Validity of the DSM–5 Levels of Personality Functioning Scale–Self Report

ABSTRACT

In this study we examined the structure, reliability, and validity of the Levels of Personality Functioning Scale–Self Report (LPFS–SR) in 3 large community samples. The LPFS–SR is a questionnaire with content that corresponds directly to the DSM–5 alternative model of personality disorders, Criterion A. We found that the LPFS–SR was highly reliable across a brief retest interval. LPFS–SR scores correlated substantially with a wide range of maladaptive personality traits, personality disorder constructs, and interpersonal problems. The LPFS–SR did not correlate as strongly with aspects of personality with less clear relations to distress and dysfunction. Data further support that identity, self-direction, intimacy, and empathy components of the LPFS–SR can be characterized by a single factor and have similar correlations with criterion variables, consistent with the hypothesis that DSM–5 Criterion A is a relatively homogeneous construct. Overall, these results support the validity of the LPFS–SR, highlight important issues in assessing personality pathology, and point toward novel avenues for research on personality disorder classification.