title: Nineteen-month stability of Revised NEO Personality Inventory domain and facet scores in patients with personality disorders.
abstract: We lack knowledge of the temporal stability of major personality dimensions in patients with personality disorders (PDs). The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) is a self-report instrument that operationalizes the Five-Factor Model of personality. This study investigated the relative stability, mean level stability, and individual level stability of the NEO-PI-R scores in patients with PDs (n = 393) and patients with symptom disorders only (n = 131). The NEO-PI-R was administered at admission to short-term day treatment and after an average of 19 months. The results showed a moderate to high degree of stability of NEO-PI-R scale scores with no substantial difference in stability between patients with and without PD. Changes in NEO-PI-R scores were associated with changes in symptom distress. Neuroticism was the least stable domain. The study indicates that the Five-Factor Model of personality dimensions and traits are fairly stable in patients with PDs. The lower stability of Neuroticism may partly be explained by its inherent state aspects.
authors.affiliation: Department for Research and Education, Psychiatric Division, Ullevål University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. theresa.wilberg@medisin.uio.no
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wilberg
authors.forename: Sigmund
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karterud
authors.forename: Geir
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: Øyvind
authors.initials: Ø
authors.lastname: Urnes
authors.forename: Paul T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003631:Day Care, Medical; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D009664:Norway; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D015203:Reproducibility of Results