Functional impairment and the DSM-5 dimensional system for personality disorder.

The DSM-5 has included for further research a new dimensional measure of personality disorder, operationalized in the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID5). It is important to investigate if extreme variants of these traits are associated with functional impairment, because functional impairment is a key aspect of the definition of personality disorder. The current study investigated this relationship in 989 college students and 91 clinical patients. The PID5 facets were meaningfully associated with measures of functional impairment in both samples, although the clinical sample evidenced more pathological levels of most traits, as might be expected. Overall, the PID5 appears to be a useful measure for the new DSM-5 system of personality disorder diagnosis.

Drugged driving: increased traffic risks involving licit and illicit substances.

Driving under the influence of drugs poses risks for traffic safety. Most research attention has been focused on the most prevalent drugs of abuse, such as alcohol, illegal drugs, and prescription drugs with high abuse potential. The objectives of this study were to determine the types of drugs used by convicted DUI offenders on the day of their arrest, prevalence of poly-substance use, and offender characteristics associated with different drug use patterns. Data were collected from 6,339 individuals enrolled in the court-mandated Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program. After alcohol, cannabis was the most frequently used substance, followed by sedative medications and prescription analgesics. Among poly-substance users, 78.4% reported combining alcohol with other drugs. Findings could be used to inform public education campaigns, law enforcement training, and highway safety policies about the prevalence of combining alcohol with other drugs, as well as how poly-substance use further impairs traffic-related risks.

HIV/STI Risk Behavior of Drug Court Participants.

Drug abusing offenders have high rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). To date, the HIV/STI prevention needs of offenders in drug court programs have been ignored. This multi-method study employed interviews to assess drug court professionals' perceptions of the need for an HIV risk reduction intervention to be integrated into the services provided to drug court participants. Then, surveys were completed by 235 drug court participants to assess whether their sexual risk behaviors affirmed the need for such an intervention. The survey also assessed demographic characteristics, drug use prior to program entry, HIV knowledge, and condom attitudes. The relationship between duration in the drug court program and sexual risk behavior was also examined. Implications for the development and delivery of HIV risk reduction interventions within drug court programs are discussed.