Applicability of personality disorder criteria in late adolescence: Internal consistency and criterion overlap 2 years after psychiatric hospitalization

Citation
Df. Becker et al., Applicability of personality disorder criteria in late adolescence: Internal consistency and criterion overlap 2 years after psychiatric hospitalization, J PERS DIS, 15(3), 2001, pp. 255-262
Citations number
25
Categorie Soggetti
Psychiatry
Journal title
JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY DISORDERS
ISSN journal
0885579X → ACNP
Volume
15
Issue
3
Year of publication
2001
Pages
255 - 262
Database
ISI
SICI code
0885-579X(200106)15:3<255:AOPDCI>2.0.ZU;2-1
Abstract
We examined internal consistency and criterion overlap of DSM-III-R persona lity disorder criteria in late adolescence, 2 years after psychiatric hospi talization. A total of 60 adolescents were assessed with the Personality Di sorder Examination, Within-category cohesiveness (internal consistency) was evaluated by coefficient alpha and mean intercriterion correlation (MIC), Between-category criterion overlap was evaluated by examining intercategory mean intercriterion correlations (ICMIC) between all pairs of disorders. I nternal consistency was low, with alpha less than. 70 for all except border line and dependent personality disorders. For most disorders, MIC values we re higher than ICMIC values. Our findings suggest that personality disorder criteria sets have limited internal consistency in older adolescents, Alth ough the criteria for most personality disorders correlate better with each other than with the criteria for other personality disorders, suggesting s ome degree of discriminant validity, comparison of these results with a sim ilar analysis performed shortly after hospital admission raises questions a bout personality disorder construct validity during adolescence.