Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

A metastructural model of mental disorders and pathological personality traits

2015; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 45; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1017/s0033291715000252

1469-8978

Aidan G.C. Wright, Leonard J. Simms,

Schizophrenia research and treatment

Background Psychiatric co-morbidity is extensive in both psychiatric settings and the general population. Such co-morbidity challenges whether DSM-based mental disorders serve to effectively carve nature at its joints. In response, a substantial literature has emerged showing that a small number of broad dimensions – internalizing, externalizing and psychoticism – can account for much of the observed covariation among common mental disorders. However, the location of personality disorders within this emerging metastructure has only recently been studied, and no studies have yet examined where pathological personality traits fit within such a broad metastructural framework. Method We conducted joint structural analyses of common mental disorders, personality disorders and pathological personality traits in a sample of 628 current or recent psychiatric out-patients. Results Bridging across the psychopathology and personality trait literatures, the results provide evidence for a robust five-factor metastructure of psychopathology, including broad domains of symptoms and features related to internalizing, disinhibition, psychoticism, antagonism and detachment. Conclusions These results reveal evidence for a psychopathology metastructure that ( a ) parsimoniously accounts for much of the observed covariation among common mental disorders, personality disorders and related personality traits, and ( b ) provides an empirical basis for the organization and classification of mental disorder.