Mapping obsessive compulsive personality disorders (OCPD) traits: development and validation of measures for overcontrolled disorders and OCPD

Abstract

Based on the theory of Maladaptive Overcontrol (Lynch, 2018) this thesis developed and validated two self-report measures: a 17-item screening measure for overcontrolled disorders and a 42-item measure of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and psychometric analyses in Studies 1 and 2 showed that the 17-item Brief Overcontrol Scale (BOS) has a robust factor structure and strong psychometric properties. In Studies 3 and 4 I present the development and validation of the 42-item Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder Inventory (OC-PDI) and I offer evidence on the measure’s convergent, discriminant and predictive validity. Study 5 focuses on the trait profile of OCPD. I provide further evidence on the construct validity of the OC-PDI and I discuss the conceptualisation, phenomenology, and operationalisation of OCPD, using the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) as a measure of criterion validity. Analyses conducted on a sample of participants scoring high in OCPD traits showed that Social Anxiety is a core trait of OCPD which should be included in assessment measures of this personality disorder, whereas the PID-5 trait of Intimacy Avoidance does not belong to the OCPD spectrum phenomenology. The role of Maladaptive Coping and Emotion Regulation difficulties is investigated for the first time in OCPD literature using structural equation models. I argue that contrary to common phenomenological interpretations, OCPD is characterised by marked Emotion Regulation deficits which mediate the link between OCPD and depression and anxiety. Future research should focus on replicating the psychometric properties of the BOS and the OC-PDI in clinical samples to further validate and refine the measures.

Keywords: measurement development, construct validation, Overcontrol, Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder, emotion regulation, PID-5

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ORCID for Claire Hart: orcid.org/0000-0003-2175-2474

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