitals and academia in the USA and Europe. The duration of interventions ranged between 3 and 7.6 years. The mean age of participants at start of therapy ranged from 9 to 12 years. Overall, we judged only one trial at low risk of bias in all domains and another trial at high risk of bias in most domains. We downgraded the level of evidence mainly because of imprecision (low number of trials, low number of participants or both). Comparing oxandrolone plus GH with GH only for final adult height showed a mean difference (MD) of 2.7 cm in favour of oxandrolone plus GH treatment (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3 to 4.1; P < 0.001; 5 trials, 270 participants; moderate-quality evidence). The 95% prediction interval ranged between 0.3 cm and 5.1 cm. For adverse events, we based our main analysis on reliable date from two trials with overall low risk of bias. There was no evidence of a difference between oxandrolone plus GH and GH for adverse events (RR 1.81, 95% CI 0.83 to 3.96; P = 0.14; 2 trials, 170 participants; low-quality evidence). Six out of 86 (18.6%) participants receiving oxandrolone plus GH compared with 8/84 (9.5%) participants receiving GH only reported adverse events, mainly signs of virilisation (e.g. deepening of the voice). One trial each investigated the effects of treatments on speech (voice frequency; 88 participants), cognition (51 participants) and psychological status (106 participants). The overall results for these comparisons were inconclusive (very low-quality evidence). No trial reported on health-related quality of life or all-cause mortality.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Addition of oxandrolone to the GH therapy led to a modest increase in the final adult height of girls aged up to 18 years with TS. Adverse effects identified included virilising effects such as deepening of the voice, but reporting was inadequate in some trials.

A Neuroscience-Oriented Research Approach to Borderline Personality Disorder

Traditionally, the study of personality disorders had been based on psychoanalytic or behavioral models. Over the past two decades, there has been an emerging neuroscience model of borderline personality disorder (BPD) grounded in the concept of BPD as a condition in which dysfunctional neural circuits underlie its pathological dimensions, some of which include emotion dysregulation (broadly encompassing affective instability, negative affectivity, and hyperarousal), abnormal interpersonal functioning, and impulsive aggression. This article, initiated at a joint Columbia University- Cornell University Think Tank on BPD with representation from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, suggests how to advance research in BPD by studying the dimensions that underlie BPD in addition to studying the disorder as a unitary diagnostic entity. We suggest that linking the underlying neurobiological abnormalities to behavioral symptoms of the disorder can inform a research agenda to better understand BPD with its multiple presentations.

Community and Clinical Epidemiology of Borderline Personality Disorder

Several studies of the prevalence of borderline personality disorder in community and clinical settings have been carried out to date. Although results vary according to sampling method and assessment method, median point prevalence is roughly 1%, with higher or lower rates in certain community subpopulations. In clinical settings, the prevalence is around 10% to 12% in outpatient psychiatric clinics and 20% to 22% among inpatient clinics. Further research is needed to identify the prevalence and correlates of borderline personality disorder in other clinical settings (eg, primary care) and to investigate the impact of demographic variables on borderline personality disorder prevalence.

Progress in achieving quantitative classification of psychopathology

Shortcomings of approaches to classifying psychopathology based on expert consensus have given rise to contemporary efforts to classify psychopathology quantitatively. In this paper, we review progress in achieving a quantitative and empirical classification of psychopathology. A substantial empirical literature indicates that psychopathology is generally more dimensional than categorical. When the discreteness versus continuity of psychopathology is treated as a research question, as opposed to being decided as a matter of tradition, the evidence clearly supports the hypothesis of continuity. In addition, a related body of literature shows how psychopathology dimensions can be arranged in a hierarchy, ranging from very broad "spectrum level" dimensions, to specific and narrow clusters of symptoms. In this way, a quantitative approach solves the "problem of comorbidity" by explicitly modeling patterns of co-occurrence among signs and symptoms within a detailed and variegated hierarchy of dimensional concepts with direct clinical utility. Indeed, extensive evidence pertaining to the dimensional and hierarchical structure of psychopathology has led to the formation of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) Consortium. This is a group of 70 investigators working together to study empirical classification of psychopathology. In this paper, we describe the aims and current foci of the HiTOP Consortium. These aims pertain to continued research on the empirical organization of psychopathology; the connection between personality and psychopathology; the utility of empirically based psychopathology constructs in both research and the clinic; and the development of novel and comprehensive models and corresponding assessment instruments for psychopathology constructs derived from an empirical approach.

