Dataset Information

Examining sex differences in DSM-IV-TR narcissistic personality disorder symptom expression using Item Response Theory (IRT).

ABSTRACT: The limited published literature on the subject suggests that there may be differences in how females and males experience narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) symptoms. The aim of this study was to use methods based on item response theory to examine whether, when equating for levels of NPD symptom severity, there are sex differences in the likelihood of reporting DSM-IV-TR NPD symptoms. We conducted these analyses using a large, nationally representative sample from the USA (n=34,653), the second wave of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). There were statistically and clinically significant sex differences for 2 out of the 9 DSM-IV-TR NPD symptoms. We found that males were more likely to endorse the item 'lack of empathy' at lower levels of narcissistic personality disorder severity than females. The item 'being envious' was a better indicator of NPD severity in males than in females. There were no clinically significant sex differences on the remaining NPD symptoms. Overall, our findings indicate substantial sex differences in narcissistic personality disorder symptom expression. Although our results may reflect sex-bias in diagnostic criteria, they are consistent with recent views suggesting that narcissistic personality disorder may be underpinned by shared and sex-specific mechanisms.

SUBMITTER: Hoertel N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6002876 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Examining sex differences in DSM-IV-TR narcissistic personality disorder symptom expression using Item Response Theory (IRT).

Hoertel Nicolas N Peyre Hugo H Lavaud Pierre P Blanco Carlos C Guerin-Langlois Christophe C René Margaux M Schuster Jean-Pierre JP Lemogne Cédric C Delorme Richard R Limosin Frédéric F

Psychiatry research 20171214

The limited published literature on the subject suggests that there may be differences in how females and males experience narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) symptoms. The aim of this study was to use methods based on item response theory to examine whether, when equating for levels of NPD symptom severity, there are sex differences in the likelihood of reporting DSM-IV-TR NPD symptoms. We conducted these analyses using a large, nationally representative sample from the USA (n=34,653), the ...[more]

PMID: 29291575

Similar Datasets

Project description:The analysis of response time has received increasing attention during the last decades, since evidence from several studies supported the argument that there is a direct relationship between item response time and test performance. The aim of this study was to investigate whether item response latency affects person's ability parameters, in that it represents an adaptive or maladaptive practice. To examine the above research question data from 8,475 individuals completing the computerized version of the Postgraduate General Aptitude Test (PAGAT) were analyzed. To determine the extent to which response latency affects person's ability, we used a Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) model, in which every item in a scale was linked to its corresponding covariate (i.e., item response latency). We ran the MIMIC model within the Item Response Theory (IRT) framework (2-PL model). The results supported the hypothesis that item response latency could provide valuable information for getting more accurate estimations for persons' ability levels. Results indicated that for individuals who invest more time on easy items, their likelihood of success does not improve, most likely because slow and fast responders have significantly different levels of ability (fast responders are of higher ability compared to slow responders). Consequently, investing more time for low ability individuals does not prove to be adaptive. The opposite was found for difficult items: individuals spending more time on difficult items increase their likelihood of success, more likely because they are high achievers (in difficult items individuals who spent more time were of significantly higher ability compared to fast responders). Thus, it appears that there is an interaction between the difficulty of the item and person abilities that explain the effects of response time on likelihood of success. We concluded that accommodating item response latency in a computerized assessment model, can inform test quality and test takers' behavior, and in that way, enhance score measurement accuracy.

Project description:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) specify two dimensions of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms that are used to define three nominal subtypes: predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type (ADHD-H), predominantly inattentive type (ADHD-I), and combined type (ADHD-C). To aid decision making for DSM-5 and other future diagnostic systems, a comprehensive literature review and meta-analysis of 546 studies was completed to evaluate the validity of the DSM-IV model of ADHD. Results indicated that DSM-IV criteria identify individuals with significant and persistent impairment in social, academic, occupational, and adaptive functioning when intelligence, demographic factors, and concurrent psychopathology are controlled. Available data overwhelmingly support the concurrent, predictive, and discriminant validity of the distinction between inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms, and indicate that nearly all differences among the nominal subtypes are consistent with the relative levels of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms that define the subtypes. In contrast, the DSM-IV subtype model is compromised by weak evidence for the validity of ADHD-H after first grade, minimal support for the distinction between ADHD-I and ADHD-C in studies of etiological influences, academic and cognitive functioning, and treatment response, and the marked longitudinal instability of all three subtypes. Overall, we conclude that the DSM-IV ADHD subtypes provide a convenient clinical shorthand to describe the functional and behavioral correlates of current levels of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms, but do not identify discrete subgroups with sufficient long-term stability to justify the classification of distinct forms of the disorder. Empirical support is stronger for an alternative model that would replace the subtypes with dimensional modifiers that reflect the number of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms at the time of assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

Dataset Information

Examining sex differences in DSM-IV-TR narcissistic personality disorder symptom expression using Item Response Theory (IRT).

Publications

Examining sex differences in DSM-IV-TR narcissistic personality disorder symptom expression using Item Response Theory (IRT).

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets