Are serious games an alternative to traditional personality questionnaires? Initial analysis of a gamified assessment.

Personality questionnaires stand as crucial instruments in personnel selection but their limitations turn the interest towards alternatives like game-related assessments (GRAs). GRAs developed for goals other than fun are called serious games. Within them, gamified assessments are serious games that share similarities with traditional assessments (questionnaires, situational judgment tests, etc.) but they incorporate game elements like story, music, and game dynamics. This paper aims to contribute to the research on serious games as an alternative to traditional personality questionnaires by analyzing the characteristics of a gamified assessment called VASSIP. This gamified assessment, based on an existing measure of the Big Five personality traits, incorporates game elements such as storyfication, immersion, and non-evaluable gamified dynamics. The study performed included 98 university students (77.6% with job experience) as participants. They completed the original personality measure (BFI-2-S), the gamified evaluation of personality (VASSIP), a self-report measure of the main dimensions of job performance (task performance, contextual performance, and counterproductive work behaviors), and measures of applicant reactions to BFI-2-S and VASSIP. Results showed that the gamified assessment behaved similarly to the original personality measure in terms of reliability and participants' scores, although the scores in Conscientiousness were substantially higher in VASSIP. Focusing on self-reports of the three dimensions of job performance, regression models showed that the gamified assessment could explain all of them. Regarding applicant reactions, the gamified assessment obtained higher scores in perceptions of comfort, predictive validity, and attractiveness, although the effect size was small except for the latter. Finally, all applicant reactions except for attractiveness were related to age and personality traits. In conclusion, gamified assessments have the potential to be an alternative to traditional personality questionnaires but VASSIP needs more research before its application in actual selection processes.

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.

Personality assessment inventory (PAI) in forensic and correctional settings: A comprehensive review.

As Forensic Psychology continues to expand as an independent field, professionals regularly resort to psychological assessment tools to assess people involved within the justice system. The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) is a 344-item, self-report inventory that aims to provide meaningful information for diagnosis and clinical decision-making, specifically relating to psychopathology, personality, and psychosocial environment. Its applicability in forensic settings has been increasingly recognized on account of its benefits in comparison to other self-report inventories (e.g., MMPI-2, MCMI-III), since it includes scales that are relevant to forensic settings (e.g., violence risk levels, psychopathy, substance abuse), and the existence of profile distortion indicators is useful when dealing with highly defensive and/or malingering populations. The goal of this paper is to conduct a thorough review of the PAI's utility in forensic settings, by focusing on the relevant forensic constructs assessed by the PAI (e.g., personality disorders, psychosis, substance abuse, aggression, recidivism risk, and response distortion), as well as its application to offender and inmate populations, intimate partner violence contexts, family law cases, and forensic professionals. Overall, the PAI continues to gather international recognition and its relevance and usefulness in forensic settings is generally accepted and acknowledged.

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.

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.

Evidence-Based Assessment of Personality Disorder.

The purpose of this article is to provide a description and discussion of the evidence-based assessment of personality disorder. Considered herein is the assessment of the Section II personality disorders included within the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., text rev.; DSM-5-TR), within Section III of DSM-5-TR, and within the 11th edition of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (WHO). The recommendation for an evidence-based assessment is for a multimethod approach: first administer a self-report inventory to alert the clinician to maladaptive personality functioning that might not have otherwise been anticipated, followed by a semi-structured interview to verify the personality disorder's presence. The validity of this multimethod strategy can be improved further by considering the impact of other disorders on the assessment, documenting temporal stability, and establishing a compelling, empirical basis for cutoff points.

Convergence in patient and therapist alliance ratings early in treatment with Personality Assessment Inventory clinical scales and subscales.