Identifying core deficits in a dimensional model of Borderline Personality Disorder features: A network analysis

Researchers have proposed three core deficits of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): emotion dysregulation, interpersonal problems, and self-identity disturbance. Previous methods for testing these deficits rest on problematic assumptions (e.g., the assumption that observable/measured features of BPD, such as chaotic relationships and affective intensity, occur independently). A network model of psychopathology assumes that observable features of disorders directly interact, and network analytic methods quantify how central each feature is. We conducted a network analysis of core deficits of BPD features using a large (n = 4386) sample of participants with a range of BPD features. The most central features of participants in the High BPD group were loneliness, recklessness/impulsivity, and intense moods, supporting models of emotion dysregulation and interpersonal problems. The networks of BPD features did not differ between men and women. We provide directions for future research to enhance our understanding of how networks of BPD features change over time.

Clinician Perspectives of Antisocial and Borderline Personality Disorders Using DSM-5 Section III Dimensional Personality Traits

The DSM-5 includes an alternative model for the diagnosis of personality disorders (PDs). Although there has been growing support for this model there has been little investigation into how it will be utilized by clinicians. The current study evaluated clinician perspectives of a "prototypical" individual with antisocial and borderline PD using Section III traits in a sample of 105 mental health professionals. Results showed that clinicians' perspectives of these disorders were generally consistent with the Section III trait operationalizations. Indeed, clinicians rated each trait facet as more prototypical than nonproposed facets. Similarly, they rated nonproposed facets as less prototypical than included facets for both disorders, with some exceptions for borderline PD. Furthermore, the authors found that these ratings were generally in statistical agreement with empirical associations between Section III traits and Section II PDs found in previous studies. Overall, results suggest support for the trait operationalizations of these disorders by clinicians.

The current state and future of factor analysis in personality disorder research

The major debates in the personality disorder (PD) field center on the structure of personality pathology. Factor analysis is designed to elucidate the underlying structure of observed phenomena. Therefore, factor analysis has already played a major role in the debates about the structure of PD, and will continue to be an often-used and indispensable tool moving forward. However, misconceptions about the utility and interpretation of factor analyses abound. The purpose of this article is to provide a conceptual primer on available factor analytic techniques and how they have been applied in PD research, and to highlight novel ways of using factor analysis moving forward. The techniques reviewed include exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory structural equation modeling, multilevel structural equation modeling, and person-specific (i.e., P-technique) factor analysis. Additionally, the notion that exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic approaches lie on an exploratory to confirmatory spectrum is introduced. Examples from the published literature are used to illustrate key points. (PsycINFO Database Record

Dissociation in patients with borderline personality disorder in acute inpatient care - A latent profile analysis

PURPOSE

Dissociation is a common symptom in Borderline Personality disorder (BPD) and its consideration is important for the therapeutic outcome. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to scrutinize the co-occurrence of BPD symptoms and dissociative experiences. In particular, we were interested in the occurrence of specific symptom clusters characterizing qualitatively different patient groups in a clinical sample of BPD patients.

BASIC PROCEDURES

We analyzed the data of 103 patients in a specialized acute inpatient care crisis intervention unit. Measures were the Borderline Symptom List (BSL-95), a German adaption of the Dissociative Experience Scale (FDS), and the Symptom Checklist SCL-90-R. We applied a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) using the subscales of BSL-95 and FDS to investigate the existence of distinct latent classes of symptom profiles. Afterwards, we related the obtained profiles to other clinical and demographic characteristics.

