Patterns of covariation of DSM-IV personality disorders in a mixed psychiatric sample

Fossati, Andrea; Maffei, Cesare; Bagnato, Maria; Battaglia, Marco; Donati, Deborah; Donini, Michela; Fiorilli, Monica; Novella, Liliana; Prolo, Federico

doi:10.1016/S0010-440X(00)90049-X

« Previous Next »Comprehensive Psychiatry
Volume 41, Issue 3 , Pages 206-215, May 2000

Patterns of covariation of DSM-IV personality disorders in a mixed psychiatric sample

Andrea Fossati
- From the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Unit, Faculty of Psychology, “Vita Salute” San Rafaele University, Milan,Italy
- Institute of Psychology University of Urbino, Urbino,Italy
Cesare Maffei
- Address reprint requests to Cesare Mafei, M.D., Servizio di Psicologia Clinica e Psicoterapia, Istituto Scientifico San Rafaele-DSNP, via Luigi Prinetti, 29, 20127 Milano,Ital.
- From the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Unit, Faculty of Psychology, “Vita Salute” San Rafaele University, Milan,Italy
- Institute of Psychology University of Urbino, Urbino,Italy
Maria Bagnato
- From the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Unit, Faculty of Psychology, “Vita Salute” San Rafaele University, Milan,Italy
- Institute of Psychology University of Urbino, Urbino,Italy
Marco Battaglia
- From the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Unit, Faculty of Psychology, “Vita Salute” San Rafaele University, Milan,Italy
- Institute of Psychology University of Urbino, Urbino,Italy
Deborah Donati
- From the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Unit, Faculty of Psychology, “Vita Salute” San Rafaele University, Milan,Italy
- Institute of Psychology University of Urbino, Urbino,Italy
Michela Donini
- From the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Unit, Faculty of Psychology, “Vita Salute” San Rafaele University, Milan,Italy
- Institute of Psychology University of Urbino, Urbino,Italy
Monica Fiorilli
- From the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Unit, Faculty of Psychology, “Vita Salute” San Rafaele University, Milan,Italy
- Institute of Psychology University of Urbino, Urbino,Italy
Liliana Novella
- From the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Unit, Faculty of Psychology, “Vita Salute” San Rafaele University, Milan,Italy
- Institute of Psychology University of Urbino, Urbino,Italy
Federico Prolo
- From the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Unit, Faculty of Psychology, “Vita Salute” San Rafaele University, Milan,Italy
- Institute of Psychology University of Urbino, Urbino,Italy

Abstract

The covariation patterns of DSM-IV personality disorders (PDs) were studied in 431 consecutively admitted psychiatric patients. The co-occurrence rate was greater than 50% for all DSM-IV PDs. Both bivariate association tests and loglinear models showed distinct significant covariation patterns among PDs which were stable across confounder strata. DSM-IV PD clusters were not replicated, with the exception of cluster A. Principal-component analysis (PCA) showed the presence of 3 latent dimensions, thus explaining the DSM-IV PD covariation patterns. These results seem to stress the inadequacy of the DSM-IV categorical model of PD assessment. The need for a reduction of axis II categories and the inclusion of a dimensional model in the diagnostic assessment of DSM-IV PDs are discussed.

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