Dissecting the surgeon's personality: cross-cultural comparisons in Western Europe.

AIM: The surgeon's personality contributes to variation in surgical decision-making. Previous work on surgeon personality has largely been reserved to Anglo-Saxon studies, with limited international comparisons. In this work we built upon recent work on gastrointestinal surgeon personality and aimed to detect international variations. METHOD: Gastrointestinal surgeons from the UK and the Netherlands were invited to participate in validated personality assessments (44-item, 60-item Big Five Inventory; BFI). These encompass personality using five domains (open-mindedness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and negative emotionality) with three subtraits each. Mean differences in domain factors were calculated between surgeon and nonsurgeon populations from normative data using independent-samples t-tests, adjusted for multiple testing. The items from the 44-item and 60-item BFI were compared between UK and Dutch surgeons and classified accordingly: identical (n = 16), analogous (n = 3), comparable (n = 12). RESULTS: UK (n = 78, 61.5% male) and Dutch (n = 280, 65% male) gastrointestinal surgeons had marked differences in the domains of open-mindedness, extraversion and agreeableness compared with national normative datasets. Moreover, although surgeons had similar levels of emotional stability, country of work influenced differences in specific BFI items. For example, Netherlands-based surgeons scored highly on questions related to sociability and organization versus UK-based surgeons who scored highly on creative imagination (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In a first cross-cultural setting, we identified country-specific personality differences in gastrointestinal surgeon cohorts across domain and facet levels. Given the variation between Dutch and UK surgeons, understanding country-specific data could be useful in guiding personality research in healthcare. Furthermore, we advocate that future work adopts consensus usage of the five factor model.

On Personality Measures and Their Data: A Classification of Measurement Approaches and Their Recommended Uses.

We employ a new approach for classifying methods of personality measurement such as self-judgment, mental ability, and lifespace measures and the data they produce. We divide these measures into two fundamental groups: personal-source data, which arise from the target person's own reports, and external-source data, which derive from the areas surrounding the person. These two broad classes are then further divided according to what they target and the response processes that produce them. We use the model to organize roughly a dozen kinds of data currently employed in the field. With this classification system in hand, we describe how much we might expect two types of measures of the same attribute to converge-and explain why methods often yield somewhat different results. Given that each measurement method has its own strengths and weaknesses, we examine the pros and cons of selecting a given type of measure to assess a specific area of personality.

Convergence of the dimensional assessment of personality pathology (DAPP-BQ) and the five-factor personality inventory for the international classification of diseases 11th edition (FFiCD) in the context of the five-factor model and personality disorders.

The current manuscript presents the convergence of the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology (DAPP-BQ), using its short form the DAPP-90, and the Five-Factor Personality Inventory for International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), the FFiCD, in the context of the five-factor personality model and the categorical approach of personality disorders (PDs). The current manuscript compares the predictive validity of both the FFiCD and the DAPP-90 regarding personality disorder scales and clusters. Results demonstrate a very high and meaningful convergence between the DAPP-90 and the FFiCD personality pathology models and a strong alignment with the FFM. The DAPP-90 and the FFiCD also present an almost identical predictive power of PDs. The DAPP-90 accounts for between 18% and 47%, and the FFiCD between 21% and 47% of PDs adjusted variance. It is concluded that both DAPP-90 and FFiCD questionnaires measure strongly similar pathological personality traits that could be described within the frame of the FFM. Additionally, both questionnaires predict a very similar percentage of the variance of personality disorders.

Less Evaluative Measures of Personality in Job Applicant Contexts: The Effect on Socially Desirable Responding and Criterion Validity.

Researchers have long sought to mitigate the detrimental effects of socially desirable responding on personality assessments in high-stakes contexts. This study investigated the effect of reducing the social desirability of personality items on response distortion and criterion validity in a job applicant context. Using a 2 × 2 repeated measures design, participants (n = 584) completed standard (International Personality Item Pool) and less evaluative (Less Evaluative Five Factor Inventory) measures of Big Five personality in a low-stakes context and then several weeks later in a simulated job applicant context. Self-report criteria with objective answers, including university grades, were also obtained. In general, the less evaluative measure showed less response distortion than the standard measure on some metrics, but not on others. Declines in criterion validity in the applicant context were smaller for the less evaluative measure. In the applicant context, however, validities were similar across the two measures. Correlations across contexts for corresponding traits (e.g., low-stakes extraversion with high-stakes extraversion) were also similar for both measures. In summary, reducing socially desirable item content might slightly reduce the substantive content required to predict criteria in low-stakes contexts, but this effect appears to be partly offset by reduced response distortion for less evaluative measures in applicant contexts.