MAIN FINDINGS

Dissociative experiences of moderate to severe intensity were common among patients with BPD. LPA revealed that a model of three classes fitted the data best: one class was characterized by co-occurrence of severe borderline symptoms and frequent dissociative experiences, one class showed low symptom burden in both measures, and one class showed considerable borderline symptoms but only moderate dissociative experiences. The classes were closely related to the severity of other self-rated psychological problems and showed significantly different occurrences of stress-related comorbid disorders.

PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS

The results underline that dissociation is an important factor in many (but not all) BPD patients. This should be addressed by increased attention to dissociative symptoms in the diagnostic process and the adjustment of treatment plans.

Characterizing severe and enduring anorexia nervosa: An empirical approach

Targeted approaches for the treatment of severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN) have been recommended, but there is no consensus definition of SE-AN to inform research and clinical practice. This study aimed to take initial steps toward developing an empirically based definition of SE-AN by characterizing associations among putative indicators of severity and chronicity in eating disorders. Patients with AN (N = 355) completed interviews and questionnaires at treatment admission and discharge; height and weight were assessed to calculate body mass index (BMI). Structural equation mixture modeling was used to test whether associations among potential indicators of SE-AN (illness duration, treatment history, BMI, binge eating, purging, quality-of-life) formed distinct subgroups, a single group with one or more dimensions, or a combination of subgroups and dimensions. A three-factor (dimensional), two-profile (categorical) mixture model provided the best fit to the data. Factor 1 included eating disorder behaviors; Factor 2 comprised quality-of-life domains; Factor 3 was characterized by illness duration, number of hospitalizations, and admission BMI. Profiles differed on eating disorder behaviors and quality-of-life, but not on indicators of chronicity or BMI. Factor scores, but not profile membership, predicted outcome at discharge from treatment. Data suggest that patients with AN can be classified on the basis of eating disorder behaviors and quality-of-life, but there was no evidence for a chronic subgroup of AN. Rather, indices of chronicity varied dimensionally within each class. Given that current definitions of SE-AN rely on illness duration, these findings have implications for research and clinical practice.

Subtypes of borderline personality disorder patients: a cluster-analytic approach

BACKGROUND

The borderline personality disorder (BPD) population is notably heterogeneous, and this has potentially important implications for intervention. Identifying distinct subtypes of patients may represent a first step in identifying which treatments work best for which individuals.

METHODS

A cluster-analysis on dimensional personality disorder (PD) features, as assessed with the SCID-II, was performed on a sample of carefully screened BPD patients (N = 187) referred for mentalization-based treatment. The optimal cluster solution was determined using multiple indices of fit. The validity of the clusters was explored by investigating their relationship with borderline pathology, symptom severity, interpersonal problems, quality of life, personality functioning, attachment, and trauma history, in addition to demographic and clinical features.

RESULTS

A three-cluster solution was retained, which identified three clusters of BPD patients with distinct profiles. The largest cluster (n = 145) consisted of patients characterized by "core BPD" features, without marked elevations on other PD dimensions. A second "Extravert/externalizing" cluster of patients (n = 27) was characterized by high levels of histrionic, narcissistic, and antisocial features. A third, smaller "Schizotypal/paranoid" cluster (n = 15) consisted of patients with marked schizotypal and paranoid features. Patients in these clusters showed theoretically meaningful differences in terms of demographic and clinical features.

CONCLUSIONS

Three meaningful subtypes of BPD patients were identified with distinct profiles. Differences were small, even when controlling for severity of PD pathology, suggesting a strong common factor underlying BPD. These results may represent a stepping stone toward research with larger samples aimed at replicating the findings and investigating differential trajectories of change, treatment outcomes, and treatment approaches for these subtypes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was retrospectively registered 16 April 2010 in the Nederlands Trial Register, no. NTR2292.

The Clinical Significance of Single Features of Borderline Personality Disorder: Anger, Affective Instability, Impulsivity, and Chronic Emptiness in Psychiatric Outpatients

Although dimensional models of borderline personality disorder (BPD) are consistent with findings showing that minimal levels of pathology are associated with substantial increases in psychosocial impairment, it is still unclear whether different individual BPD criteria are each clinically significant on their own. The current study uses semistructured interview data from 1,870 adults presenting for outpatient psychiatric treatment to investigate whether the BPD criteria of impulsivity, affective instability, emptiness, and anger are each related to psychosocial morbidity when met in the absence of the other eight criteria. Analyses showed that each of these criteria was associated with dysfunction in comparison with a control group meeting zero BPD criteria, but only the emptiness criterion was a marker of impairment on all indices of psychosocial morbidity: suicidality, history of suicide attempts and psychiatric hospitalizations, social and work dysfunction, Axis I comorbidity, and global functioning. Implications for the study of borderline pathology are discussed.

Adolescent precursors of adult borderline personality pathology in a high-risk community sample

Longitudinal studies of the exact environmental conditions and personal attributes contributing to the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD) are rare. Furthermore, existing research typically examines risk factors in isolation, limiting our knowledge of the relative effect sizes of different risk factors and how they act in concert to bring about borderline personality pathology. The present study investigated the prospective effects of diverse acute and chronic stressors, proband psychopathology, and maternal psychopathology on BPD features in a high-risk community sample (N = 700) of youth followed from mid-adolescence to young adulthood. Multivariate analyses revealed significant effects of maternal externalizing disorder history, offspring internalizing disorder history, family stressors, and school-related stressors on BPD risk. Contrary to expectations, no interactions between chronically stressful environmental conditions and personal characteristics in predicting borderline personality features were detected. Implications of these findings for etiological theories of BPD and early screening efforts are discussed.

ICD-11 Complex PTSD in US National and Veteran Samples: Prevalence and Structural Associations with PTSD

The eleventh edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) is under development and current proposals include major changes to trauma-related psychiatric diagnoses, including a heavily restricted definition of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the addition of complex PTSD (CPTSD). We aimed to test the postulates of CPTSD in samples of 2695 community participants and 323 trauma-exposed military veterans. CPTSD prevalence estimates were 0.6% and 13% in the community and veteran samples, respectively; one-quarter to one-half of those with PTSD met criteria for CPTSD. There were no differences in trauma exposure across diagnoses. A factor mixture model with two latent dimensional variables and four latent classes provided the best fit in both samples: classes differed by their level of symptom severity but did not differ as a function of the proposed PTSD versus CPTSD diagnoses. These findings should raise concerns about the distinctions between CPTSD and PTSD proposed for ICD-11.

First evidence of a prospective relation between avoidance of internal states and borderline personality disorder features in adolescents

At least two leading developmental models of borderline personality disorder (BPD) emphasize the role of accurate reflection and understanding of internal states as significant to the development of BPD features (Fonagy, Int J Psycho-Anal 72:639-656, 1991; Linehan, Cognitive-behavioral treatment of borderline personality disorder, 1993). The current study used the construct of experiential avoidance (EA) to operationalize avoidance of internal states and sought to examine (1) the concurrent relations between EA and borderline features in a large and diverse community sample; and (2) the prospective relation between EA and borderline features over a 1-year follow-up, controlling for baseline levels of borderline features. N = 881 adolescents recruited from public schools in a large metropolitan area participated in baseline assessments and N = 730 completed follow-up assessments. Two main findings were reported. First, EA was associated with borderline features, depressive, and anxiety symptoms at the bivariate level, but when all variables were considered together, depression and anxiety no longer remained significantly associated with borderline features, suggesting that the relations among these symptom clusters may be accounted for by EA as a cross-cutting underlying psychological process. Second, EA predicted levels of borderline symptoms at 1-year follow-up, controlling for baseline levels of borderline symptoms, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Results are interpreted against the background of developmental theories of borderline personality disorder.