We examined discrepancies in 81 patient-therapist dyads' alliance ratings early in treatment (3rd or 4th session) in relation to Personality Assessment Inventory clinical scales, subscales and global psychopathology. Results indicated that PAI global psychopathology (mean clinical elevation) and the scales of Aggression [AGG], Somatization [SOM], and Anxiety-Related Disorders [ARD] were significantly, negatively associated with an absolute difference of patient and therapist alliance ratings at Session 3. Higher initial scores on these clinical scales at treatment onset are associated with less difference (i.e., more convergence) in patient/ therapist ratings of alliance at Session 3. Correlations between PAI clinical subscales and absolute differences of patient and therapist alliance ratings at Session 3 also demonstrated statistically significant inverse relationships for several PAI subscales of Aggression- Attitude [AGG-A], Aggression-Physical [AGG-P], Somatic- Health Concerns [SOM-H], Anxiety-Related Disorders-Traumatic Stress [ARD-T], Anxiety-Related Disorders- Obsessive Compulsive [ARD-O], Borderline Features-Affective Instability [BOR-A], Borderline- Self-Harm [BOR-S], Anxiety-Physiological [ANX-P], Depression-Physiological [DEP-P] and Antisocial-Stimulus Seeking [ANT-S]. Again, higher scores on these subscales at treatment onset are associated with less difference (i.e., more convergence) in patient/therapist ratings. We also examined group differences between patients rating alliance higher (Group 1) and therapists rating alliance higher (Group 2) and found that Group 1 had significantly lower scores on Mania-Activity Level [MAN-A]. Clinical implications of results are discussed.

Prototypicality analysis of the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP): A cross-cultural perspective.

The Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP) model is a new lexically based concept of psychopathy that has potential clinical utility. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the generalizability of the CAPP conceptual model in South Korea. In the current study, 88 experts and 1727 laypeople in South Korea were asked to evaluate the prototypicality of the symptoms of psychopathy (CAPP items) by using a Korean translation of the CAPP model (K-CAPP). In addition, 11 international prototypicality studies were systematically compared to the ratings by experts in the present study. As a result, it indicated that Korean experts and laypeople, on average, rated K-CAPP symptoms as moderately to highly prototypical of psychopathy, and more prototypical of psychopathy than symptoms theoretically unrelated to psychopathy (foils). Also, prototypicality ratings of K-CAPP symptoms made by those two groups were similar to each other as well as to ratings by experts and laypeople using the CAPP in other 11 countries. In conclusion, these results clearly show that both experts and laypeople in the current study conceptualized PPD in almost the same way as experts and laypeople from previous studies using the CAPP model.

Personality assessment in military - Bright and dark sides of the assessment measures: A review.

BACKGROUND: Personality assessment has its own bright and dark sides, especially in the military setting. It is at play since the emergence of clinical psychology and its application in the recruitment process during World War I and II. Change in personality assessment trends, the evolution of complex personality traits, and changing geopolitical settings across the world necessitate the development of cost-effective, time-efficient, and reliable assessment measures that overcome issues in current assessment measures and fulfil the needs of present timesOBJECTIVE:The objective of this paper is to explore the evolution of personality assessment measures and their uses in military settings along with the comparison of self-report and non-self-report measures. It would give directions for the development of new measures to overcome the issues and drawbacks associated with current measures of research. METHODS: The research question was formulated using the most valid SPIDER technique for a comprehensive search. PubMed, Google Scholar, and PsycNet databases were searched. 19 articles were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria out of 775 articles. RESULTS: Thematic analyses show that personality assessment in the military is done to a) detect psychopathology, b) detect aberrant responses, c) recruit new personnel, d) predict training and performance outcomes, and e) predict leadership. The research contributes to the body of knowledge by showing an integrated picture of the most widely used assessment tools and the purpose it serves. CONCLUSION: There is a need to develop assessment measures that are culture free and can assess more complex personality attributes.

Construction of item-level scales from the Personality Assessment Inventory to assess levels of personality functioning.

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) introduced the clinician-rated Levels of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS) as an indicator of general personality functioning based on four elements: Identity, Self-Direction, Empathy, and Intimacy. Construct validation strategies were employed to select and evaluate items from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 2007) to measure the four elements of the LPFS. In Study 1, conceptual ratings of PAI items produced lists of candidate items for the four elements. In Study 2, a sample of student respondents (n = 312) was used to select the final items for the PAI-Levels of Personality Functioning (PAI-LPF). In Study 3, a large sample of adults (n = 505) gathered using Amazon's Mechanical Turk was used to cross-validate the psychometric properties of the PAI-LPF element scales. Means, standard deviations, and coefficient alpha values are reported for the PAI-LPF total score and element scales using the PAI community adult and clinical patient normative samples. The PAI-LPF offers clinicians and researchers the ability to include the LPFS as part of a comprehensive assessment of personality and psychopathology offered by the PAI. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Personality Assessment Inventory suicidality scales: Suicidal Ideation (SUI), Suicide Potential Index (SPI), and S_Chron in an Afghanistan/Iraq-era active and Veteran military sample.

