title: Personality functioning in patients with avoidant personality disorder and social phobia.
abstract: Avoidant personality disorder (APD) and social phobia (SP) are closely related, such that they are suggested to represent different severity levels of one social anxiety disorder. This cross-sectional study aimed to compare patients with APD to patients with SP, with particular focus on personality dysfunction. Ninety-one adult patients were examined by diagnostic interviews and self-report measures, including the Index of Self-Esteem and the Severity Indices of Personality Problems. Patients were categorized in three groups; SP without APD (n = 20), APD without SP (n = 15), and APD with SP (n = 56). Compared to patients with SP without APD, patients with APD reported more symptom disorders, psychosocial problems, criteria of personality disorders, and personality dysfunction regarding self-esteem, identity and relational problems. These results indicate that APD involves more severe and broader areas of personality dysfunction than SP, supporting the conceptualization of APD as a personality disorder as proposed for DSM-5.
authors.forename: Ingeborg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Eikenaes
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hummelen
authors.forename: Gun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Abrahamsen
authors.forename: Helene
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Andrea
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wilberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept