The Utility of the Level of Personality Functioning Scale in Maternal Samples: A Brief Report.

Maternal personality plays a role in how a mother parents her children and adolescents. Current trait-based measures of personality are acceptable for use in maternal samples, but the presence or absence of given personality traits might not be enough to describe how personality relates to parenting. The Level of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS) could serve as a solution, as it was designed to capture level of dysfunction in personality without being reliant on specific personality traits. Research, however, has yet to demonstrate the LPFS as a useful measure of personality in maternal samples, thus the goal of this study. A sample of 123 mothers reported on behavioral problems in their adolescent-aged children and their own personality using both a trait-based measure and the LPFS. Our data showed that maternal reports on the LPFS were associated with maternal perceptions of adolescent behavioral problems, in addition to being an acceptable measure of personality in our maternal sample. We also provide support for incremental validity of the LPFS in our sample, as the LPFS uniquely predicted maternal perceptions of adolescent behavioral problems even after controlling for maternal personality traits. Our results are discussed in light of the limitations of the extant work on maternal personality and add to the literature by demonstrating that the LPFS is an acceptable and ubiquitous measure of personality in maternal samples.

Reduced social contact and attachment insecurity as predictors of loneliness during COVID-19: A two-month experience sampling study.

The impact of reduced social contact on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic has been identified as a major public health concern. While personality factors such as attachment style have been associated with psychological distress during the pandemic, the longitudinal relevance of these factors and the role of daily social contact in mitigating distress remains poorly understood. This study evaluated the impact of social contact and attachment style on changes in loneliness over an 8-week experience sampling period during the COVID-19 pandemic. A general adult sample (n = 184) recruited online completed measures of psychological distress, attachment, and loneliness via smartphone. Loneliness and daily social contact were assessed twice per week for eight weeks, yielding 1124 unique observations. During the experience sampling period, proximal increases in loneliness were associated with decreased daily in-person contact. In contrast, participants who described themselves as having fewer interactions via text, phone, or videoconferencing, as well as those with higher anxious and avoidant attachment traits, reported greater experiences of loneliness over time. These findings suggest the relevance of both enduring personality characteristics and daily social behaviors as risk factors for loneliness during the pandemic, pointing to potential targets for clinical intervention and future empirical study.

Effortful Control and Interpersonal Behavior in Daily Life.

The Cognitive-Affective Processing System (CAPS) was used to examine effortful control (EC) as a moderator of daily interpersonal behavior. Participants (N = 240) were nonclinical young adults who completed a 7-day event-contingent experience sampling study of interpersonal perception and affect. Multilevel linear models indicated that EC moderated within-person covariation of interpersonal warmth and affect activation; high EC individuals reported greater momentary warm behaviors when perceiving others as affectively activated. EC also amplified between-person covariation of interpersonal warmth between self and others; high EC individuals generally responded to perceptions of another's warmth with a greater degree of warm behavior. Varying levels of EC predict responses to interpersonal perceptions and affect in daily life, suggesting an important dimension for interpersonal functioning.

Examining the Interpersonal Nature of Criterion A of the DSM-5 Section III Alternative Model for Personality Disorders Using Bootstrapped Confidence Intervals for the Interpersonal Circumplex.

Criterion A of the alternative model of personality disorders (AMPD) involves the assessment of impairments in self and self in relation to other functioning and can be assessed using the Level of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS). This study uses responses to a self-report version of the LPFS (AMPD-CAS) from 248 college students to examine the interpersonal implications of AMPD personality impairments using the interpersonal circumplex (IPC) as a nomological net. Results suggest that AMPD-CAS self-impairments are related to problems of low communion and interpersonal distress and do not appear to tap expected interpersonal problems of low agency. Additionally, AMPD-CAS identity is specifically associated with sensitivity to control, suggesting that individuals with diffuse identity find it aversive and intrusive when others take the lead. AMPD-CAS self in relation to other impairments are related to being too argumentative and suspicious of others, having difficulty connecting and caring for others, and finding others' affection and reliance aversive. Both self and self in relation to other AMPD-CAS impairments are related to interpersonal distress and misanthropy, suggesting they tap pathological aspects of personality functioning. These findings represent a first step toward fully examining the interpersonal nature of Criterion A impairments and provides preliminary evidence for the construct validity of AMPD-CAS scores.

Expanding the Validity of the Level of Personality Functioning Scale Observer Report and Self-Report Versions Across Psychodynamic and Interpersonal Paradigms.

