A new questionnaire to understand personality traits
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Trial of a traits-based screening tool for individuals who struggle with emotional intensity and changeable moods (EICM)
IRAS ID
241929
Contact name
Abigail Dunn
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Sussex
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 1 days
Research summary
The study will evaluate the ability of a traits-based screening measure to identify subthreshold and diagnostic levels of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
This research draws upon the dimensional conceptualisation of BPD whereby individuals with high levels of personality pathology are at the extreme end of a universal scale. This approach is gaining credence in clinical and research domains.
The scale under investigation, the PID-5-EI, is a 36-item screening measure which provides a score representing overall trait pathology and sub-scale scores for 9 trait facets (Emotional Lability, Anxiousness, Separation Insecurity, Depressivity, Impulsivity, Risk Taking, Hostility, Perceptual dysregulation, and Suspiciousness). It is predicted that the scale will able to identify individuals who would meet threshold for clinical diagnosis and individuals who fall below this level but who manifest a levels of personality pathology associated with a range of negative outcomes (subthreshold).
The study will run in Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) in Sussex.A convenience sample of 120 current service users will participate in a one-hour assessment comprising a set of paper-based questionnaires and a screening interview.
Within IAPT there is evidence that individuals with traits associated with BPD are less likely to complete and respond to treatment. As such, it is hoped that a screening tool which enables practitioners to identify these individuals using a traits-based formulation would be more meaningful and less stigmatising.This study is part of a larger package of work undertaken for a PhD. The core of this work is the development of an intervention for parents who have challenges around emotional intensity. The development of a traits-based screening method will have utility in selecting parents for the case series as well as potentially informing and targeting the intervention to participant’s needs.
REC name
London - Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/0205
Date of REC Opinion
21 Feb 2019
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion