NRSA Followship for Douglas Samuel - Comparing Personality Disorder Models: FFM and DSM-IV

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an empirically supported treatment for individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). DBT includes a complex array of treatment components and is not uniformly effective for all patients. An important issue for further research is the heterogeneity of treatment-relevant variables for persons receiving DBT. The aim of the present study is to determine if individual differences in general personality structure of the five-factor model (FFM) are predictive of adherence and response to various components of DBT. Individuals (n= 75) will be recruited from local DBT groups and will be initially assessed using a structured interview (DIB-R), self-report measures (NEO PI-R, PAl, PDQ-4, TCI, client history rating forms) and therapist rating forms (client history and clinical assessment). Follow-up assessments include self-report measures and therapist and client rating forms. It is predicted that specific domains of the FFM will be helpful in predicting adherence to and perhaps effectiveness of different components of DBT. For example, FFM openness will be related to mindfulness mastery and the level of openness will interact with mindfulness to predict treatment effectiveness.