Assessment of personality disorders in adolescents - a clinical validity and utility study of the structured interview of personality organization (STIPO).

Background: The diagnosis of personality disorders (PD) in adolescence still poses a challenge. Early diagnosis and targeted intervention are called for, since patients with PD present with severe consequences in terms of psychosocial functioning and personal suffering including higher suicide risk. New guidelines advise semi-structured interviews for the dimensional assessment of personality functioning.

Methods: We included 136 patients aged 13 to 17.9 years with a categorical PD diagnosis and 35 healthy control (HC) adolescents to assess the applicability of the Structured Interview for Personality Organization (STIPO) for adolescents and evaluate its validity by correlating the six outcome domains (identity, object relations, defenses, aggression, moral values, reality testing) and the overall severity level to several validated instruments. Furthermore, we assessed personality traits, internalizing and externalizing behavior and depressive symptoms.

Results: All STIPO domains differed significantly between patients and HC (p <  0.001). Outcome measures correlated significantly with validated self-rating questionnaires. STIPO severity levels correlated significantly with psychopathology. Personality traits "dissocial behavior" and "emotional dysregulation" correlated positively with all STIPO domains and the overall level of personality organization (PO).

Conclusions: Results indicate that the STIPO is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of PD in adolescents. It comprises the core elements of personality functioning, as requested in Criterion A in the AMPD of the DSM-5 and ICD-11 and could be useful for treatment planning, evaluation of the course of treatment as well as for prognostic considerations.