The Level of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS) operationalizes Criterion A of the DSM-5 alternative model for personality disorders. Yet, research on this measure has been slow to accumulate and questions remain regarding its reliability and validity. This study examined the LPFS observer-rated (OR) and self-report (SRA) versions of Criterion A in a sample of 240 students who provided psychological life history data and a variety of self-report measures. The results suggested the LPFS OR could be reliably coded, and the LPFS OR and LPFS SRA were significantly associated with outcome variables across psychodynamic and interpersonal paradigms. We discuss the implications of assessing personality dysfunction using the LPFS and the importance of expanding the research base for the AMPD model.

Teaching Strategies for Personality Assessment at the Undergraduate Level.

Personality assessment is a crucial component of clinical practice, and the training and proficiency criteria to develop competence are complex and multifaceted. Like many advanced topics, the field of personality assessment would benefit from early exposure in undergraduate classroom settings. This research evaluates how an undergraduate personality course can be enhanced through 2 enrichment activities (self-assessments and a personality project). Students completed several self-assessments of their personality and wrote a comprehensive and integrative personality assessment about themselves. Results demonstrated that these activities increased interest in personality assessment, deepened understanding of course material, and promoted student growth and self-exploration. We discuss the benefits of these enrichment activities for the student, instructor, and field of personality science.

Negative affect, interpersonal perception, and binge eating behavior: An experience sampling study.

OBJECTIVE: Etiological and maintenance models for disordered eating highlight the salience of negative affect and interpersonal dysfunction. This study employed a 14-day experience sampling procedure to assess the impact of negative affect and interpersonal perceptions on binge eating behavior. METHOD: Young adult women (N = 40) with recurrent binge eating and significant clinical impairment recorded their mood, interpersonal behavior, and eating behaviors at six stratified semirandom intervals daily through the use of personal digital assistants. RESULTS: Although momentary negative affect was associated with binge eating behavior, average levels of negative affect over the experience sampling period were not, and interpersonal problems moderated the relationship between negative affect and binge eating. Interpersonal problems also intensified the association between momentary interpersonal perceptions and binge eating behavior. Lagged analyses indicated that previous levels of negative affect and interpersonal style also influence binge eating. DISCUSSION: The study findings suggest there may be important differences in how dispositional versus momentary experiences of negative affect are associated with binge eating. Results also highlight the importance of interpersonal problems for understanding relationships among negative affect, interpersonal perception, and binge eating behavior. These results offer several possibilities for attending to affective and interpersonal functioning in clinical practice.

A Chinese translation of the inventory of interpersonal problems-short circumplex.

The Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-Short Circumplex (IIP-SC) is a self-report measure of subjective distress linked to behavioral excesses and inhibitions in social relationships. The IIP-SC exhibits circumplex structure reflecting the underlying dimensions of dominance-submissiveness and warmth-coldness. We translated the IIP-SC into Mandarin Chinese using rigorous translation and back-translation methods with independent native speakers. University students in the People's Republic of China (N = 401) completed the translated IIP-SC and the Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI-2), an omnibus measure of indigenous personality trait dimensions and symptoms of psychopathology. The circumplex structure of the Chinese IIP-SC was confirmed using principal components analysis, a randomization test for hypothesized order relations, and confirmatory circumplex analysis. The validity of the Chinese IIP-SC was evaluated by examining its associations with the CPAI-2 scales. Validity evidence for Chinese translation of the IIP-SC extends its use for clinical assessment to native Chinese speakers, although ongoing work to improve its reliability is needed.

An integrative approach to the assessment of narcissism.

Narcissism research is poorly calibrated across fields of study in part due to confusion over how to integrate normal and pathological descriptions of narcissism. We argue that pathological and normal narcissism can be integrated in a single model that organizes around self-regulation mechanisms. We present theoretical and empirical support for this interpretation, and demonstrate that modeling pathological and normal narcissism as 2 dimensions underlying the narcissistic character can help to resolve some of the inconsistencies in the field regarding how to best assess adaptive and maladaptive expressions of narcissism.

Comparing Measures of Criterion A to Better Understand Incremental Validity in the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders.

The Alternative Model of Personality Disorders distinguishes between the severity of personality dysfunction (Criterion A) and individual differences in personality disorder expression (Criterion B). Several Criterion A measures exist, but few studies have compared these measures with each other. Moreover, debates about whether the constructs of Criteria A and B are redundant (i.e., weak incremental validity) should be framed around how different Criterion A measures perform relative to others. This study of 204 undergraduate students evaluated multiple measures of Criterion A. These measures were strongly correlated with Criterion B, but evidenced incremental validity (39% of outcomes, 5% average additional variance explained) with outcomes of psychopathology and interpersonal impairments, and less consistent incremental validity with suicidality, aggression, and mental health utilization. We discuss how these results inform the construct of Criterion A relative to Criterion B and evaluate strengths/weaknesses of Criterion A measures.

