Internal consistency, intercriterion overlap and diagnostic efficiency of criteria sets for DSM-IV schizotypal, borderline, avoidant and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders

• Published in: Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica 2001-10, Vol.104 (4), p.264-272
• Main Authors: GRILO, Carlos M, MCGLASHAN, Thomas H, DYCK, Ingrid, STOUT, Robert L, MOREY, Leslie C, GUNDERSON, John G, SKODOL, Andrew E, TRACIE SHEA, M, SANISLOW, Charles A, ZANARINI, Mary C, BENDER, Donna, OLDHAM, John M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Borderline Personality Disorder - diagnosis; Borderline Personality Disorder - psychology; Compulsive Personality Disorder - diagnosis; Compulsive Personality Disorder - psychology; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; New England - epidemiology; Personality Disorders - diagnosis; Personality Disorders - psychology; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - statistics & numerical data; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reproducibility of Results; Schizotypal Personality Disorder - diagnosis; Schizotypal Personality Disorder - psychology; Techniques and methods
• ISSN: 0001-690X; 1600-0447
• DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0447.2001.00436.x

To evaluate performance characteristics of DSM-IV Personality Disorders (PDs) criteria. Six hundred and sixty-eight adults recruited for the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS) were assessed with diagnostic interviews. Within-category inter-relatedness was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha and median intercriterion correlations (MIC). Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.47 to 0.87 (median=0.71); seven of the 10 PDs had alphas greater than 0.70. Between-category criterion overlap was evaluated by "inter-category" intercriterion correlations between all PD pairs (ICMIC). ICMIC values (median=0.08) were lower than MIC values (median=0.23). Diagnostic efficiency statistics (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power and negative predictive power were calculated for schizotypal, borderline, avoidant and obsessive-compulsive PDs. DSM-IV PD criteria sets have some convergent validity and discriminant validity: criteria for individual PDs correlate better with each other than with criteria for other PDs. Diagnostic efficiency statistics provide guidance regarding usefulness of criteria for inclusion or exclusion.