Challenges and strategies in helping the DSM become more dimensional and empirically based

The DSM-5 creation process and outcome underlines a core tension in psychiatry between empirical evidence that mental pathologies tend to be dimensional and a historical emphasis on delineating categorical disorders to frame psychiatric thinking. The DSM has been slow to reflect dimensional evidence because doing so is often perceived as a disruptive paradigm shift. As a result, other authorities are making this shift, circumventing the DSM in the process. For example, through the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), NIMH now encourages investigators to focus on a dimensional and neuroscientific conceptualization of mental disorder research. Fortunately, the DSM-5 contains a dimensional model of maladaptive personality traits that provides clinical descriptors that align conceptually with the neuroscience-based dimensions delineated in the RDoC and in basic science research. Through frameworks such as the DSM-5 trait model, the DSM can evolve to better incorporate evidence of the dimensionality of mental disorder.

ADHD and the externalizing spectrum: direct comparison of categorical, continuous, and hybrid models of liability in a nationally representative sample

PURPOSE

Alcohol use disorders, substance use disorders, and antisocial personality disorder share a common externalizing liability, which may also include attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, few studies have compared formal quantitative models of externalizing liability, with the aim of delineating the categorical and/or continuous nature of this liability in the community. This study compares categorical, continuous, and hybrid models of externalizing liability.

METHOD

Data were derived from the 2004-2005 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (N = 34,653). Seven disorders were modeled: childhood ADHD and lifetime diagnoses of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), nicotine dependence, alcohol dependence, marijuana dependence, cocaine dependence, and other substance dependence.

RESULTS

The continuous latent trait model provided the best fit to the data. Measurement invariance analyses supported the fit of the model across genders, with females displaying a significantly lower probability of experiencing externalizing disorders. Cocaine dependence, marijuana dependence, other substance dependence, alcohol dependence, ASPD, nicotine dependence, and ADHD provided the greatest information, respectively, about the underlying externalizing continuum.

CONCLUSIONS

Liability to externalizing disorders is continuous and dimensional in severity. The findings have important implications for the organizational structure of externalizing psychopathology in psychiatric nomenclatures.

An investigation of the relationship between borderline personality disorder and cocaine-related attentional bias following trauma cue exposure: the moderating role of gender

Elevated rates of borderline personality disorder (BPD) have been found among individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs), especially cocaine-dependent patients. Evidence suggests that cocaine-dependent patients with BPD are at greater risk for negative clinical outcomes than cocaine-dependent patients without BPD and BPD-SUD patients dependent on other substances. Despite evidence that cocaine-dependent patients with BPD may be at particularly high risk for negative SUD outcomes, the mechanisms underlying this risk remain unclear. The present study sought to address this gap in the literature by examining cocaine-related attentional biases among cocaine-dependent patients with (n = 22) and without (n = 36) BPD. On separate days, participants listened to both a neutral and a personally-relevant emotionally evocative (i.e., trauma-related) script and then completed a dot-probe task with cocaine-related stimuli. Findings revealed a greater bias for attending to cocaine-related stimuli among male cocaine-dependent patients with (vs. without) BPD following the emotionally evocative script. Study findings suggest the possibility that cocaine use may have gender-specific functions among SUD patients with BPD, with men with BPD being more likely to use cocaine to decrease contextually induced emotional distress. The implications of our findings for informing future research on cocaine use among patients with BPD are discussed.

Clarifying interpersonal heterogeneity in borderline personality disorder using latent mixture modeling

Significant interpersonal impairment is a cardinal feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, past research has demonstrated that the interpersonal profile associated with BPD varies across samples, which is evidence for considerable interpersonal heterogeneity. The current study used inventory of interpersonal problems-circumplex (IIP-C; Alden, Wiggins, & Pincus, 1990) scale scores to investigate interpersonal inhibitions and excesses in a large sample (N = 255) selected for significant borderline pathology. Results indicated that BPD symptom counts were unrelated to the primary dimensions of the IIPC, but were related to generalized interpersonal distress. A latent class analysis clarified this finding by revealing six homogeneous interpersonal classes with prototypical profiles associated with Intrusive, Vindictive, Avoidant, Nonassertive, and moderate and severe Exploitable interpersonal problems. These classes differed in clinically relevant features (e.g., antisocial behaviors, self-injury, past suicide attempts). Findings are discussed in terms of the incremental clinical utility of the interpersonal circumplex model and the implications for developmental and nosological models of BPD.