The Questionnaire of Personality Disorders (VMO): Construction and preleminary research

• Main Author: Emil Benedik
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Slovenian Psychologists' Association 2004-09-01
• Series: Psihološka Obzorja
• Subjects: personality disorders; assessment; personality questionnairies; personality organization; DSM-IV; basic cognitive schemas
• Online Access: http://psiholoska-obzorja.si/arhiv_clanki/2004_3/benedik.pdf

The article describes the development of the self-report Questionnaire of Personality Disorders (VMO), which was constructed on the basis of DSM-IV classification for personality disorders(American Psychiatric Association, 1994), Beck's theory of dysfunctional cognitive schemas (Beck in Freeman, 1990) and psychoanalytic theories of basic personality structures. We focused on the basic experiencing of self and others, which is characteristic of specific personality type. In regard to these theories we believe that personality disorder is a broader term; the disorders within it are not limited to existing DSM-IV axis II categories. The personality disorders are complex phenomenon, which are better described on dimensional then categorical scales as well. The questionnaire consists of 213 items, which correspond to 12 clinical scales (for histrionic, obsessive-compulsive, passive-aggressive, avoidant, dependent, depressive, narcissistic, borderline, antisocial, paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders) and a lie scale. According to the personality organization theory (Kernberg, 1986) and other psychoanalytic theories it is divided into four parts: for neurotic (histrionic, obsessive-compulsive, passive-aggressive and avoidant disorders), depressive (dependent and depressive disorders), borderline (narcissistic, borderline and antisocial disorders) and psychotic disorders (paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal disorders). The questionnaire was administered to 415 adult psychiatric patients and 215 health persons of both sexes. They were compared according to the responses of the questionnaire. The internal reliability of scales is sufficient, but correlation between scales is quite strong. The validity was tested with the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire (PDQ-4, Hyler, 1994) and through comparing of the results of healthy individuals and psychiatric patients with different diagnosis. The results are generally in accordance with the expectations and support the connection between different personality organizations and specific mental disorders. Validation of the questionnaire with the factor analysis still has to be made.