title: Age Neutrality of Categorically and Dimensionally Measured DSM-5 Section II Personality Disorder Symptoms.
abstract: Studies on the face validity of DSM-5 Section II categorical personality disorder (PD) symptoms indicate a bias against older adults. To extend these results, this article explores whether categorically and dimensionally scored PD symptoms of DSM-5 Section II, as measured in the Assessment of DSM-IV Personality Disorders (ADP-IV; Schotte & de Doncker, 1994), corroborate potential age bias across younger (aged 18-34), middle-aged (35-59 years), and older adults (aged 60-75). Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses, following a classical test theory approach, showed that 2 of the 79 symptoms were measured differently across 3 age groups when categorically assessed, and 4 when dimensionally measured. Nevertheless, subsequent differential test functioning analyses supported a low aggregated impact of DIF on the dimensional scales, justifying mean-level comparisons across age groups. Generalizability of the results is discussed in light of methodological issues concerning the research of age neutrality of PD symptoms, including the employed measurement instrument, PD symptom measurement approach, and sample and age range used to describe older adults.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical and Lifespan Psychology , Vrije Universiteit Brussel , Belgium.
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Debast
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: S P J
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: van Alphen
authors.forename: S P J Bas
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: van Alphen
authors.forename: Els
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pauwels
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Claes
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dierckx
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Peuskens
authors.forename: Els
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Santens
authors.forename: Chris K W
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Schotte
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D015982:Bias; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000592:standards*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult