Multidimensional conceptualization of identity and psychopathology: Assessing mental health disparities from an intersectional and dimensional framework

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) currently constitute 40% of the US population and will become the majority by 2045. Current mental health systems have not sufficiently accounted for disparities, inequities, and social determinants impacting BIPOC lives. We outline several advances that could improve mental health disparities research. Research on BIPOC requires mental health assessment accurately capturing multiple facets of one's identity, taking into account the complexities of multifaceted historical oppression. Assessing (personality) psychopathology in a dimensional and hierarchical manner could provide greater insight into mental health disparities between diverse identity individuals. We encourage studying moderators that are protective assets for BIPOC - such as resiliency and community factors - as opposed to deficit-dominant, category-based, and majority-dominant assessments

Zijn gescheiden mensen oververtegenwoordigd in de geestelijke gezondheidszorg?

Met deze pilotstudie is onderzocht of, en in hoeverre, gescheiden mensen oververtegenwoordigd zijn in een psychologenpraktijk in de regio Overbetuwe Oost (de regionale populatie is representatief voor de algemene Nederlandse bevolking vanwege de demografische gelijkenissen). De verwachting is dat de ggz procentueel meer gescheiden mensen in behandeling heeft dan het voorkomende percentage gescheiden mensen in de algemene bevolking. Uit eerder onderzoek blijkt namelijk dat echtscheidingen negatieve effecten hebben op verschillende aspecten van de geestelijke gezondheid. Daarnaast is descriptief onderzocht of er zich binnen de steekproef opvallende verschillen voordoen in de representativiteit van het aantal mannelijke en vrouwelijke cliënten dat gescheiden is. Voor deze studie is een dossieronderzoek gedaan waarvoor uit het cliëntenbestand van de praktijk in de regio een steekproef van 801 dossiers is getrokken. Uit de onderzoeksresultaten blijkt dat de vertegenwoordiging van het aantal gescheiden mensen in de psychologenpraktijk relatief lager is dan die in de algemene Nederlandse bevolking. De hypothese wordt verworpen en de mogelijke verklaringen worden besproken

Robustness of the maladaptive personality plaster: An investigation of stability of the PSY-5-r in adults over 20 years

The long-term stability of maladaptive personality traits in the general population has been under-investigated. The current study examined the longitudinal 20-year mean-level stability and rank-order consistency of five maladaptive personality traits - as measured with the Personality Psychopathology-5-r scales. Correlations and regression analysis were conducted to test both types of stability comparing raw scores of scale administrations in a general population sample in both 1992 and 2012 (N = 65). Repeated measures analysis of variance demonstrated significant mean-level stability of the PSY-5-r traits over 20 years. The PSY-5-r scales demonstrated significant rank-order consistency as evidenced by correlational analyses and reliability coefficients. The scales Aggressiveness-r (r = .73), Neuroticism/Negative Emotionality-r (r = .65), Introversion/Low Positive Emotionality-r (r = .63), and Disconstraint-r (r = .56), evidenced strong rank-order stability, whereas Psychoticism-r (r = .3) showed moderate rank-order consistency. The results of the present study indicate that maladaptive personality traits as measured with the PSY-5-r scales are relatively stable over 20 years in an adult community population

Trait polarity of the Personality Psychopathology 5 (PSY-5-r): A content analysis in relation to the patient description form

The maladaptive trait model of personality has gained popularity in the assessment of personality pathology. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2-RF) is a widely used instrument to measure maladaptive traits, by means of the Personality Psychopathology 5 (PSY-5-r) scales. Polarity of these maladaptive trait measures - whether these traits are unipolar or bipolar maladaptive - has not been empirically established in the literature. In a clinical sample (N = 275), we investigated content polarity of these traits in relation to 25 psychological symptoms, measured by the Patient Description Form. Hierarchical regression analyses were applied to compare linear and curvilinear models and determine optimal fit. The results provided evidence for content unipolarity of all five traits, with small exceptions. We conclude that, in practice, the MMPI-2-RF PSY-5-r scales do not assess the PSY-5 theoretical model as expected, such that the higher the score on these scales the more it is likely impairing or impacting daily functioning. Conceptual and clinical implications are discussed

The structure of dimensions of psychopathology in normative and clinical samples: Applying causal discovery to MMPI-2-RF scales to investigate clustering of psychopathology spectra and p-factors

We applied a Bayesian Constraint-based Causal Discovery method (BCCD) to examine the hierarchical structure of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) Restructured Clinical (RC) scales. Two different general psychopathology super spectra (p-factor) scales were extracted from (1) all RC scales and (2) all RC scales except the RCd (Demoralization) scale. These p-factor scales were included in separate models to investigate the structure of dimensions of psychopathology in a normative (n = 3,242) and clinical (n = 2,466) sample, as well as the combined normative/clinical sample (N = 5,708), by applying the BCCD algorithm to obtain a data-driven reconstruction of the internal hierarchical structure of the MMPI-2-RF. Research on the underlying structure of the MMPI-2-RF has clinical relevance as well as conceptual relevance in the context of the HiTOP model. Results demonstrated that the syndromes measured with the RC-scales - in presence of a p-factor - cluster into six spectra: internalizing, disinhibited-externalizing, antagonistic-externalizing, thought disorder, detachment, and somatoform. These results may support a super spectrum construct, as it was necessary for obtaining a bottom-up reconstruction of this six-spectrum structure. We found support for superiority of a broad super spectrum with additional variance over and above demoralization, as it resulted in the clearest structure (i.e., clustering of the RC scales). Furthermore, our results indicate independent support for the bifactor structure model of psychopathology

An exploratory study of MMPI-2-RF personality and psychopathology profiles of adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability

OBJECTIVE: More empirical research is needed to disentangle the phenotypes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and cluster C personality symptomatology (CCPD), as both show similarities in their clinical presentation. We explored personality and psychopathology dimensions as conceptualized in contemporary dimensional taxonomies (i.e., hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology; HiTOP) in adults with ASD without intellectual disability operationalized by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF). METHOD: Applying secondary analytic processes using clinical data, we cross-examined the MMPI-2-RF profiles of adults with ASD (n = 28) compared to adults with Cluster C personality disorders (CCPD; n = 28) and a control group (n = 28) by conducting nonparametric tests and assessing effect sizes. RESULTS: The profiles of the ASD and CCPD groups evidenced to be similar, and both average clinical profiles diverged from the average control group profiles by elevated levels of demoralization, internalizing, and somatization symptomatology. There were small differences between the average profiles of adults with ASD and adults with CCPD. Additional research using dimensional measures of psychopathology could elucidate the dimensional phenotypes of ASD and CCPD. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results in this study, the MMPI-2-RF may not meaningfully discriminate between the two clinical presentations, with the exception of various externalizing scales