Dimensional characteristics of DSM-IV personality disorders in a large epidemiological sample

To assess the five-factor model (FFM) characteristics of young adults with Diagnostic Statistical Manual-IV (DSM-IV) personality disorders in a large community study. As part of the eighth wave of a cohort study, 1469 young adults (mean age: 24 years) completed the NEO-five factor inventory, 1145 of whom also had an informant-based personality disorder assessment. The prevalence of personality disorder was 18.6% (95% CI: 16.5-20.7). There were consistent positive associations with neuroticism and negative associations with agreeableness across all three clusters of personality disorder. In young adults, high neuroticism and low agreeableness are consistent dimensional characteristics of all personality disorder clusters.