MARCH 20TH | 1:15 PM - 2:45 PM (ET)
Sessions Abstract: The Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD; APA, 2013) Criterion A describes the severity of personality impairment, meant to represent what all personality disorders share in common. Recently there have been several new measures developed to capture this core of personality dysfunction. This symposium brings together several lines of research examining existing measures of Criterion A and new ways to measure Criterion A. Abby Mulay and colleagues examined relationships between the newly developed spectra scales of Mulay et al. (2019) and Sellbom et al. (2018) from the family of MMPI instruments and the Severity Indices of Personality Problems (SIPP-118). Using these comparisons as a starting point, this study explores the development of a scale to assess Criterion A of the AMPD. Melanie Glatz and John Kurtz examine the LPFS-SR, and present findings in support of greater discriminant validity of the four element scores using relevant measures from the social-personality research literature. Chloe Bliton and colleagues examined the structure and criterion validity of three Criterion A self-report measures. Michael Roche investigated the criterion validity of Criterion A measures in relation to mental health utilization and psychopathology dimensions in a college sample. Finally, Nicholas Jacobson and Iain Sheerin applied deep learning models to predict the level of observer rated and self-reported level of personality functioning (Criterion A) based on undergraduate participant's life story narratives. They discuss the predictive accuracy of these models to this application as well as the most important characteristics which influence model predictions. These talks highlight the advancements in conceptualization and assessment of Criterion A in the AMPD.
Presentation 1 Title: Assessing Criterion A of the AMPD using the family of MMPI instruments
Presenters:
Abby L. Mulay, PhD | Medical University of South Carolina
Mark H. Waugh, PhD | Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Tennessee
Gina M.P. Rossi, PhD | Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Erin Bailey Crittenden | University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Presentation 2 Title: Discriminating the Self and Interpersonal Elements of AMPD Criterion A
Presenters
Melanie A. Glatz | Villanova University
John Kurtz, PhD | Villanova University
Presentation 3 Title: Examining the Structure and Validity of Criterion A Self-Report Measures
Presentation Abstract: The Level of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS) operationalizes Criterion A of the DSM–5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders and was designed to capture personality pathology dysfunction. Despite progression in LPFS measurement development and validation, there is a lack of research, and some disagreement, concerning structural, convergent, and incremental validity of LPFS self-report measures. The present study aimed to compare the LPFS – Self-Report, DSM-5 LPFS, and LPFS – Brief Form. Internal structure was assessed through principal component analyses, factor analyses, and bifactor analyses of unidimensionality. Associations with both pathological and normal personality characteristics among the LPFS measures were explored. Incremental validity of LFPS severity in predicting pathological personality outcomes controlling for normal personality traits was examined. Results suggest unidimensional structure robustly associated with other pathological personality assessments. LPFS severity and normal personality traits mutually offered unique explanatory power. We discuss the implications of assessing personality pathology using LPFS self-report measures.
Presenters:
Chloe F. Bliton, MS | The Pennsylvania State University
Michael J. Roche, PhD | West Chester University
Aaron L. Pincus, PhD | The Pennsylvania State University
David Dueber, PhD | University of Kentucky
Presentation 4 Title: Level of Personality Functioning and its Associations to Mental Health in a College Sample
Presenters:
Michael J. Roche, PhD | West Chester University
Presentation 5 Title: Using Artificial Intelligence to Predict the Level of Personality Functioning based on Life History Narratives
Presenters:
Nicholas C. Jacobson, PhD | Dartmouth College
Iain M. Sheerin | Dartmouth College
Dr. Abby Mulay
Dr. Mulay is a licensed clinical psychologist and Clinical Instructor in the Community and Public Safety Psychiatry Division in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She first earned a Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Voice Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and worked as a professional singer for several years in New York City. Dr. Mulay then obtained her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Long Island University (Brooklyn Campus). She completed her pre-doctoral internship in clinical psychology (forensic track) at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine/Federal Correctional Complex (Butner, NC). After internship, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical forensic psychology at MUSC. In her current role at MUSC, Dr. Mulay conducts forensic evaluations (e.g., competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, pre-employment/fitness for duty), supervises trainees in their forensic work, and delivers clinical services within the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC). She also maintains a small outpatient psychotherapy practice, where she uses an integrative approach, drawing upon the principles of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), as well as the relational psychodynamic tradition. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Mulay has several research projects underway examining issues related to forensic evaluation. She also studies the clinical utility of the Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD). Dr. Mulay was recently a co-editor of a book that outlines the use and research support of the AMPD, entitled, The DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders: Integrating Multiple Paradigms of Personality Assessment. She is an active member of the Society for Personality Assessment and the American Psychology-Law Society, and she serves as a reviewer for several personality and criminal justice journals.
E. Bailey Crittenden
I am a first-year student in the clinical psychology program at the University of Toledo. I earned my B.A. in psychology and philosophy from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. My primary research interest is the assessment of psychosis using the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS). When I am not conducting research, I enjoy listening to live music. This will be my second time presenting at SPA, and I feel honored to be sharing my work with you all!
Melanie Glatz
Melanie Glatz is a second-year graduate student in the Psychology M.S. program at Villanova University. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. She then went on to work as a lab manager for two years in the Developmental Personality Neuroscience Lab directed by Dr. Michael Hallquist. She currently works as a graduate assistant for Dr. John Kurtz in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Villanova. Her research interests focus on validating methods of clinical assessment and treatment of personality pathology.
Dr. John E. Kurtz
John E. Kurtz, Ph.D. is professor of psychology at Villanova University and a licensed clinical psychologist in Pennsylvania. He completed undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, doctoral studies in clinical psychology at Vanderbilt University, and clinical internship at the Veterans Affairs and University of Michigan hospitals in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Kurtz serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Personality Assessment and Assessment. He conducts research on the Personality Assessment Inventory, adult personality development, and the use of knowledgeable informants in personality assessment.
Dr. Michael Roche
Michael Roche, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at West Chester University. Dr. Roche earned his Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University, after completing his internship at Massachusetts General Hospital. His research lab, the Psychological Assessment of Temporally-dynamic Traits, Emotions, and Relationships in Naturalistic Settings (PATTERNS) lab, assesses the impact of personality disorder in daily life, using longitudinal methods to capture temporally-dynamic patterns of psychological dysfunction, and creating methods to utilize person-specific assessments to assist clinicians in conceptualizing their clients. He has authored or coauthored over 30 academic journal articles, 10 book chapters, and 65 presentations and posters. He serves as a consulting editor for the journal Assessment, and the Journal of Personality Assessment. Dr. Roche is also the newsletter editor for the Society for Interpersonal Theory and Research, and was recently elected vice president of this society. He teaches assessment and psychotherapy courses in the WCU doctoral program in clinical psychology (PsyD) along with providing therapy and assessment supervision to doctoral students and teaching undergraduate courses. He also maintains a small practice of individual and group (DBT) psychotherapy, and is a statistical consultant for researchers interested in analyzing longitudinal data. His most important and fulfilling position is father to future Dr. Tatum Elaine Roche.