Meta-Analysis to Derive an Empirically Based Set of Personality Facet Criteria for the Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders

The alternative model for personality disorders (AMPD) is outlined in Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. This model includes 25 dimensional trait facets that are used as criteria for six personality disorders in addition to impairment in functioning. Numerous previous studies have examined the degree to which the proposed trait facets converge with the Section II personality disorders (PDs) they are meant to capture, but the results from these various studies have been inconsistent. The current investigation sought to provide a meta-analysis of published and unpublished data. and in particular, to develop empirically derived trait criterion profiles for each of the six AMPD PDs. A total of 25 independent data sets utilizing diverse samples and methods that included measurement of AMPD traits and at least one Section II PD derived from both published and unpublished work were considered for this review. The findings indicated general support for the traits proposed for each of the six PDs within the AMPD, with obsessive-compulsive PD the notable exception. The discriminant validity, however, was questionable for several of the PDs; several nonproposed traits also correlated with the Section II PD counterparts at moderate to large degrees. Intraclass correlations used to model the agreement across the empirically derived trait profiles for each of the six PDs, however, revealed that most of the disorders were relatively distinct from one another.