Relationship between depression and global and specific personality global functioning / Relação entre depressão e funcionamento patológico global e específico da personalidade / Relación entre la depresión y el funcionamiento global de la personalidad global y específica

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between depressive symptoms and pathological personality functioning (PPF) and specific indicators of pathological personality patterns. The participants were 446 adults from the general population. Part of the sample (n = 237) answered scales evaluating the PPF (Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory - screening (IDCP-Screening)) and symptoms of depression (Baptist Depression Scale - screening (EBADEP-Screening)); another part (n = 209) answered tests evaluating personality disorders (PD) (SCID-II personality questionnaire; SCID-II-PQ) and symptoms of depression (EBADEP-screening). The results indicated that both PPF and PD showed positive associations with depressive symptoms, although associations with PPF were stronger. The PD most associated with depressive symptoms were avoidant, dependent, and borderline. Findings suggest that PPF and specific pathological patterns are risk factors for the onset of depressive symptoms.

O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar as relações entre sintomas depressivos e indicadores globais (funcionamento patológico da personalidade - PPF) e específicos (transtornos da personalidade - TP) de padrões de personalidade patológica. Participaram do estudo 446 adultos da população geral. Uma parte da amostra (n = 237) preencheu testes avaliando o PPF (Inventário Dimensional Clínico da Personalidade - triagem (IDCP-triagem)) e sintomas de depressão (Escala Baptista de Depressão - triagem (EBADEP-triagem)); outra parte (n = 209) preencheu testes avaliando TP (questionário de personalidade da SCID-II; SCID-II-QP) e sintomas de depressão (EBADEP-triagem). Os resultados indicaram que tanto o PPF quanto os TPs apresentaram associações positivas com sintomas depressivos, apesar de as associações com o PPF terem sido mais fortes. Os TPs que mais se associaram aos sintomas depressivos foram evitativo, dependente e borderline. Os achados sugerem que o PPF e os padrões específicos são fatores de risco para o surgimento de sintomas depressivos.

El objetivo del presente estudio fue investigar las relaciones entre los síntomas depresivos y el funcionamiento patológico de la personalidad (PPF) y los indicadores específicos de los patrones patológicos de la personalidad. 446 adultos de la población general participaron en el estudio. Una parte de la muestra (n = 237) respondió a las pruebas que evaluaban PPF (Inventario Dimensional Clinico de Personalidad Dimensional (IDCP)) y síntomas de depresión (Escala de Depresión Baptista - (EBADEP)); otra parte (n = 209) respondieron pruebas que evaluaban TP (cuestionario de personalidad SCID-II; SCID-II-QP) y síntomas de depresión (cribado EBADEP). Los resultados indicaron que tanto PPF como TP mostraron asociaciones positivas con síntomas depresivos, aunque las asociaciones con PPF fueron más fuertes. Las TB más asociadas con síntomas depresivos fueron evitantes, dependientes y dudosas. Los hallazgos sugieren que PPF y patrones específicos son factores de riesgo para la aparición de síntomas depresivos.

Personality differences and COVID-19: are extroversion and conscientiousness personality traits associated with engagement with containment measures?

Abstract Introduction In December 2019, an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) probably occurred in Wuhan, China. By March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared a pandemic. Containment measures such as social distancing and hand hygiene were recommended. In this study, we start from the hypothesis that engaging with containment measures in a pandemic situation should be more comfortable for some people than for other people. Thus, individual differences should be associated with engagement with containment measures. Objective To investigate to what extent two personality traits, extroversion and conscientiousness, are associated with engagement with two containment measures (social distancing and handwashing). Methods The sample consisted of 715 Brazilian adults aged 18-78 years, who answered the Big Five Inventory 2 Short (BFI-2-S) and factors from the Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory 2 (IDCP-2). Results Higher scores for extroversion were associated with lower means for social distancing (p < 0.001) and higher scores for conscientiousness were associated with higher means for social distancing and handwashing (p < 0.05). Conclusion The findings indicate the importance of acknowledging extroversion and conscientiousness traits as relevant to people's engagement with the measures recommended for COVID-19 containment.

Personality differences and COVID-19: are extroversion and conscientiousness personality traits associated with engagement with containment measures?

Introduction In December 2019, an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) probably occurred in Wuhan, China. By March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared a pandemic. Containment measures such as social distancing and hand hygiene were recommended. In this study, we start from the hypothesis that engaging with containment measures in a pandemic situation should be more comfortable for some people than for other people. Thus, individual differences should be associated with engagement with containment measures. Objective To investigate to what extent two personality traits, extroversion and conscientiousness, are associated with engagement with two containment measures (social distancing and handwashing). Methods The sample consisted of 715 Brazilian adults aged 18-78 years, who answered the Big Five Inventory 2 Short (BFI-2-S) and factors from the Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory 2 (IDCP-2). Results Higher scores for extroversion were associated with lower means for social distancing (p < 0.001) and higher scores for conscientiousness were associated with higher means for social distancing and handwashing (p < 0.05). Conclusion The findings indicate the importance of acknowledging extroversion and conscientiousness traits as relevant to people's engagement with the measures recommended for COVID-19 containment.

Investigating the Spectra constellations of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) model for personality disorders based on empirical data from a community sample

Objective: The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) posits that psychopathology is hierarchically structured. For personality disorder (PD) traits, there are five spectra: internalizing, thought disorder, disinhibited externalizing, antagonistic externalizing, and detachment. Empirical findings suggest a sixth group, compulsivity. In this research, we tried to recover the five HiTOP spectra, plus compulsivity, specifically for PD traits. Methods: The sample was composed of 4,868 Brazilians (54.9% women, age ranging from 18 to 70; mean = 25.7; SD = 9.64). All participants answered the Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory 2 (IDCP-2), a self-report inventory for adults, developed in Brazil, for assessment of pathological personality traits. Results: Parallel analysis yielded up to nine factors. On exploratory structural equation modeling (E-SEM), the balance between interpretability and fit index suggested the six-factor solution as the best solution. The fit indexes for the confirmatory factor analysis were slightly less adjusted in comparison to the empirical model. Conclusion: The hypothesis was confirmed, as we did find the groups proposed at the spectrum level of the HiTOP. We also found a compulsivity factor, encompassing the main traits from the conscientiousness dimension of IDCP-2, which is related to obsessive-compulsive PD. Finding the six groupings of traits in the HiTOP model contributes to the validity of this model, and confirms the existence of proposed spectra.

Investigating the Spectra constellations of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) model for personality disorders based on empirical data from a community sample.

OBJECTIVE: The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) posits that psychopathology is hierarchically structured. For personality disorder (PD) traits, there are five spectra: internalizing, thought disorder, disinhibited externalizing, antagonistic externalizing, and detachment. Empirical findings suggest a sixth group, compulsivity. In this research, we tried to recover the five HiTOP spectra, plus compulsivity, specifically for PD traits. METHODS: The sample was composed of 4,868 Brazilians (54.9% women, age ranging from 18 to 70; mean = 25.7; SD = 9.64). All participants answered the Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory 2 (IDCP-2), a self-report inventory for adults, developed in Brazil, for assessment of pathological personality traits. RESULTS: Parallel analysis yielded up to nine factors. On exploratory structural equation modeling (E-SEM), the balance between interpretability and fit index suggested the six-factor solution as the best solution. The fit indexes for the confirmatory factor analysis were slightly less adjusted in comparison to the empirical model. CONCLUSION: The hypothesis was confirmed, as we did find the groups proposed at the spectrum level of the HiTOP. We also found a compulsivity factor, encompassing the main traits from the conscientiousness dimension of IDCP-2, which is related to obsessive-compulsive PD. Finding the six groupings of traits in the HiTOP model contributes to the validity of this model, and confirms the existence of proposed spectra.

Establishing a clinically relevant cutoff to the Dependency Scale from the dimensional clinical personality inventory.

The Clinical Dimensional Personality Inventory (IDCP) is a 163-item self-report tool developed for the assessment of 12 dimensions of personality pathology. One of the scales comprising the instrument-the Dependency scale-is intended to provide psychometric information on traits closely related to the Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD). In the present study, we used both Item Response Theory modeling and Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis to establishing a clinically meaningful cutoff for the IDCP Dependency Scale. Participants were 2.481 adults, comprised by outpatients diagnosed with DPD, outpatients diagnosed with other PDs, and adults from the general population. The Wright's item map graphing technique revealed that outpatients were located at the very high levels in the latent scale continuum of the Dependency Scale, with a very large effect size for the mean difference between patients and non-patients. The ROC curve analysis supported a cutoff at 2.3 points in the Dependency Scale, which yielded 0.86 of sensitivity and 0.79 of specificity. Findings from the present investigation suggest the IDCP Dependency Scale is useful as a screening tool of the core features of the DPD. We address potential clinical applications for the instrument, and discuss limitations from the present study.

Cross-cultural Adaptation, Reliability, and Validity of the BICAMS in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reliability and validity of a Brazilian-Portuguese adaptation of the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS). METHOD: A Brazilian sample of 58 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and 58 healthy controls (HC) were administered the Brazilian-Portuguese BICAMS test battery, comprising the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), California Verbal Learning Test Second Edition (CVLT2), and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test Revised (BVMTR). Mean differences between groups on BICAMS tests were assessed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), controlling for age, gender, education, anxiety, and depression. Test-retest data were obtained from 49 of the MS patients, two weeks after the initial assessment. RESULTS: The MS patient group scored significantly lower on all BICAMS tests (CVLT2 F1,110 = 28.99, p < .001; BVMTR F1,110 = 7.77, p < .01; SDMT F1,110 = 21.09, p < .001). Mixed-factor ANCOVAs tested differences in learning curves across trials for CVLT2 and BVMTR. HCs had significantly steeper learning curves on both CVLT2 (F1,111 = 10.82, p < .01) and BVMTR (F1,110 = 7.816, p < .01). These findings support diagnostic validity of the Brazilian-Portuguese adaptation. Test-retest reliability was satisfactory for SDMT, CVLT2, and BVMTR (.86, .84, and .77, respectively). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that this Brazilian version of the BICAMS will be a valid and reliable measure once complete normative data become available.