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Objective: In DSM-5, Section III, the Level of Personality Functioning (LPF) was proposed as a severity index of personality disorders (PDs), but as it reflects both trait-like (availability) and state-like (accessibility) features, of which, moreover, the relationship with the experience of patients is unclear, we critically examined LPF in patients with general psychopathology. Method: This study compared the validity of the direct Inventory of Personality Organization (IPO), and the indirect Differentiation-Relatedness Scale (DRS) LPF-measure, in relation to measures of intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning. The sample consisted of 70 inpatients with general psychopathology and no primary PDs. Associations of both measures with DSM-PDs were examined, with and without controlling for clinical distress. Results: The IPO was significantly related to age and clinical distress. When controlling for clinical distress, the IPO was still associated with cluster A (odd) and B (erratic) PD features, high levels of self-criticism, conflict in relationships and low levels of adaptive coping strategies. The DRS was only related to the schizotypical PD. Conclusions: In patients with general psychopathology, both the IPO and the DRS, appear to have limitations in measuring LPF. The IPO seems to be prone to state effects, although correlations with PDs remained significant when controlling for clinical distress. The DRS seemed to be more independent from clinical distress but was unexpectedly unrelated to features of personality pathology. DRS reflects availability, while IPO also reflects different degrees of accessibility of LPF in PDs. ispartof: PSYCHIATRY-INTERPERSONAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES vol:83 issue:1 pages:84-93 ispartof: location:United States status: published

The Differentiation-Relatedness Scale (DRS) is a reliable and valid 10-level scale designed to rate levels of personality functioning on narrative descriptions of self and significant others. However, to date, most studies of the DRS have been done in clinical samples. Little is known about its psychometric properties in nonclinical samples. This study examined linear and potential categorical relationships of DRS with demographic features and with indices of intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning (i.e., depressive and dissociative symptoms, dependent and self-critical personality features, and warmth, conflict, and depth of intimate relationships), in a nonclinical sample of young adults (N = 333). It also investigated the unidimensionality of the DRS in the relationships between the level of self-representation (DR-S) and representation of the mother (DR-M) and father (DR-F), and the relationship of DR-S with disruptions in the balance between differentiation and relatedness assumed to underlie low levels of DR-S. Results showed little evidence for dimensional relationships between levels of DRS and indices of intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning. By contrast, a cut-off of DRS level 6 clearly differentiated young adults at risk for psychopathology from those with more adaptive levels of functioning. Moreover, the DRS seems not to be a unidimensional scale. The implications of these findings for future research and the clinical use of the DRS are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)