[Dimensions of personality disorders and neurophysiological correlates]. / Dimensiones de los trastornos de la personalidad y correlatos neurofisiológicos.

INTRODUCTION: To objective is to identify the factorial structure underlying personality disorders, using clinical and personality measures, and to check whether the resulting structure is valid and theoretically comprehensible, using neurocognitive and psychophysiological measures for establishing possible differences between the factors. METHOD: From the data obtained with the scales MCMI-II and BFQ administered to a sample of 87 subjects diagnosed as a case of any clinical category of DSM-IV personality disorders, and 17 normal controls, we carried out first-order and second-order factor analyses. RESULTS: Five first-order factors (designated as aggressive personality, personality with social deficit, non-pathological personality, obsessive personality and non-assertive personality) and three second-order factors (non-pathological/obsessive personality) were found. CONCLUSIONS: On studying the second-order factors in relation to neurocognitive and psychophysiological measures, it was found that socially-inhibited and non-assertive personalities (factor 1) are characterized by specific neuropsychological deficits in sustained attention; that aggressive personalities (factor 2) are characterized by impulsiveness and deficit in concepts formation; and that in non-pathological personalities with obsessive traits (factor 3), as obsessiveness increases, subjects present less efficacy in sustained attention tasks and greater psychogalvanic response to stress.

Dimensiones de los trastornos de la personalidad y correlatos neurofisiológicos / Dimensions of personality disorders and neurophysiological correlates

Introducción. El objetivo es identificar la estructura factorial que subyace a los trastornos de la personalidad utilizando medidas clínicas y de la personalidad y comprobar si la estructura resultante es válida o teóricamente comprensible utilizando medidas neurocognitivas y psicofisiológicas para establecer las posibles diferencias existentes entre los factores. Método. A partir de los datos obtenidos con las escalas MCMI-II y BFQ en una muestra de 87 sujetos diagnosticados de alguna de las categorías clínicas de los trastornos de la personalidad del DSM-IV y 17 controles normales se realizaron análisis factoriales de primero y segundo orden. Resultados. Se obtuvieron cinco factores de primer orden (denominados personalidad agresiva, personalidad con déficit social, personalidad no patológica, personalidad obsesiva y personalidad no asertiva) y tres factores de segundo orden (personalidad con déficit social/no asertiva, personalidad agresiva y personalidad no patológica/obsesiva). Conclusiones. En el análisis de la relación existente entre los factores de segundo orden y las medidas neurocognitivas y psicofisiológicas se encontró que las personalidades socialmente inhibidas y no asertivas (factor 1) se caracterizaron por déficit neuropsicológicos específicos en la atención sostenida, que las personalidades agresivas (factor 2) se caracterizaron por la impulsividad y el déficit en la formación de conceptos y que las personalidades no patológicas con rasgos obsesivos (factor 3), presentaban un nivel progresivamente menor de eficacia en tareas de atención sostenida y una mayor respuesta psicogalvánica al estrés a medida que los rasgos de obsesividad aumentaban

Introduction. To objective is to identify the factorial structure underlying personality disorders, using clinical and personality measures, and to check whether the resulting structure is valid and theoretically comprehensible, using neurocognitive and psychophysiological measures for establishing possible differences between the factors. Method. From the data obtained with the scales MCMI-II and BFQ administered to a sample of 87 subjects diagnosed as a case of any clinical category of DSM-IV personality disorders, and 17 normal controls, we carried out first-order and second-order factor analyses. Results. Five first-order factors (designated as aggressive personality, personality with social deficit, non-pathological personality, obsessive personality and non-assertive personality) and three second-order factors (non-pathological/obsessive personality) were found. Conclusions. On studying the second-order factors in relation to neurocognitive and psychophysiological measures, it was found that socially-inhibited and non-assertive personalities (factor 1) are characterized by specific neuropsychological deficits in sustained attention; that aggressive personalities (factor 2) are characterized by impulsiveness and deficit in concepts formation; and that in non-pathological personalities with obsessive traits (factor 3), as obsessiveness increases, subjects present less efficacy in sustained attention tasks and greater psychogalvanic response to stress

[Pilot study on personality disorders evaluation. Categorical DSM-IV vs. dimensional five factor models]. / Evaluación dimensional de trastornos de personalidad definidos categorialmente, cinco factores vs. clasificación DSM-IV. Estudio piloto.

INTRODUCTION: This paper evaluates the relationship between a dimensional method of personality assessment (five factor model) and a categorical one (DSM-IV). METHODOLOGY: Thirty-eight consecutive outpatients without concurrent diagnosis of axis I, were assessed with the categorical instrument I.P.D.E. (International Personality Disorders Examination) and the dimensional one B.F.Q. (Big-Five Questionnaire). RESULTS: Extraversion differences were found among cluster and its components, Dominance and Dynamism. Extraversion, Dynamism, Cooperation and Persistence differences were found among personality disorders of cluster A. Personality disorders of cluster B were different in Mental Openness, Dynamism and Cooperation. Finally, Extraversion, Mental Openness, Dynamism, Cordiality, Openness to culture and Openness to experience differences were found among personality disorders of cluster C. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study proposes the possibility of developing dimensional models to predict a possible personality disorder in future. Longitudinal studies with great samples are necessary to get this purpose, in where to be gathered a high percent from each personality disorder.

Evaluación dimensional de trastornos de personalidad definidos categorialmente, cinco factores vs. clasificación DSM-IV. Estudio piloto / Pilot study on personality disorders evaluation. Categorical DSM-IV vs. dimensional five factor models

Introducción: Se valoran las relaciones entre modelos diferentes de evaluación de personalidad midiendo perfiles de personalidad según el modelo de cinco factores (dimensional) y según el DSM-IV (categorial).Métodos: Se estudiaron 38 usuarios diagnosticados de trastorno de personalidad sin patología del eje I, seleccionados entre los usuarios consecutivos de un centro de atención psiquiátrica ambulatorio. La evaluación se realizó mediante el BFQ y el módulo DSM-IV del IPDE. Resultados: Los pacientes del cluster A presentaron puntuaciones más bajas en energía y los del cluster C en cooperación. En el cluster A se observaron diferencias en energía y tesón; en el cluster B en apertura mental, dinamismo y cooperación; y en el cluster C en energía, apertura mental, dinamismo, cordialidad, apertura a la cultura y apertura a la experiencia. Conclusiones: Este trabajo propone la posibilidad de que rasgos de personalidad puedan ser utilizados como predictores de trastornos de personalidad, aunque se precisarían estudios longitudinales con muestras más amplias (AU)