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The Underlying Factor Structure of DSM criteria in Youth BPD

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Handbook of Borderline Personality Disorder in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

This review discusses the factor structure of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in children and adolescence. Because the majority of factor analytic studies of BPD criteria, both in adult and youth samples, have relied on the DSM-derived conceptions of BPD, the review is restricted to studies that have factor analyzed DSM criteria. Theoretical and empirical support for the multidimensionality of the criteria is considered, as is evidence favoring a unidimensional structure. It is suggested that the bulk of the empirical literature is consistent with a unidimensional conceptualization. Findings from both adult and youth literatures is reviewed, but with greater attention to the latter. Finally, future areas for investigation are suggested in service of clarifying our understanding of the dimensional structure of child and adolescent BPD.

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Suggested Reading

  • Brown, T. A. (2006). Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research. New York: Guilford Press. (A reader-friendly book on CFA. Provides sample code and examples using multiple software packages.)

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  • Michonski, J. D., Sharp, C., Steinberg, L., & Zanarini, M. C. (2013). An item response theory analysis of the DSM-IV borderline personality disorder criteria in a population-based sample of 11- to 12-year-old children. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 4(1), 15–22. (Application of a latent trait model (IRT) in a young adolescent sample that is analogous to a 1-factor CFA model and that goes beyond merely evaluating factor structure (i.e., considers item difficulty, item discrimination, and measurement invariance across gender).)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Center of Seattle, Seattle, WA, USA

    Jared D. Michonski

  2. Seattle Children’s Hospital, Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle, WA, USA

    Jared D. Michonski

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  1. Jared D. Michonski
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Correspondence to Jared D. Michonski .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA

    Carla Sharp

  2. Dept. Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA

    Jennifer L. Tackett

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Michonski, J.D. (2014). The Underlying Factor Structure of DSM criteria in Youth BPD. In: Sharp, C., Tackett, J. (eds) Handbook of Borderline Personality Disorder in Children and Adolescents. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0591-1_4

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