Frequency and structure of DSM-IV personality disorder traits in college students

A sample of French female college students (N = 201) completed the self-report Personality Disorder Questionnaire for DSM-IV (PDQ-4+; Hyler, 1994). Forty-two participants (21%) had a PDQ total score equal or greater to 30 suggesting a personality disturbance. The DSM-IV three-cluster classification of PDs was tested using confirmatory factor analysis and failed to produce an acceptable fit. An exploratory factorial analysis extracted a four-factor solution possessing both satisfactory fit and meaningful interpretations. This model was compared with the two other studies which have tested the three-cluster model and found that PDs grouped themselves into components differing from DSM-IV clusters. It may be unlikely to find an universal structure for DSM-IV PDs generalizable to all clinical and non-clinical populations.