Can Forced-Choice Response Format Reduce Faking of Socially Aversive Personality Traits?

Self-report assessments are the standard for personality measurement, but motivated respondents are able to manipulate or fake their responses to typical Likert scale self-report. Although progress has been made in research seeking to reduce faking, most of it has focused on normative personality traits such as those measured by the five factor model. The measurement of socially aversive personality (e.g., the Dark Triad) is less well-researched. The negative aspects of socially aversive traits increase the opportunity and motivation of respondents to fake typical single-stimulus self-report assessments underscoring the need for faking resistant response formats. A possible way to reduce faking that has been explored in basic personality research is the use of the forced-choice response format. This study applied this method to socially aversive traits and illustrated best practices to create new multidimensional forced-choice and single-stimulus measures of socially aversive personality traits. Results indicated that participants were able to artificially alter their scores when asked to respond like an ideal job applicant, and counter to expectations, the forced-choice format did not decrease faking. Our results indicate that even when best practices are followed, forced-choice format is not a panacea for respondent faking.

Compilation and Validation of Two Short Forms to Measure HEXACO Dimensions in Elementary School Children.

Personality trait measures for children are rarely based on the HEXACO Model of Personality, although research using this framework could provide important insights into the structure and development of children's personalities. There is no HEXACO measure for elementary school children to date, and existing measures for older children seem inappropriate for this age group (e.g., due to some item content). We thus compiled two HEXACO-based short forms for measuring personality in elementary school children (8-10 years old) via parent reports. We applied a meta-heuristic item sampling algorithm (Ant Colony Optimization) in a training sample with 1,641 parent reports of 122 administered items. We selected a 54-Item Short Form comprising a latent facet structure and an 18-Item Ultra-Short Form comprising a correlated factors model for all six HEXACO dimensions but no facet structure. Both short forms showed good model fit in a holdout sample (n = 411) and sufficiently high re-test correlations after six months. Convergent and divergent validities for maximal performance measures and socio-emotional constructs (also measured six months after the initial personality assessment) were largely in line with theoretical assumptions. Overall, our study provides support for construct, re-test, and (predictive) criterion validity for the selected short forms.

Broader Issues in Test Translation and Validation: A Commentary Inspired by Macina et al. (2023).

Macina et al. (2023) recently reported mixed results on the German translation of the Self and Interpersonal Functioning Scale (SIFS). By focusing on suboptimal indices of structural validity, they recommended choosing other available instruments over the SIFS in future research on personality impairment. Reflecting on Macina et al.'s overall conclusions inspired us to consider broader issues in the field of personality impairment assessment. In this commentary, we discuss some issues regarding test translation and validity raised by Macina et al.'s article. We advise against assuming equivalence between original and translated versions of a test and discuss some caveats regarding comparison between different instruments based on structural validity. We also call into question whether the latter should be the litmus test for judging the quality of a measure. Finally, we discuss how the proliferation of personality impairment measures can benefit the broader field. Notably, this would allow moving toward a "what works for whom" approach that considers the match between psychometric property, desired use of the instrument, and characteristics of the target population.

Using the Personality Assessment Inventory to Assess the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders: Criterion Validity in a Clinical Sample.

The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) is a broadband measure of psychopathology that is widely used in applied settings. Researchers developed regression-based estimates that use the PAI to measure constructs of the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) - a hybrid dimensional and categorical approach to conceptualizing personality disorders. Although prior work has linked these estimates to formal measures of the AMPD, there is little work investigating the clinical correlates of this scoring approach of the PAI. The current study examines associations between these PAI-based AMPD estimates and life data in a large, archival dataset of psychiatric outpatients and inpatients. We found general support for the criterion validity of AMPD estimate scores, such that a theoretically consistent pattern of associations emerged with indicators such as prior academic achievement, antisocial behavior, psychiatric history, and substance abuse. These results provide preliminary support to this scoring approach for use in clinical samples.

Establishing Levels of Personality Functioning Using the Structured Interview of Personality Organization (STIPO-R): A Latent Profile Analysis.

