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Comparative Study
. 2010 Jan 28:10:10.
doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-10-10.

Screening for personality disorder with the Standardised Assessment of Personality: Abbreviated Scale (SAPAS): further evidence of concurrent validity

Morten Hesse  1 , Paul Moran
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Screening for personality disorder with the Standardised Assessment of Personality: Abbreviated Scale (SAPAS): further evidence of concurrent validity

Morten Hesse et al. BMC Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: The assessment of personality disorders (PD) is costly and time-consuming. There is a need for a brief screen for personality disorders that can be used in routine clinical settings and epidemiological surveys.

Aims: To test the validity of the Standardised Assessment of Personality: Abbreviated Scale (SAPAS) as a screen for PD in a clinical sample of substance abusers.

Methods: Convergent validity of the SAPAS with both categorical and dimensional representations of personality disorders was estimated.

Results: In this sample, the SAPAS correlated well with dimensional representations of cluster A and C personality disorders, even after controlling for ADHD symptoms, anxiety/depression symptoms and recent substance use. The SAPAS was also significantly associated with total number of PD criteria, although correlation with categorical measures of PD was weak.

Conclusions: The SAPAS is an valid brief screen for PD as assessed dimensionally.

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