Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form 2.0: Utility in Capturing Personality Problems in Psychiatric Outpatients and Incarcerated Addicts

Abstract

This study examined the utility of the Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form 2.0 (LPFS-BF 2.0) in measuring features corresponding to self-other impairment of personality functioning as defined in the new general diagnostic guidelines for Personality Disorder in DSM-5 Section III and ICD-11. A mixed clinical sample (N = 228) composed of 121 psychiatric outpatients and 107 incarcerated addicts was administered the LPFS-BF 2.0, World Health Organization Wellbeing Index (WHO-5), Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5), and the Schema Mode Inventory (SMI). The LPFS-BF 2.0 yielded two latent components that correspond to an interpretation of self- and interpersonal functioning, and showed relevant associations with severity indexes, well-being, dysfunctional schema modes, and lack of healthy functioning modes. The LPFS-BF 2.0 also demonstrated incremental prediction of reduced healthy adult functioning, fulfillment, and well-being over and above the total PID-5 trait score, although this did not apply to dysregulated anger and overcompensatory coping. Taken together, the LPFS-BF 2.0 is a psychometrically satisfactory instrument that generally captures theoretically expected self-other features of personality dysfunctioning, in particular lack of healthy functioning and fulfillment but to a lesser degree overcompensatory and antagonistic features. Findings warrant replication in different clinical and forensic populations.