Attachment, loneliness, and social connection as prospective predictors of suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic: A relational diathesis-stress experience sampling study.

INTRODUCTION: Concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health have led to efforts to understand how pandemic-specific factors, such as decreased social contact during periods of social distancing, may relate to suicide risk. The present study evaluated personality-based risk factors and frequency of social contact as prospective predictors of suicidal ideation (SI) during the pandemic. METHODS: We tested a relational diathesis-stress model of suicide focusing on insecure attachment, trait loneliness, and social contact as predictors of SI, using twice-weekly survey data collected via smartphone from a community sample (n = 184) over 8 weeks. RESULTS: Multilevel modeling showed that both trait loneliness and anxious attachment predicted the prospective development of SI during the study period. Reduced in-person contact, but not remote contact, was proximally associated with increased SI. Participants with high attachment avoidance were more likely to develop SI in the context of reduced daily in-person contact compared to participants without these traits. CONCLUSION: Findings support a relational diathesis-stress model of suicide risk during the pandemic, showing that dispositional traits related to emotional connection with others predicted the relative salience of reduced social contact as a proximal risk factor for SI.

Intolerance of aloneness as a prospective predictor of suicidal ideation during COVID-19.

Background: Social distancing has been essential in mitigating the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Evidence regarding the impact of reduced social contact on mental health during the pandemic has been mixed, however, with studies suggesting that enduring personality traits and affect regulation impairments may together increase risk for suicidal distress during periods of lockdown. The present study utilized experience sampling and longitudinal follow-up methods to evaluate intolerance of aloneness (IA) as a predictor of suicidal ideation (SI) during the pandemic. Methods: A general adult sample (n = 184) recruited online completed an 8-week experience sampling protocol via smartphone between April and September 2020. A subset of n = 69 participants completed a follow-up assessment of SI six months after the initial study period. Results: IA was associated with suicidal ideation both at baseline and prospectively during the experience sampling period. Individuals with greater IA were more likely to report SI in the short-term context of reduced daily in-person social contact. Higher IA at baseline furthermore prospectively predicted the occurrence of SI during the 6-month follow-up period. Limitations: The sample was relatively homogenous in terms of demographic characteristics and excluded individuals with limited access to communication technology. While statistical models accounted for current mental health treatment status, other factors that were not assessed (such as adverse events or psychiatric symptoms in non-treatment-seeking subjects) may have contributed to the development of SI. Conclusions: Findings enhance understanding of how personality-based factors may contribute to suicide risk during periods of social distancing, informing both clinical treatment, risk assessment, and public health intervention approaches.

Evaluating Change in Transference, Interpersonal Functioning, and Trust Processes in the Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder: A Single-Case Study Using Ecological Momentary Assessment.

Transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) is an empirically supported treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) that improves functioning via targeting representations of self affectively relating to others, particularly as evoked in the therapeutic relationship. If change in TFP operates as theorized, then shifts in patterns of "self affectively relating to others" should be observed in the transference prior to shifts in daily relationships. Using ecological momentary assessment (EMA), a patient with BPD rated daily interpersonal events for 2-week periods during 18 months of TFP; at 9 and 18 months these ratings included interactions with the therapist. Results suggest that positive perceptions of her therapist that ran counter to her negatively biased perception in other relationships preceded changes in her perceptions of others. EMA shifts corresponded to improvements in self-reported symptoms, interview-based personality functioning, and therapist assessments. Implications for assimilation of a trusting experience with the therapist as a mechanism of change in TFP are discussed.

Examining the Structure and Validity of Self-Report Measures of DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders Criterion A.

The Level of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS) operationalizes Criterion A of the DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders. Despite progress in LPFS measurement development and validation, there is a lack of research, and some disagreement, concerning structural, convergent, and incremental validity of LPFS self-report measures. The present study aimed to compare the LPFS Self-Report, LPFS Self-Report of Criterion A, and LPFS Brief Form. Internal structure was assessed through principal component analyses, factor analyses, and bifactor analyses of unidimensionality. Associations with both pathological and basic personality characteristics among the LPFS measures were explored. Incremental validity of LPFS severity in predicting pathological personality outcomes controlling for basic personality traits, and the reverse, were examined. Results suggest a unidimensional structure robustly associated with other pathological personality assessments. LPFS severity and basic personality traits mutually offered unique explanatory power. We discuss the implications of assessing personality pathology using LPFS self-report measures.

