Over the past twenty years, there seems to have been an increased interest on the topic of adolescent personality pathology among researchers and clinicians in the field of psychiatry and clinical psychology. There have been many contentious debates on the topic, the most prominent being around the possibility of diagnosing a personality disorder or variant thereof in adolescence. With this in mind, the researcher attempted to understand some of the most pertinent debates as well as investigate some of the hypotheses proposed in the arguments. The main focus of the study was on the possibility of diagnosing personality pathology in adolescence and whether or not this was being achieved in an inpatient psychiatric ward. The present study quantitatively investigated the prevalence of personality pathology as well as the extent to which health care professionals in South Africa are diagnosing various personality pathologies among adolescents admitted to an inpatient psychiatric ward. The data collected has been analysed using the statistical study of frequencies and correlations, in order to assess whether there were positive correlations between genders, Axis I disorders, a set of reported problematic or pathological behavioural symptoms and having an Axis II diagnosis. The results reveal that clinicians are cautiously diagnosing personality pathology in an inpatient adolescent psychiatric ward, with the borderline personality pathology being the most prevalent.

This study examined the role that rigid sex-role stereotyping and male socialization played in differentiating the three typologies of male batterers. The first purpose was to utilize a cluster analysis to determine whether the three male batterer clusters (Family Only (FO), Borderline-Dysphoric (BD) and Generally Violent- Antisocial (GVA)) theorized by Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart (1994) could be reproduced using the MMPI-2. 101 adult court referred males on probation for domestic violence were given the MMPI-2, and three distinct batterer typologies emerged. Once the clusters were established, this study attempted to determine if the theoretical model proposed by Jennings and Murphy (2000), which emphasized male socialization and its potential effect on male-female interactions within intimate relationships, is influential in creating differentiation among the cluster typologies. Specifically, an emphasis was placed on examining how the FO male batterer cluster differed from the BD and GVA clusters. Four variables were theorized to best represent Jennings and Murphy'™s (2000) model, including: the Masculine-Feminine (MF) clinical scale, Social Introversion (Si) clinical scale, Gender-Masculine (GM) supplementary scale and Low Self-Esteem (LSE) content scale. A MANOVA was utilized to see if the three batterer typologies differed on the variables (MF, Si, GM, and LSE) that encompass the male socialization construct. Results indicated that statistically significant differentiation did exist between the three clusters. Furthermore, there was indication that the FO men adhered more closely to rigid traditional male roles and displayed higher self-esteem. Discussion focused on the importance of matching treatment to batterer typology and the importance of incorporating discussion of male socialization into group therapy treatment.

Dimensional models of personality pathology present a promising approach to the assessment of maladaptive personality in adults and children (eg. De Clercq, De Fruyt, & Widiger, 2009). In addition, recent findings show that some childhood maladaptive traits can be predictive of adulthood personality disorders (eg. Mervielde, De Clercq, De Fruyt, & Van Leeuwen, 2005). The Dimensional Personality Symptom Item Pool (DIPSI) is a questionnaire designed to measure maladaptive lower and higher order traits in children and adolescents. This study aims to examine the DIPSI’s scales and to replicate several previous findings of maladaptive trait patterns in children. The results indicate that the DIPSI’s lower and higher order trait scales are high in reliability and show many of the trait relationships suggested by previous literature. A successful outcome of this study serves as the first step towards establishing the DIPSI as a valid and useful measure of personality pathology in children.

Dimensional models of personality pathology present a promising approach to the assessment of maladaptive personality in adults and children (eg. De Clercq, De Fruyt, & Widiger, 2009). In addition, recent findings show that some childhood maladaptive traits can be predictive of adulthood personality disorders (eg. Mervielde, De Clercq, De Fruyt, & Van Leeuwen, 2005). The Dimensional Personality Symptom Item Pool (DIPSI) is a questionnaire designed to measure maladaptive lower and higher order traits in children and adolescents. This study aims to examine the DIPSI’s scales and to replicate several previous findings of maladaptive trait patterns in children. The results indicate that the DIPSI’s lower and higher order trait scales are high in reliability and show many of the trait relationships suggested by previous literature. A successful outcome of this study serves as the first step towards establishing the DIPSI as a valid and useful measure of personality pathology in children.

No description available.

<p>In addition to replicating examinations of gender bias in the diagnosis of all cluster B personality disorders (PDs), this is the first study to examine the extent to which patient sexual orientation biases the diagnosis of antisocial, histrionic, and narcissistic PDs as well as whether or not such sexual orientation bias differs by patient gender. Furthermore, this study is the first to examine how such gender and sexual orientation biases are moderated by (1) the model of personality pathology used (i.e., traditional DSM vs. dimensional Alternate Model of Personality Disorders [AMPD]) and (2) measurement specificity (i.e., global PD measurement vs. symptom-level measurement). To undertake these examinations, it utilized a vignette describing a patient whose gender identification (man or woman) and sexual orientation (heterosexual or gay/lesbian) were experimentally manipulated. Clinicians (<em>N</em>=435) were randomly assigned to examine one of the resultant four vignettes, after which they each completed three measures of personality pathology. Though there was evidence of gender bias, such bias was twice-to-four times as weak as gender bias found in past similar studies. There was no evidence of significant diagnostic bias based on patient sexual orientation and sexual orientation bias did not differ by patient gender. Broadly, neither gender nor sexual orientation bias was moderated by the model of personality pathology underlying the measures used, by the specificity with which the pathology was measured, or by clinician characteristics (i.e., age, gender, sexual orientation, licensure status, race). Results suggest a decrease in gender and sexual orientation bias within experimental contexts relative to that which was found by prior studies. Further examinations should elucidate the mechanisms moderating diagnostic bias. </p>