Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T19:56:01.616Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Exploring the complexity of the childhood trait–psychopathology association: Continuity, pathoplasty, and complication effects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2015

Marleen De Bolle ,
Barbara De Clercq ,
Elien De Caluwé  and
Lize Verbeke
Marleen De Bolle*
Affiliation:
Ghent University
Barbara De Clercq
Affiliation:
Ghent University
Elien De Caluwé
Affiliation:
Ghent University
Lize Verbeke
Affiliation:
Ghent University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Marleen De Bolle, Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, Ghent 9000, Belgium; E-mail: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Four different models have been generally proposed as plausible etiological explanations for the relation between personality and psychopathology, namely, the vulnerability, complication, pathoplasty, and spectrum or continuity model. The current study entails a joint investigation of the continuity, pathoplasty, and complication models to explain the nature of the associations between early maladaptive traits and psychopathology over time in 717 referred and community children (54.4% girls), aged from 8 to 14 years. Across a 2-year time span, maladaptive traits and psychopathology were measured at three different time points, thereby relying on comprehensive and age-specific dimensional operationalizations of both personality symptoms and psychopathology. The results demonstrate overall compelling evidence for the continuity model, finding more focused support for pathoplasty and complication effects for particular combinations of personality symptoms and psychopathology dimensions. As expected, the continuity associations were found to be more robust for those personality–psychopathology associations that are conceptually closer, such as the emotional instability/introversion–internalizing problems association and the disagreeableness–externalizing problems association. Continuity associations were also stronger when personality was considered from a maladaptive rather than from a general trait perspective. The implication of the findings for the treatment of psychopathology and personality symptoms are briefly discussed.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 28 , Issue 1 , February 2016 , pp. 139 - 148
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/4–18 and 1991 profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.Google Scholar
Allison, P. D. (2003). Missing data techniques for structural equation modeling. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112, 545–557. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.112.4.545 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bienvenu, O. J., Hettema, J. M., Neale, M. C., Prescott, C. A., & Kendler, K. S. (2007). Low extraversion and high neuroticism as indices of genetic and environmental risk for social phobia, agoraphobia, and animal phobia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 1714–1721. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.06101667 Google Scholar
Briggs-Gowan, M. J., Owens, P. L., Schwab-Stone, M. E., Leventhal, J. M., Leaf, P. J., & Horwitz, S. M. (2003). Persistence of psychiatric disorders in pediatric settings. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 1360–1369. doi:10.1097/01.CHI.0000084834.67701.8a Google Scholar
Clark, L. A. (2005). Temperament as a unifying basis for personality and psychopathology. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 114, 505–521.Google Scholar
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Cohen, P., Crawford, T. N., Johnson, J. G., & Kasen, S. (2005). The Children in the Community study of developmental course of personality disorder. Journal of Personality Disorders, 19, 466–486.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Costello, E. J., Mustillo, S., Erkanli, A., Keeler, G., & Angold, A. (2003). Prevalence and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60, 837–844.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Bolle, M., Beyers, W., De Clercq, B., & De Fruyt, F. (2012). General personality and psychopathology in referred and nonreferred children and adolescents: An investigation of continuity, pathoplasty, and complication models. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 121, 958–970. doi:10.1037/a0027742 Google Scholar
De Clercq, B., De Fruyt, F., & Mervielde, I. (2003). Construction of the Dimensional Personality Symptom Item Pool in children (DIPSI). Ghent, Belgium: Ghent University.Google Scholar
De Clercq, B., De Fruyt, F., Van Leeuwen, K., & Mervielde, I. (2006). The structure of maladaptive personality traits in childhood: A step toward an integrative developmental perspective for DSM-V. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115, 639–657.Google Scholar
