GENDER DIFFERENCES IN DIAGNOSING ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY-DISORDER IN METHADONE PATIENTS

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate gender differences i n the prevalence rates, short-term reliability, and internal consisten cy of the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder for DSM-III-R, DSM-III, and Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC). Method: A total of 37 men and 57 women methadone patients were diagnosed according to DSM-I II-R, DSM-III, and RDC antisocial personality disorder criteria. Resul ts: The diagnostic rates, reliability, and internal consistency were l ower for women than for men in all systems. DSM-III criteria resulted in the highest reliability for women, but for men, the DSM-III criteri a were the least reliable. Examination of endorsement rates of individ ual antisocial personality disorder criteria revealed several signific ant gender differences on the majority of childhood criteria and on se veral adult criteria. Item-total correlations revealed that for women, the violent and aggressive childhood criteria in DSM-III-R that had n ot been included in DSM-III or RDC had a negative or no correlation to the assessment of antisocial personality disorder for women. Conclusi ons: The change in DSM-III-R from DSM-III childhood criteria appears t o have resulted in a decrease in internal consistency and rates of ant isocial personality disorder for women, but not for men. The results o f this investigation indicate that the psychometric properties of the current antisocial personality disorder scales are weak for women, com pared with men. To assess antisocial personality disorder in women it may be necessary to revise current, or develop new, diagnostic criteri a.