Prevalence and correlates of personality disorders in a community sample.
BACKGROUND
Knowledge of the prevalence and correlates of personality disorders in the community is important for identifying treatment needs and for provision of psychiatric services.


OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence of personality disorders in a community sample and to identify demographic subgroups with especially high prevalence.


METHODS
Clinical psychologists used the International Personality Disorder Examination to assess DSM-IV and ICD-10 personality disorders in a sample of 742 subjects, ages 34-94 years, residing in Baltimore, Maryland. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between demographic characteristics and DSM-IV personality disorder clusters.


RESULTS
The estimated overall prevalence of DSM-IV personality disorders was 9%. Cluster A disorders were most prevalent in men who had never married. Cluster B disorders were most prevalent in young men without a high school degree, and cluster C disorders in high school graduates who had never married.


CONCLUSIONS
Approximately 9% of this community sample has a DSM-IV personality disorder. Personality disorders are over-represented in certain demographic subgroups of the community.
Samuels
Jack
J
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Eaton
William W
WW
Bienvenu
O Joseph
OJ
Brown
Clayton H
CH
Costa
Paul T
PT
Nestadt
Gerald
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002391:Catchment Area, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors