title: Personalities of adults with traumatic childhood separations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined personality characteristics and identified personality subtypes of adults with childhood histories of traumatic separations from a parent. Previous work from attachment theory and developmental psychopathology suggests that distinct developmental trajectories might lead to different styles of personality adaptation after an attachment disruption. design: Randomly selected psychologists and psychiatrists provided data on 203 adults with histories of traumatic separations using a personality pathology instrument designed for use by clinically experienced observers, the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP-II).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using a Q-factor analysis, 5 distinct personality subtypes were identified: internalizing/avoidant, psychopathic, emotionally dysregulated, hostile/paranoid, and resilient. Initial support for the validity of the subtypes was established, based on Axis I and Axis II pathology, adaptive functioning, developmental history, and family history variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both therapeutic interventions and case formulation might be strengthened by considering an individual's personality features and match to one of the identified subtypes.
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, One Bowdoin Square, Boston, MA 02114, USA. johanna.malone@gmail.com
authors.forename: Johanna C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Malone
authors.forename: Drew
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Westen
authors.forename: Alytia A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Levendosky
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D010553:Personality Development; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019962:Reactive Attachment Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology