Impairment in personality functioning throughout adolescence and co-development with personality traits, emotion regulation strategies, and psychopathology

The Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), provides a dimensional operationalization of personality disorders and brings into account developmental tasks typical to adolescence, which makes it more suitable to apply to personality disorder symptomatology in adolescence. This study investigated the developmental course of impairment in personality functioning (IPF) in adolescence as well as trajectory classes and co-development with Big-Five personality traits, emotion regulation strategies, and psychopathological behaviors/symptoms. Data from a three-wave longitudinal study in 1480 high school students were used. Results revealed no significant linear change of IPF in the total sample. Four developmental trajectory classes emerged and classes significantly differed regarding psycho(patho)logical variables.