Both the new ICD-11 and the latest Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders focus on self and interpersonal functioning as the central feature of personality pathology, also acknowledging that personality disorders are organized along a dimensional continuum of severity. This revised understanding is in line with long-standing psychodynamic conceptualisations of personality pathology, in particular Kernberg's object relations model of personality organization. Despite existing evidence for the clinical utility of the derived Structured Interview of Personality Organization (STIPO-R), empirical support for the identification of clear cut-points between the different levels of personality functioning is missing. For this purpose, a total of 764 adult participants were recruited across two clinical (outpatient and inpatient) settings (n = 250) and two non-clinical (university students and general community) samples (n = 514). Results from the mixture modeling suggested the existence of five groups across the clinical and non-clinical samples that covered: healthy personality functioning, maladaptive personality rigidity, and mild, moderate, and severe levels of personality pathology. All five indicators of personality organization were found to be reliable predictors of personality pathology. Of the five STIPO-R indicators, Aggression and Moral Values had the most discriminative power for differentiating between the Mild, Moderate, and Severe personality disorder groups. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Assessing Emotion Regulation across Asian and Western Cultures: Psychometric Properties of Three Common Scales across Singaporean and Australian Samples.

Given the differences in emotion regulation across cultures, it is paramount to ensure that measures of emotion regulation measure the same construct and that conceptualizations of emotion regulation are valid across cultures. Therefore, the present study assessed the measurement invariance (alongside other psychometric properties) of three popular emotion regulation questionnaires, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and the Perth Emotion Regulation Competency Inventory (PERCI), across 434 Singaporeans and 489 Australians. Our study showed that all three questionnaires were measurement invariant, had excellent internal consistency, and relatively good concurrent validity with psychopathology and alexithymia across our Singaporean and Australian sample, justifying their use in comparing Asian and Western cultures. Our findings suggest that measures of emotion regulation have utility across both individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Our findings supports the use of these measures in cross-cultural research and provides support for the utility for personality assessments across cultures.

A Single Case Multimethod Assessment to Detect Significant Changes in the Psychoanalytic Treatment of Psychosomatic Disorders.

Mental disorders with body-centered symptoms, such as somatic, eating, and body dysmorphic disorders, present difficulties in psychotherapy because psychological suffering is manifested in the body rather than expressed verbally. The present study illustrates a single case multi-method investigation sensitive to detecting characteristic change manifestations in the treatment of these disorders. We investigated a treatment of a patient with body dysmorphic disorder. Computerized linguistic measures were applied to 86 sessions to assess changes in symbolic processing; out of the 86 sessions, 40 were analyzed to calculate the proportion of speech focused on bodily symptoms versus on relationships. Changes in personality were assessed using the SWAP-200 on nine sessions from different treatment stages. Measures of linguistic style, speech content, and personality showed marked changes over the treatment. The patient manifested schizoid and schizotypal personality traits that decreased over time, along with an increase in personality high-functioning dimension. The patient's ability to translate his emotional experience into words steadily increased, switching the primary focus of narratives from bodily symptoms to relationships. A multimethod assessment of the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder shows that improvement in personality functioning is accompanied by a shift from a focus on bodily experiences to a focus on relationships.

Examination of Construct Validity of ANX and DEP Scales of the PAI-A.

Anxiety and depression are the two most common psychiatric problems of adolescence. The Personality Assessment Inventory, Adolescent Version (PAI-A) is a broadband instrument designed to assist in the detection and differential diagnosis of common psychiatric disorders in adolescents, and it includes a Depression scale (DEP) to detect the presence of major depressive episodes and an Anxiety scale (ANX) designed to detect clinically significant anxiety. However, there is limited research on this measure. The current study examined both the convergent and discriminant validities of the PAI-A Anxiety and Depression scales by observing their relationships to other self-report measures (e.g., PAI-A scales, MMPI-A), observer ratings (e.g., HPRS), and performance-based measures (e.g., Rorschach CS). The sample consisted of 352 records of the psychological assessments of adolescent inpatients between the ages of 13 to 17; the sample was about equally male (51.6%) and female with a mean age of 15.5 years. The sample was ethnically diverse with 48.7% of individuals identifying as Caucasian, 12.9% Black, 16% Hispanic, 2.6% Asian, 3.2% Other, and 16.6% unknown. There is strong evidence for convergent validity for the PAI-A ANX and DEP scales with r's ranging from .11 to .78. There is moderate evidence for discriminant validity for these scales. Results demonstrated that PAI-A scales correlated strongest with self-report, followed by therapist rating scale, and then performance-based measures. Various strengths of the PAI-A for the assessment of anxiety and depression are discussed.

Deriving the Transdiagnostic Scales From the Personality Assessment Inventory and SPECTRA: Indices of Psychopathology: A Demonstration.

