Data regarding the connection between personality disorders (PDs) and impaired social functioning are often difficult to interpret because both sets of variables are influenced by depressed mood and both are usually assessed using self-report instruments. We studied PD symptoms in a nonclinical population and examined whether these symptoms are associated with social dysfunction, after controlling for current mental state. Participants were 577 undergraduate students who completed self-report measures of social functioning, PD symptoms, depression, and anxiety, as well as a peer-report PD inventory. As expected, self-reported PD scores and social dysfunction were both correlated with current levels of anxiety and depression. Both self- and peer-reported PD symptoms contributed to the prediction of level of social functioning above and beyond the influence of depressed mood. Overall, our results complement those from clinical samples and provide further evidence that there is an association between PD traits and impaired social functioning.

The authors investigated the test-retest reliability and predictive validity of the diagnostic scales from the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP). Participants were identified from a sample of 240 undergraduates who completed the SNAP and the Social Adjustment Scale (SAS-SR) at Time 1. The authors selected 50 people who met criteria for a personality disorder (PD) based on the SNAP and 50 who did not qualify for a diagnosis. Eighty-three of these people completed the SNAP and the SAS-SR for a second time approximately 9 months after initial screening. SNAP PD scales were relatively stable over time. Test-retest correlation coefficients ranged from .58 to .81. Scores on diagnostic scales for paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal PD were inversely related to self-reported levels of adjustment for social roles concerned with work as a student, leisure activities, and relationships with family. The results provide some evidence for the validity of the SNAP