Psychometric Properties of the German Version of the Borderline Personality Disorder Severity Index - Version IV

Kröger, Christoph
Vonau, Melanie
Kliem, Sören
Roepke, Stefan
Kosfelder, Joachim
Arntz, Arnoud

^aDepartment of Psychology, Technical University Brunswick, Brunswick, ^bDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, and ^cUniversity of Applied Sciences, Düsseldorf, Germany; ^dDepartment of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

^*Christoph Kröger, Technical University Brunswick, Humboldtstrasse 33, DE-38106 Braunschweig (Germany), E-Mail [email protected]

Received July 04, 2012; Accepted October 15, 2012; previously published online December 14, 2012

Psychopathology 46(6):p 396-403, October 2013. | DOI: 10.1159/000345404

Abstract

Background:

Although the Borderline Personality Disorder Severity Index - Version IV (BPDSI-IV) has already been used in several studies, psychometric properties are only known from two developing studies.

Sampling and Methods:

To examine item characteristics, reliability, and validity indicators, a large sample including subjects with borderline personality disorder (n = 163), a mixed psychiatric group (n = 58), and a healthy control group (n = 43) were interviewed with the German version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders (SCID-II) as well as the BPDSI-IV.

Results:

The indices for interrater reliability as well as internal consistency of the BPDSI-IV were excellent to good. The total score and the subscales of the BPDSI-IV discriminated between diagnostic subgroups. As expected, its subscales were associated with the scores in the SCID-II and applied self-rating measures.

Conclusions:

In a subsequent version, subscales might have to be adapted to the proposed traits of the borderline type in DSM-V.