INTRODUCTION: This study validated Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) Suicidal Ideation (SUI), Suicide Potential Index (SPI), and S_Chron scales against chronic and acute suicide risk factors and symptom validity measures. METHODS: Afghanistan/Iraq-era active-duty and Veteran participants completed a prospective study on neurocognition (N = 403) that included the PAI. The Beck Depression Inventory-II (specifically item 9) administered at two time points assessed acute and chronic suicide risk; the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation item 20 identified history of suicide attempts. Major depressive disorder (MDD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI) were evaluated using structured interviews and questionnaires. RESULTS: All three PAI suicide scales were significantly related to independent indicators of suicidality, with the largest effect for SUI (AUC 0.837-0.849). All three suicide scales were significantly related to MDD (r = 0.36-0.51), PTSD (r = 0.27-0.60), and TBI (r = 0.11-0.30). The three scales were not related to suicide attempt history for those with invalid PAI protocols. CONCLUSIONS: Although all three suicide scales do show significant relationships to other indicators of risk, SUI showed the highest association and greatest resistance to response bias.

Evaluating Personality Assessment Inventory Response Patterns in Active-Duty Personnel With Head Injury Using a Latent Class Approach.

OBJECTIVE: Previous research has found that among those with brain injury, individuals have a variety of different potential symptom sets, which will be seen on the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). The number of different groups and what they measure have varied depending on the study. METHOD: In active-duty personnel with a remote history of mild traumatic brain injury (n = 384) who were evaluated at a neuropsychology clinic, we used a retrospective database to examine if there are different groups of individuals who have distinct sets of symptoms as measured on the PAI. We examined the potential of distinct groups of respondents by conducting a latent class analysis of the clinical scales. Post hoc testing of group structures was conducted on concurrently administered cognitive testing, performance validity tests, and the PAI subscales. RESULTS: Findings indicate a pattern of broad symptom severity as the most probable reason for multiple groups of respondents, suggesting that there are no distinct symptom sets observed within this population. Pathology levels were the most elevated on internalizing and thought disorder scales across the various class solutions. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that among active-duty service members with remote brain injury, there are no distinct groups of respondents with different sets of symptom types as has been found in prior work with other neuropsychology samples. We conclude that the groups found are likely a function of general psychopathology present in the population/sample rather than bona fide differences.

Examining the construct validity of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire for ICD-11 (PAQ-11) personality trait domains in a community sample.

The ICD-11 has a new diagnostic system for personality disorder, which includes five optional trait specifiers to characterize the diagnosed pathology. The current study evaluated the internal structure and construct validity of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire for ICD-11 (PAQ-11) personality trait domains in a US population-representative community sample. An exploratory factor analysis revealed the support for a four-factor model underlying the 17 PAQ-11 items, reflecting four of the five ICD-11 trait domains (Negative Affectivity, Detachment, Disinhibition and Anankastia). Moreover, correlation analyses revealed that the PAQ-11 domain scale scores were associated, as expected, with their counterparts from two other ICD-11 trait domain measures, as well as with traditional personality disorder scores. More broadly, the results raised questions about the structural integrity of the Dissociality domain scale, and the discriminant validity of the Disinhibition and Anankastia scales. The overall conclusion was nevertheless promising with respect to the PAQ-11 serving as a brief screening measure for the ICD-11 trait domains.

Validation of the personality assessment inventory (PAI) cognitive bias (CBS) and cognitive bias scale of scales (CB-SOS) in a post-deployment veteran sample.

Objective: The present study evaluated the function of four cognitive, symptom validity scales on the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), the Cognitive Bias Scale (CBS) and the Cognitive Bias Scale of Scales (CB-SOS) 1, 2, and 3 in a sample of Veterans who volunteered for a study of neurocognitive functioning. Method: 371 Veterans (88.1% male, 66.1% White) completed a battery including the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST), the Word Memory Test (WMT), and the PAI. Independent samples t-tests compared mean differences on cognitive bias scales between valid and invalid groups on the M-FAST and WMT. Area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, and hit rate across various scale point-estimates were used to evaluate classification accuracy of the CBS and CB-SOS scales. Results: Group differences were significant with moderate effect sizes for all cognitive bias scales between the WMT-classified groups (d = .52-.55), and large effect sizes between the M-FAST-classified groups (d = 1.27-1.45). AUC effect sizes were moderate across the WMT-classified groups (.650-.676) and large across M-FAST-classified groups (.816-.854). When specificity was set to .90, sensitivity was higher for M-FAST and the CBS performed the best (sensitivity = .42). Conclusion: The CBS and CB-SOS scales seem to better detect symptom invalidity than performance invalidity in Veterans using cutoff scores similar to those found in prior studies with non-Veterans.

