Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version of the Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence (AIDA)

ABSTRACT

Identity diffusion is a core element of the borderline personality organization. A valid and reliable assessment tool is needed to identify at-risk adolescents in the Italian context. In this study, we investigated the psychometric properties of the Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence (AIDA), a self-report questionnaire designed to assess identity diffusion vs. identity integration, in an Italian sample (N = 1,102) of clinical and nonclinical adolescents. Explorative structural equation modeling supported the expected bi-factor structure with one general factor and six descriptive factors. Scale reliability was good, with Cronbach’s α = .94 for the AIDA total scale. The results supported convergent validity with measures of borderline personality features as well as discriminant validity with identity dimensions in ideological and interpersonal domains. The AIDA total score identity diffusion differed highly significantly and with a large effect size between the general population sample and patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (n= 55). The Italian version of the AIDA proved to be a valid and reliable measure to assess adolescents’ identity pathology within the Italian context.

KEYWORDS:

• Identity diffusion
• personality disorders
• borderline personality disorder
• assessment

Authors’ contributions

AM substantially contributed to the design of the study, drafted and revised the manuscript, contributed to data collection, analysis and interpretation, GG concepted the study, contributed to the design of the study and data collection, KG, contributed to the design of the study, data analysis and interpretation, and supervised the manuscript, AP, RB, RR, IC, AT, CB, CDM, FL, GT, AA, MM, CI, FS were involved in drafting and revising the manuscript, LC contributed to draft preparation, data analysis and interpretation, and supervised the manuscript, TM, PC, EA supervised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Availability of data and materials

The data collected and analyzed in the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Informed consents were delivered to and signed by the adult participants and both parents of each minor participant. Only the minors whose both parents signed the consent forms took part in the study.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Notes

1. The full test is available at https://academic-tests.com/aida/#aida1218it

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.