Development of a Short and ICD-11 Compatible Measure for DSM-5 Maladaptive Personality Traits Using Ant Colony Optimization Algorithms

While DSM-5 Section III and ICD-11 both allow for dimensional assessment of personality pathology, the models differ in the definition of maladaptive traits. In this study, we pursued the goal of developing a short and reliable assessment for maladaptive traits, which is compatible with both models, using the item pool of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5). To this aim, we applied ant colony optimization algorithms in English- and German-speaking samples comprising a total N = 2927. This procedure yielded a 34-item measure with a hierarchical latent structure including six maladaptive trait domains and 17 trait facets, the “Personality Inventory for DSM-5, Brief Form Plus” (PID5BF+). Latent structure, reliability and criterion validity were ascertained in the original as well as in two separate validation samples (N=849, N=493) and the measure was able to discriminate personality disorders from other diagnoses in a clinical subsample. The results suggest that the PID5BF+ is a useful measure of the DSM-5 maladaptive trait domains, but needs further revision for capturing ICD-11 Anankastia.