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.

Atualidades e perspectivas futuras da comissão consultiva em avaliação psicológica / Current affairs and future perspectives of the consultative commission on psychological assessment (CCAP) / Actualidades y perspectivas de futuro de la comisión consultiva en evaluación psicológica

A Comissão Consultiva em Avaliação Psicológica (CCAP), atrelada ao Sistema de Avaliação de Testes Psicológicos (SATEPSI) do Conselho Federal de Psicologia (CFP), tem como objetivos emitir pareceres acerca de solicitações advindas da avaliação psicológica(AP), elaborar e propor atualizações de documentos técnicos e normativos do CFP relativos à AP, elaborar e propor diretrizes para o ensino e formação continuada em AP, conduzir o processo de avaliação dos instrumentos submetidos ao SATEPSI e discutir temas e propor ações no âmbito da AP. Nos últimos 20 anos, a CCAP vem buscando atender a esses objetivos, indicando novos caminhos para a área. Nesse sentido, este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar as principais atualidades e movimentos da CCAP, indicando caminhos possíveis e perspectivas futuras para a área de AP. São discutidas as ações atuais que vêm sendo desenvolvidas pela CCAP, bem como as ações futuras delineadas que buscam promover uma AP cada vez mais democrática. Concluímos que a AP é uma prática do(a) psicólogo(a) que deve ser operacionalizada com compromisso ético, atrelada aos direitos humanos e à justiça, com embasamento científico e alinhada às mudanças sociais.(AU)

The Consultative Commission on Psychological Assessment (CCAP), affiliated with the Psychological Test Evaluation System under the Federal Council of Psychology (CFP), has the following objectives: to provide expert opinions on requests stemming from psychological assessments (PA), to draft and propose updates to the CFP technical and normative documents pertaining to PA, to formulate and recommend guidelines for education and ongoing professional development in PA, to oversee the evaluation process of instruments submitted to SATEPSI, and to engage in discussions and propose initiatives within the PA. Over the past two decades, CCAP has diligently worked to achieve these goals, charting new avenues in the field. In this context, this study aims to describe the most current developments and initiatives of CCAP and outline prospective directions and future outlooks for the PA. This study delves into the current initiatives undertaken by CCAP and the prospective actions delineated to foster a progressively more inclusive PA. Thus, we claim that PA is a practice inherent to psychologists that demands ethical commitment, alignment with human rights and justice, a solid scientific foundation, and adaptation to evolving social dynamics.(AU)

La Comisión Consultiva en Evaluación Psicológica (CCAP), vinculada al Sistema de Evaluación de Pruebas Psicológicas (SATEPSI) del Consejo Federal de Psicología (CFP), tiene como objetivo emitir opinión técnica sobre solicitudes derivadas de la evaluación psicológica (EP), elaborar y proponer actualizaciones de documentos técnicos y normativos del CFP relacionados con EP, desarrollar y proponer lineamientos para la enseñanza y la formación continua en EP, conducir el proceso de evaluación de los instrumentos presentados al SATEPSI y discutir temas y proponer acciones en el ámbito de EP. Durante los últimos veinte años, la CCAP ha buscado alcanzar estos objetivos indicando nuevos caminos para el área. En este sentido, este artículo tiene como objetivo presentar las principales actualidades y movimientos de la CCAP indicando posibles caminos y perspectivas de futuro para el área de EP. Se discuten las acciones actuales que ha desarrollado la CCAP, así como las acciones futuras perfiladas que buscan promover una EP cada vez más democrática. Se concluye que la EP es una práctica del psicólogo que debe ponerse en práctica con compromiso ético, vinculada a los derechos humanos y la justicia, con base científica y alineada con los cambios sociales.(AU)

A preliminary study of the probitive value of personality assessment in medical school admissions within the United States.

BACKGROUND: Allopathic medicine faces a daunting challenge of selecting the best applicants because of the very high applicant / matriculant ratio. The quality of graduates ultimately reflects the quality of medical practice. Alarming recent trends in physician burnout, misconduct and suicide raise questions of whether we are selecting the right candidates. The United States (US) lags far behind the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe in the study of non-cognitive tests in medical school admissions. Although more recently, medical schools in both the UK, Europe and the US have begun to use situational judgement tests such as the Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (CASPer) and the situational judgement test (SJT), recently developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and that these tests are, in a sense non-cognitive in nature, direct personality tests per se have not been utilized. We have historically used, in the admissions process within the US, knowledge, reasoning and exam performance, all of which are largely influenced by intelligence and also improved with practice. Personality, though also undoubtedly influenced by intelligence, is fundamentally different and subject to different kinds of measurements. METHODS: A popular personality measurement used over the past two decades within the US in business and industry, but not medical school has been the Neo Personality Inventory - Revised (NEO-PI-R) Test. This test has not been utilized regularly in allopathic medicine probably because of the paucity of exploratory retrospective and validating prospective studies. The hypothesis which we tested was whether NEO-PI-R traits exhibited consistency between two institutions and whether their measurements showed probative value in predicting academic performance. RESULTS: Our retrospective findings indicated both interinstitutional consistencies and both positive and negative predictive values for certain traits whose correlative strengths exceeded traditional premed metrics: medical college admission test (MCAT) scores, grade point average (GPA), etc. for early academic performance. CONCLUSIONS: Our exploratory studies should catalyze larger and more detailed confirmatory studies designed to validate the importance of personality traits not only in predicting early medical school performance but also later performance in one's overall medical career.

The role of personality assessment in forensic driving license renewal procedures. A study supported by the MMPI-2 test.

Abstract: The main function of the medical-psychological assessment to evaluate fitness to drive (FTD) is to safeguard the community against risks posed by drivers who, owing to psycho-physical disease, personality disturbances, abuse of psychotropic substances or drugs, can be a hazard to safety on the roads. In the context of psychodiagnostic investigations, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2) test is the gold standard tool supporting clinical assessments conducted to evaluate a subject's capacity to predict her/his own actions, attitudes, risk propensity, level of conformity to social norms. Other important features of the tool include the specific scales aimed at individuating behaviors adopted with the intent to elude or hide existing personality problems. These behaviors are very frequent in the field of medicolegal, psychological and psychiatric assessments, including FTD evaluations. In this study, the MMPI 2 test was administered to 154 subjects for whom Driving Licence (DL) Medical Commissions based in the south of Italy had required specific personality assessments, compared to a control group of 186 subjects with no clinical or psychodiagnostic problems. The question posed in our study was to understand whether the test was able to detect differences between the personalities of the subjects belonging to the two groups. The results obtained demonstrated significant differences between the experimental group and the controls, shown by the MMPI-2 variables, in particular the clinical Hs scale,the supplementary scales: GF, Re, AAS, APS and the content scales DEP and TRT, as well as the PSY-5 Disc and Nege scales.

Personality assessment with Temperament and Character Inventory in Parkinson's disease.

INTRODUCTION: There is a growing interest in personality evaluation in Parkinson's disease (PD), following observations of specific temperaments in PD patients. Therefore, our objective was to evaluate personality dimensions from the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in a cohort of fluctuating PD patients considered for deep brain stimulation. METHODS: Fluctuating PD patients from the PREDISTIM cohort were included. Description of TCI dimensions and comparison with a French normative cohort were performed. Pearson correlations between TCI dimensions and motor, behavioral and cognitive variables were investigated. Structural and internal consistency analysis of the TCI were further assessed. RESULTS: The 570 PD patients presented significant higher scores in Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence, Persistence, Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness and significant lower scores in Self-Transcendence compared to the French normative cohort; only Novelty Seeking scores were not different. Harm Avoidance and Self-directedness scores were correlated with PDQ-39 total, HAMD, HAMA scores, and anxiolytic/antidepressant treatment. Novelty Seeking scores were correlated with impulsivity. Pearson correlations between TCI dimensions, principal component analysis of TCI sub-dimensions and Cronbach's alpha coefficients showed adequate psychometric proprieties. CONCLUSION: The TCI seems to be an adequate tool to evaluate personality dimensions in PD with good structural and internal consistencies. These fluctuating PD patients also have specific personality dimensions compared to normative French population. Moreover, Harm Avoidance and Self-Directedness scores are associated with anxio-depressive state or quality of life and, and Novelty Seeking scores with impulsivity.