Personality disorders in older adults: Differences in self-informant ratings.

Previous research on self-informant reports in assessing personality disorders (PDs) has been mainly focused on adults, leaving older adults under-studied. We examined self-informant agreement in PD screening among older adults (≥60 years) using the Gerontological Personality disorders Scale (GPS). Potential differences such as who reports more personality pathology on a PD screener (i.e., GPS), item accessibility and the effect of relational aspects were studied as well. Data of 326 older adult-informant dyads, of which the older adults were sampled from five general practices in the Netherlands, were used. Results indicate that self-informant agreement ranged from r = 0.26-0.73, with lower concordance on the GPS-subscale measuring intrapersonal aspects of personality pathology. Informants were more sensitive to habitual pathological personality features than older adults. Two GPS items showed differential item functioning across self- and informant-report. Of relational aspects, only congeniality affected the GPS-iv scores; lower ratings on congeniality were associated with higher GPS-iv scores (i.e., higher reporting of personality problems).

[Epidemiological aspects of personality disorders in older adults]. / Persoonlijkheidsstoornissen bij ouderen: Epidemiologische aspecten.

Despite growing clinical attention to personality disorders in older adults (≥ 55 yrs.), empirical research addressing personality pathology in late life is scarce. Given the ageing of the population globally, scientific knowledge in this area is of vital importance. This article gives an overview of the epidemiological aspects of personality disorders in older adults, such as prevalence, the course and the impact on various domains of functioning.

Personality Disorders in Older Adults: a Review of Epidemiology, Assessment, and Treatment.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of the paper is reviewing recent literature on the epidemiology, assessment, and treatment of personality disorders (PDs) among older adults (≥ 60 years). RECENT FINDINGS: Since 2015, 12 primary empirical studies have been published addressing PDs in older adults; 3 addressing epidemiological aspects, 6 on assessment, 2 exploring both epidemiology and assessment, and 1 examining treatment. PD research in older adults is steadily growing and is predominantly focused on assessment. The studies showed that PDs were rather prevalent ranging from 10.6-14.5% in community-dwelling older adults, to 57.8% in nursing home-residing older adults. The Severity Indices of Personality Problems-Short Form, Gerontological Personality disorders Scale, and Assessment of DSM-IV Personality Disorders turned out to be promising instruments for assessing PDs in later life. Furthermore, schema therapy seems to be a feasible and effective intervention. Despite promising findings, there is an urgent need for studies addressing PDs in older adults, especially studies investigating epidemiological aspects and treatment options. Furthermore, new areas of interest arise such as PDs in other settings, and behavioral counseling.

Feasibility and Acceptability of the Gerontological Personality Disorders Scale (GPS) in General Practice: A Mixed Methods Study.

Although the Gerontological Personality Disorders Scale (GPS) can aid in detecting personality disorders (PDs) in older adults in general practice, its availability does not guarantee its use. This study therefore aimed to examine the feasibility and acceptability of the GPS from an older adult, informant, and professional perspective. A convergent parallel mixed methods study was conducted. Qualitative data were collected through semistructured interviews with four general practitioners and four nurse practitioners and were analyzed thematically. Quantitative data were collected through a 5-item questionnaire completed by 329 older adults and 329 informants. The thematic analysis revealed five major themes regarding feasibility and acceptability according to the professionals: taboo to ask intimate questions, quite unfamiliar with these disorders, assets, PDs are a topic of interest in general practice, and preconditions. Descriptive statistics showed that most older adults and informants found the GPS items to be clearly phrased, easy to understand, and nonconfrontational or not unpleasant to answer. The GPS is a feasible and acceptable instrument for detecting PDs in older adults in general practice. Educating professionals about PDs in older adults and the GPS is important prior to its use in daily practice and might further increase its acceptability.

Diagnostic accuracy of the Gerontological Personality Disorder Scale (GPS) in Dutch general practice.

OBJECTIVE: Personality disorders (PDs) often remain unrecognized in older adults by doctors in general practice. Therefore, this study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of a screening instrument, the Gerontological Personality Disorder Scale (GPS), in a Dutch general-practice population of older adults. METHOD: The psychometric properties of the GPS patient (GPS-pv) and informant (GPS-iv) versions were assessed in a sample of 302 (144 male) patients (average age: 69.9 years) and 302 (124 male) informants (average age: 64.7 years), respectively, using an informant-based personality questionnaire (the Hetero-Anamnestische Persoonlijkheidsvragenlijst ) as a reference criterion. RESULTS: The internal consistency (average item correlation) of the subscale and total scores of the GPS-pv and GPS-iv were .12 (HAB), .16 (BIO), and .10 (total); and .16 (HAB), .15 (BIO), and .12 (total), respectively. The test--retest reliability was strong for both the GPS-pv (rs = .56 [HAB], rs = .67 [BIO], rs = .66 [total]) and the GPS-iv (rs = .52 [HAB], rs = .65 [BIO], rs = .68 [total]) versions. The sensitivity and specificity of the GPS-pv were .83 and .27, respectively, with a cutoff score of ≥1. Raising the cutoff score to ≥2, the sensitivity dropped to .59, whereas the specificity rose to .57. For the GPS-iv, a cutoff score of ≥3 maximized the sensitivity (.78) and specificity (.65). CONCLUSION: The diagnostic accuracy of the GPS-iv was preferable to that of the GPS-pv. This is the first psychometric study to use the GPS as an age-specific screening instrument for PDs.