Borderline and avoidant personality disorders and the five-factor model ofpersonality: A comparison between DSM-IV diagnoses and NEO-PI-R

A self-report measure of the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality, NEO-PI -R, was administered to a sample of patients with borderline (BPD, N = 29) or avoidant PD (AVPD, N = 34), admitted to a day treatment prog;ram, to inv estigate the NEO-PI-R profiles of the disorders, and the ability of NEO-PI- R to discriminate between the two disorders. The diagnoses were assessed ac cording to the LEAD standard. AVPD was associated with high levels of Neuro ticism and Agreeableness, and low levels of Extraversion and Conscientiousn ess. BPD was associated with high. levels of Neuroticism and low levels of Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness. Eighty-eight percent of the AVPD group had high scores on Neuroticism and low scores on Extraversi on, whereas 65% of the BPD group were high on Neuroticism and low on Agreea bleness, The Extraversion and Agreeableness scales of NEO-PI-R discriminate d between patients with BPD and those with AVPD. Patients with BPD scored s ignificantly higher on the Angry Hostility and Impulsiveness subscales of N euroticism and significantly lower on three Extraversion subscales, three A greeableness subscales, and one Conscientiousness subscale. At the DSM-TV c riterion level, there were more significant relationships between the subsc ales of NEO;PI-R and the AVPD criteria than with the BPD criteria. The find ings suggest that the FFM has good discriminating ability regarding BPD and AVPD. However, there may be a closer conceptual relationship between the F FM and AVPD than between the FFM and BPD.