The circumplex structure of interpersonal sensitivities.

Previous research on aversive interpersonal behavior has provided limited links between interpersonal sensitivities and comprehensive models of personality and social behavior. Study 1 (N = 1,336) of this article demonstrated that interpersonal sensitivities can be mapped onto the interpersonal circumplex and that people generally find others' behavior that is least similar to their own generally most aversive. In Study 2 (N = 299), a broader array of correlates with interpersonal sensitivities was investigated, and results again suggested that interpersonal opposites are generally perceived as most aversive. Study 3 (N = 315) specified romantic, platonic, or nonclose relationships and again found this pattern. Conceptualizing sensitivities with the interpersonal circumplex model permits investigators to distinguish general from specific kinds of sensitivity, allows for tests of the convergent and discriminant validity of interpersonal sensitivities, and integrates sensitivities into a well-established nomological net composed of multiple constructs relevant to social behavior and interpersonal dysfunction.

Psychopathy moderates the relationship between time in treatment and levels of empathy in incarcerated male sexual offenders.

This study examined whether psychopathy moderated the relationship between time in treatment and forms of empathy in a sample of incarcerated male sexual offenders (N = 58). Empathy was assessed as a general personality trait as well as in attitudes toward specific victim groups (children, women).The three empathy measures were submitted to principal components analysis with oblique rotation, revealing a 3-component solution: general empathy, hostility toward women, and empathy for children. Hierarchical linear regression analyses demonstrated that level of psychopathy significantly moderated the effects of time in treatment on levels of general and victim-specific empathy, such that offenders with higher levels of psychopathy did not exhibit greater empathy with longer reported time in treatment. In contrast, offenders with lower levels of psychopathy exhibited greater empathy with longer time in treatment. Implications for treatment planning for sexual offenders are discussed.

Elections Have Consequences for Student Mental Health: An Accidental Daily Diary Study.

Polling suggested that the 2016 United States presidential election affected citizens' mood and stress levels. Yet, polling often fails to employ repeated measurement designs that can capture pre- and post-levels of change within the same person. In this study, undergraduate students ( N = 85) completed a 14-day daily diary where mood, stress, and mental health outcomes were assessed before and after the election. Multilevel modeling revealed an immediate upsurge in anxiety, stress, and poor sleep quality the day after the election, followed by a recovery period indicating these effects were short-lived. Other reactions (anger, fear, marginalization, and experiencing discrimination) evidenced a significant upsurge without a significant recovery. We consider how daily diary research designs like this one could be integrated into college settings to inform counseling center resource allocation, and we also comment on the promise of the daily diary methodology for political research.

Examining the alternative model for personality disorder in daily life: Evidence for incremental validity.

The alternative model for personality disorders includes a single dimension of personality dysfunction severity (Criterion A) and five dimensions of personality dysfunction styles (Criterion B). Some consider Criteria A and B distinctions redundant, and this appears mostly true in cross-sectional designs. The present research demonstrated that incremental validity can be found when examining personality dysfunction longitudinally. Participants (n = 175) completed a 14-day electronic diary, capturing daily levels of Criteria A and B, along with daily outcomes of personality dysfunction across several domains. Criteria A and B incremented each other across these domains. Moreover, Criterion B trait scores were associated with expected domains of functioning, evidencing convergent and discriminant validity. We discuss the implications for the alternative model for personality disorders, and the usefulness of longitudinal methods to uncover temporal dynamics in personality dysfunction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Current evolutionary adaptiveness of anxiety: Extreme phenotypes of anxiety predict increased fertility across multiple generations.

OBJECTIVE: Although recent research has begun to examine the impact of elevated anxiety on evolutionary fitness, no prior research has examined anxiety across a continuum. Such research is important as the effect of traits across a continuum on fertility hold important implications for the levels and distribution of the traits in later generations. METHOD: In a three-generational sample (N = 2657) the linear and quadratic relationship between anxiety and the number of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren 15 years later was examined. RESULTS: The findings suggested that anxiety had a positive quadratic relationship with the number of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren 15 years later. These relationships were not significantly moderated by sex. Moreover, most of the variance between anxiety and the number of great-grandchildren was explained by anxiety's influence on the number of children and grandchildren, as opposed to anxiety having an independent direct impact on the number of great-grandchildren. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that extreme values from the mean anxiety are associated with increased evolutionary fitness within the modern environment.