Transdiagnostic models of psychopathology address many of the shortcomings common to categorical diagnostic systems. These empirically derived models conceptualize psychopathology as a few broad interrelated and hierarchically arranged dimensions, with an overarching general psychopathology dimension, the p-factor, at the apex. While transdiagnostic models are gaining prominence in mental health research, the lack of available tools has limited their clinical translation. The present study explored the potential of creating transdiagnostic scales from the joint factor structure of the Personality Assessment Inventory, Alternative Model of Personality Disorder trait scales (AMPD), and the clinical scales of the SPECTRA: Indices of Psychopathology (SPECTRA). Exploratory factor analysis in a clinical sample (n = 212) identified five factors corresponding to the Negative Affect/Internalizing, Detachment, Antagonism/Externalizing, Disinhibition/Externalizing, and Thought Disorder transdiagnostic dimensions. Goldberg's "Bass-Ackward" method supported a hierarchical structure. Five composite transdiagnostic scales were created by summing each factor's highest loading PAI and SPECTRA scales. A global psychopathology scale was created by summing the five composite scales. All the composite scales demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Correlations between the composite scales and the NEO Five-Factor Inventory-3 provide initial validity evidence for four composite and global scales. The composite thought disorder scale had no conceptually corresponding NEO domain. Clinical implications and study limitations are discussed.

Association Between Betrayal Trauma and the PAI Traumatic Stress Scale.

The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) is among the most commonly used broadband inventories of psychological functioning. For the purposes of assessing trauma specifically, the most relevant aspect of the PAI is the Traumatic Stress subscale of the Anxiety-Related Disorders scale (ARD-T), which measures the degree to which a person feels wounded by something in their past. Research suggests that ARD-T is associated with exposure to a variety of different traumatic stressors. However, there is little research on the degree to which traumatic stressors that entail a component of interpersonal betrayal (i.e. betrayal trauma) are associated with higher scores on ARD-T relative to other stressors. In this study, we evaluated the relative associations between traumas with varying degrees of betrayal and scores on ARD-T in a secondary analysis of two non-clinical samples (college sample N = 494; crowdsourced sample N = 364) using a Bayesian approach to multiple regression. In both samples, traumas with both high and medium (but not low) degrees of betrayal were associated with elevated ARD-T scores. Findings suggest that ARD-T scores are associated with interpersonal trauma regardless of betrayal, which has implications for interpretation of the ARD-T scale in practice.

[The Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnostic of Children and Adolescents (OPD-KJ-2) in Everyday Clinical Practice with the Plämobox: Applicability and Interrater Reliability]. / Die Operationalisierte Psychodynamische Diagnostik des Kindes- und Jugendalters (OPD-KJ-2) im klinischen Alltag mit dem Plämokasten.

The Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnostic of Children and Adolescents (OPD-KJ-2) in Everyday Clinical Practice with the Plämobox: Applicability and Interrater Reliability Abstract: Objective: The OPD-CA2 manual for assessing psychodynamic aspects in children and adolescents is well established in clinical practice. However, publications regarding its reliability and validity are limited to (1) adolescents, (2) the structure of the first version of the manual and not to the comprehensive revision of the OPD-CA2, (3) the axes "structure" and (partly) "conflict" but not the axis "relationship," and (4) missing applicability in everyday clinical practice. Methodology: The present study comprised 42 children aged 6-12 years (age level 2 of the OPD-CA2), with and without mental illness, and assessed them using two randomly assigned raters. We assessed them using a low-structured diagnostic symbol game with miniature figurines and objects based on videotapes. We also tested the interrater reliability of the OPD-CA2 axes. Results: The overall assessment of structure and the assessment of the four subdimensions succeeded with good to very good agreement. We could also determine the presence of relevant conflict dynamics with very high agreement, while not recognizing specific conflicts in the clinical sample. Our assessment of the items of the relationship axis shows a low level of agreement. Conclusions: Overall, we can confirm the reliability of the OPD-CA2 for everyday clinical assessment in the younger age groups. Finally, we discuss which factors contribute to the heterogeneous picture.

Cross validation of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) Cognitive Bias Scale of Scales (CB-SOS) over-reporting indicators in a military sample.

Following the development of the Cognitive Bias Scale (CBS), three other cognitive over-reporting indicators were created. This study cross-validates these new Cognitive Bias Scale of Scales (CB-SOS) measurements in a military sample and contrasts their performance to the CBS. We analyzed data from 288 active-duty soldiers who underwent neuropsychological evaluation. Groups were established based on performance validity testing (PVT) failure. Medium effects (d = .71 to .74) were observed between those passing and failing PVTs. The CB-SOS scales have high specificity (≥.90) but low sensitivity across the suggested cut scores. While all CB-SOS were able to achieve .90, lower scores were typically needed. CBS demonstrated incremental validity beyond CB-SOS-1 and CB-SOS-3; only CB-SOS-2 was incremental beyond CBS. In a military sample, the CB-SOS scales have more limited sensitivity than in its original validation, indicating an area of limited utility despite easier calculation. The CBS performs comparably, if not better, than CB-SOS scales. CB-SOS-2's differences in performance in this study and its initial validation suggest that its psychometric properties may be sample dependent. Given their ease of calculation and relatively high specificity, our study supports the interpretation of elevated CB-SOS scores indicating those who are likely to fail concurrent PVTs.

