Assessing adolescent personality pathology.
BACKGROUND
Personality pathology constitutes a major form of psychopathology in adolescents.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the reliability and validity of a Q-sort instrument for assessing adolescent personality pathology designed for clinically experienced informants.


METHODS
A sample of 294 randomly selected psychiatrists and psychologists each provided data on a current patient, aged 14-18 years. Clinicians completed several measures, including the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure for Adolescents (SWAP-200-A).


RESULTS
Factor analysis identified II dimensions of adolescent personality: psychopathology/malignant narcissism, dysphoria/inhibition, psychological health, histrionic sexualisation, schizotypy, sexual conflict, emotional dysregulation, anxious obsessionality, peer rejection, delinquent behaviour and attentional dysregulation. These correlated in predicted ways with a range of criterion variables, including measures of adaptive functioning, Axis II pathology, the Five Factor Model and the Child Behavior Checklist.


CONCLUSIONS
The SWAP-200-A shows promise as an instrument for assessing personality pathology in adolescents. Trait dimensions such as delinquent behaviour and emotional dysregulation may prove useful additions to a classification of personality.
Westen
Drew
D
Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, 532 N. Kilgo Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. dwesten@emory.edu
Dutra
Lissa
L
Shedler
Jonathan
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency; D008297:Male; D009289:Narcissism; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011779:Q-Sort; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D012725:Sexual Behavior