Alexithymia and attachment insecurities in impulsive aggression.

The aims of this study were to develop a new measure of impulsive aggressiveness, and to assess whether this measure was associated with deficits in mentalized affectivity and adult attachment styles in a sample of 637 non-clinical participants. Extending Fonagy and Bateman's (2004) hypothesis, the mediating role of poor affectivity mentalization in the relationship between insecure attachment styles and impulsive aggression was also evaluated. Selected insecure attachment styles (R2(adjusted) = .

Reliability and validity of the Italian version of the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised in an outpatient sample.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R) in an outpatient sample.

Method: The TCI-R was administered to 404 consecutively admitted subjects. The TCI-R scale 1-month test-retest reliability and TCI-R/TCI convergent validity were assessed in 2 independent subsamples.

Impulsivity, aggressiveness, and DSM-IV personality disorders.

The aim of this study is to assess whether impulsive and aggressive traits can be placed on a continuum with DSM-IV Cluster B Personality Disorders (PDs) and to determine if different aspects of these personality traits are specifically associated with individual Cluster B PDs. The study group comprised 461 outpatients admitted consecutively to a clinic that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of PDs. Principal component analyses clearly suggested a five-factor structure of both normal and psychopathological personality traits.

Confirmatory factor analyses of DSM-IV Cluster C personality disorder criteria.

Notwithstanding its research and clinical relevance, the dimensionality and validity of the DSM-IV avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders (PDs) criteria is still a largely unexplored topic. The aim of this study was to test the factor structure for DSM-IV Cluster C PD criteria in a sample of 641 consecutively admitted outpatients. Factor analysis results suggested that avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive PDs share a common latent dimension, and supported the three-factor structure of both observer and self-report ratings of DSM-IV Cluster C PD criteria.

Taxonic structure of schizotypal personality disorder: a multiple-instrument, multi-sample study based on mixture models.

This study used a multi-sample, multiple-instrument strategy to evaluate the hypothesis that schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) is taxonic. In Study 1, 721 consecutively admitted inpatients and outpatients were evaluated with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders (SCID-II) and the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+ (PDQ-4+). The data from both questionnaire types were submitted to multivariate normal mixture analysis, which was carried out on factor scores obtained from a three-factor model of SPD criteria; these results supported the hypothesis that SPD is taxonic.

A latent structure analysis of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Narcissistic Personality Disorder criteria.

The aim of this study was to examine the latent structure of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) criteria in a group of 641 outpatients. The consecutively admitted outpatients were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders, Version 2.0, and the Personality Questionnaire.

Predicting borderline and antisocial personality disorder features in nonclinical subjects using measures of impulsivity and aggressiveness.

This study examines impulsivity and aggressiveness dimensions as predictors of borderline (BPD) and antisocial (ASPD) personality disorder symptoms in nonclinical subjects. A total of 747 undergraduate university students were administered the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11, and the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that motor impulsiveness, irritability, resentment, and guilt predicted BPD symptoms among university students after controlling for the effect of ASPD and depressive symptoms.