Development of a scale to measure histrionic traits according to the hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop a version of the Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory 2 (IDCP-2) focusing on the Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) traits according to the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) model, and to verify its psychometric properties. The method was divided into two stages. The first was related to the revision procedures of the IDCP-2 based on the HiTOP, focusing on the assessment of features typical of HPD. The second aimed to verify the psychometric properties of the new version of the IDCP-2 (i.e., IDCP-HPD) in a convenience sample (N=208), mainly composed of women, with data collection carried out online. The IDCP-HPD was administered with the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) and Five-Factor Histrionic Inventory (FFHI) factors. Of the 16 initial traits provided by the HiTOP, 8 were selected as relevant for the HPD and 17 items were selected to compose the new factors. The 4 factor solution found through exploratory structural equation modeling, the correlations with the external measures and the effects found in the between-group comparisons suggest the psychometric adequacy of the IDCP-HPD. The findings of this study should be interpreted as initial evidence for the IDCP-HPD, indicating the practicality of the test.