Synthesizing contemporary integrative interpersonal theory and the narrative identity approach to examine personality dynamics and regulatory processes.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this paper is to promote the integration of two approaches to personality and assessment: Contemporary Integrative Interpersonal Theory (CIIT) and the Narrative Identity Approach (NI). METHODS: We review CIIT and NI, describe their similarities and differences, and articulate opportunities to integrate the approaches to more fully account for personality dynamics and self-regulation. RESULTS: We identify several areas within which concepts from CIIT and NI could be synthesized and offer four concrete suggestions for integrating the assessment methods within each approach: (1) using narratives to explicate interpersonal perception, (2) using stories to clarify interpersonal context, (3), using the Interpersonal Situation as a framework for unpacking narrative elements, and (4) coding interpersonal sequences in narrative data. CONCLUSIONS: CIIT and NI have potential to augment one another both theoretically and methodologically in ways that would be fruitful for conceptualizing and studying personality dynamics and self-regulation.

Ruling out feigned crime-related amnesia? A response to Acklin (2022).

In a recent paper, Acklin discussed a case of possible amnesia for a murder in terms of neurobiology, psychoanalysis, and personality assessment. Acklin accepted the defendant's claim of amnesia for the crime as genuine. The considerable literature that takes a skeptical view of crime-related amnesia was not cited, and the possibility of feigning or malingering was "ruled out" with a single sentence that does not withstand scrutiny. A review of the literature on feigned amnesia suggests that it may not be possible to rule out malingering even if the best available tools are used: There has been minimal investigation of most validity tests and estimates of base rates of feigned amnesia for a crime vary widely and make estimates of Negative Predictor Power highly unreliable. Although one cannot know from the information presented if Acklin's defendant legitimately experienced amnesia, feigning could not be ruled out using an interview and the test data cited by Acklin. I call for a moratorium on publication of further articles on crime specific amnesia that do not conscientiously examine other potential explanations and do not use current best practices for assessing negative response bias.

The Boredom Prone Personality: A Multitrait-Multimethod Approach.

The present investigation reports the convergent and discriminant validity coefficients for two versions of Farmer and Sundberg's (Journal of Personality Assessment, 50(1), 4-17, 1986) boredom proneness scale. Boredom proneness, a trait that refers to an enduring tendency to disengage from the environment, has been neglected by the field of psychology despite its theoretical relevance to performance and psychological well-being. This report sought: (a) to validate a shortened 8-item version of the original Boredom Proneness Scale published by Struk et al. (Assessment, 24(3), 346-359, 2017) and (b) to extensively examine the boredom proneness construct that the long and short versions of this scale assess. We employed a multitrait-multimethod approach that assessed a large number of theorized effects simultaneously. We replicated dozens of theorized and/or previously observed boredom proneness correlates (convergent validity) as well as many theorized null effects (discriminant validity). The overall pattern of significant and null effect sizes provided compelling evidence that the original boredom proneness scale as well as the 8 items that constitute the shorter version are valid measures of one's susceptibility to boredom. We propose that boredom proneness might be an underappreciated yet important theoretical moderator of Person X Situation effects.

Contributions of Multimethod Personality Assessment in Indirect Evaluation.

Indirect assessment is a useful tool in forensic evaluation, especially in cases of threat assessment. To this end, we illustrated the ability to conceptualize a complicated case (i.e., Theodore John Kaczynski) using an indirect approach, with a particular emphasis upon dimensional frameworks of personality. Raters who were unrelated to Mr. Kaczynski's case and with expertise in relevant domains were asked to study information available in the public domain about Mr. Kaczynski and provide ratings using several assessment instruments. Our aim was not to provide a professional clinical opinion, but rather engage in scholarly discourse about the utility of instruments. Mr. Kaczynski was rated to demonstrate characteristics associated with lone actor terrorists. He showed an elevation on a measure of psychosis, and raters conceptualized trauma as an important aspect of his functioning. He demonstrated impairments in detachment and psychoticism (Criterion B of the AMPD) and interpersonal functioning (Criterion A of the AMPD). Clinical conceptualizations for Mr. Kaczynski emphasized schizotypal and paranoid personality disorders. This analysis of an infamous case about which considerable data are publicly available demonstrates the ease with which indirect and multimethod assessment can be applied and integrated in forensic assessment, using modern conceptualizations of personality pathology.