The efficacy of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire–revised as a diagnostic screening instrument in an anxiety disorder group

✍ Scribed by Carol J. M. van Velzen; Frans Luteijn; Agnes Scholing; Wiljo J. P. J. van Hout; Paul M. G. Emmelkamp

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 93 KB
• Volume: 6
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1063-3995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0879(199911)6:5<395::aid-cpp214>3.0.co;2-g

✦ Synopsis

The efficacy of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire À Revised (PDQ-R) as a screening instrument was examined in a sample of 137 anxious outpatients. The SCID-II was used as the criterion. The PDQ-R cut-offs were adjusted until the maximum kappa agreement for each scale was reached. The results showed that increasing the cut-offs decreased the number of false-positive diagnoses and only slightly increased the number of false-negative diagnoses. Inclusion of the PDQ-R as a screening instrument, followed by the SCID-II to verify the false-positive diagnoses appears to be a promising method for the categorical assessment of personality disorders. However, more studies are needed, using DSM-IV instruments to determine the optimal cutoffs. The following aspects should be considered as well: (1) the differences in prevalence rates of PDs, (2) the ability of the PDQ-R to differentiate between state and trait phenomena, (3) the consequences of the false-negative diagnoses and (4) the limited validity of the personality disorder definitions.