Factorial structure of the German version of the dimensional assessment of personality pathology-basic questionnaire in clinical and nonclinical samples

Abstract

The Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology-Basic Questionnaire (DAPP-BQ) assesses 18 traits to provide a systematic representation of the overall domain of personality disorders. We tested the cross-cultural stability of the prediction that four higher-order factors (Emotional Dysregulation, Dissocial Behavior, Inhibitedness, and Compulsivity) underlie the 18 basic traits. A total of 81 patients who were primarily treated for an Axis II personality disorder and N = 166 healthy control patients completed the German version of the DAPP-BQ. Results clearly confirmed cross-cultural stability of the postulated four-factor structure in both samples, accounting for 74.7% (clinical sample), and 65.7% (nonclinical sample) of the total variance. All four higher-order factors showed specific correlational relationships with dimensional assessments of DSM-IV personality disorders.