De Clercq, B., De Fruyt, F., & Widiger, T. A. (2009). Integrating a developmental perspective in dimensional models of personality disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 29, 154–162. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2008.12.002 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Clercq, B., Van Leeuwen, K., De Fruyt, F., Van Hiel, A., & Mervielde, I. (2008). Maladaptive personality traits and psychopathology in childhood and adolescence: The moderating effect of parenting. Journal of Personality, 76, 357–383. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2007.00489.x Google Scholar
De Clercq, B., Van Leeuwen, K., Van den Noortgate, W., De Bolle, M., & De Fruyt, F. (2009). Childhood personality pathology: Dimensional stability and change. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 853–869. doi:10.1017/s0954579409000467 Google Scholar
Dolan-Sewell, R. T., Krueger, R. F., & Shea, M. T. (2001). Co-occurrence with syndrome disorders. In Livesley, W. J. (Ed.), Handbook of personality disorders. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Krueger, R. F. (1999). The structure of common mental disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56, 921–926.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krueger, R. F. (2005). Continuity of Axes I and II: Toward a unified model of personality, personality disorders, and clinical disorders. Journal of Personality Disorders, 19, 233–261.Google Scholar
Krueger, R. F., Markon, K. E., Patrick, C. J., & Iacono, W. G. (2005). Externalizing psychopathology in adulthood: A dimensional-spectrum conceptualization and its implications for DSM-V. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 114, 537–550. doi:10.1037/0021-843x.114.4.537 Google Scholar
Krueger, R. F., & Tackett, J. L. (2003). Personality and psychopathology: Working toward the bigger picture. Journal of Personality Disorders, 17, 109–128.Google Scholar
Lenzenweger, M. F. (1999). Stability and change in personality disorder features—The longitudinal study of personality disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56, 1009–1015.Google Scholar
Lilienfeld, S. O. (2003). Comorbidity between and within childhood externalizing and internalizing disorders: Reflections and directions. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31, 285–291.Google Scholar
Livesley, W. J. (2005). Introduction to the Special Issue on longitudinal studies. Journal of Personality Disorders, 19, 463–465.Google Scholar
Martin, L. S., Oades, L. G., & Caputi, P. (2014). Intentional personality change coaching: A randomized control trial of participant selected personality facet change using the five-factor model of personality. International Coaching Psychology Review, 9, 182–195.Google Scholar
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. J. (2008). The five-factor theory of personality. In John, O. P., Robins, R. W., & Pervin, L. A. (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (3rd ed., pp. 159–181). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Mineka, S., Watson, D., & Clark, L. A. (1998). Comorbidity of anxiety and unipolar mood disorders. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 377–412.Google Scholar
Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (1998–2012). Mplus user's guide (7th ed.). Los Angeles: Author.Google Scholar
Roza, S. J., Hofstra, M. B., van der Ende, J., & Verhulst, F. C. (2003). Stable prediction of mood and anxiety disorders based on behavioral and emotional problems in childhood: A 14-year follow-up during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 2116–2121.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skodol, A. E., Gunderson, J. G., Shea, M. T., McGlashan, T. H., Morey, L. C., Sanislow, C. A., et al. (2005). The Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS): Overview and implications. Journal of Personality Disorders, 19, 487–504.Google Scholar
Steiger, J. H. (1990). Structural model evaluation and modification: An interval estimation approach. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 25, 173–180.Google Scholar
Tackett, J. L. (2006). Evaluating models of the personality–psychopathology relationship in children and adolescents. Clinical Psychology Review, 26, 584–599.Google Scholar
Ullman, J. B. (2001). A first course in structural equation modeling. Applied Psychological Measurement, 25, 101–102. doi:10.1177/01466216010251008 Google Scholar
Verhulst, F. C., Van der Ende, J., & Koot, H. M. (1996). Handleiding voor de CBCL/4–18 [Manual of the CBCL/4–18]. Rotterdam: Universiteit Rotterdam, Afdeling Kinderen Jeugdpsychiatrie.Google Scholar
Widiger, T. A. (2003). Personality disorder and Axis I psychopathology: The problematic boundary of Axis I and Axis II. Journal of Personality Disorders, 17, 90–108.Google Scholar
Widiger, T. A., & Simonsen, E. (2005). Alternative dimensional models of personality disorder: Finding a common ground. Journal of Personality Disorders, 19, 110–130.Google Scholar
Zanarini, M. C., Frankenburg, F. R., Hennen, J., Reich, D. B., & Silk, K. R. (2005). The McLean Study of Adult Development (MSAD): Overview and implications of the first six years of prospective follow-up. Journal of Personality Disorders, 19, 505–523.Google Scholar