Gender differences in personality disorders.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess gender differences in personality disorders. Since heterogeneity of axis I diagnoses could introduce variability in the assessment of axis II diagnoses, the authors studied a group of patients with a primary diagnosis of major depression.


METHODS
A total of 316 patients were evaluated with the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire--Revised, a self-rating measure, or the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID-II), a clinician-rated instrument, or both. Axis II disorders were assessed with the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire--Revised for 288 patients with major depression. The SCID-II was administered to 117 subjects, with an additional 95 subjects receiving the SCID-II for cluster B diagnoses only.


RESULTS
The mean 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores for 108 men (mean age = 39.28 years) and 208 women (mean age = 39.11) were 19.0 (SD = 3.8) and 19.6 (SD = 6.9), respectively. Men were significantly more likely than women to meet criteria for narcissistic, antisocial, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders as measured by the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire--Revised and for narcissistic and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders as measured by the SCID-II.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings are consistent with those of previous studies showing a greater prevalence of antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders in men. In contrast with other investigations, however, neither the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire--Revised nor the SCID-II revealed a higher prevalence of any personality disorder in women.
Golomb
M
M
Depression Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.
Fava
M
M
Abraham
M
M
Rosenbaum
J F
JF
D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003193:Compulsive Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009289:Narcissism; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors