Psychometric Development of the LoPF-Q 12–18 Screener: A Brief Instrument for Personality Functioning Assessment in Adolescents
Validation study of a 20-item screening instrument operationalizing the dimensional concept of personality disorder severity for clinical use with adolescents aged 12 and above.
MHIRA relevance
- LoPF‑Q Screener is available in MHIRA with automated scoring and reports
- Supports adolescent personality functioning screening in routine care and research cohorts
- Enables longitudinal follow‑up and outcome tracking across clinical pathways
Background and Rationale
The LoPF-Q 12–18 (Levels of Personality Functioning Questionnaire) operationalizes the dimensional concept of personality disorder severity as defined in the DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) and ICD-11. Early identification of personality pathology in adolescence enables timely intervention during critical developmental periods.
However, comprehensive personality assessment instruments often exceed practical time constraints in clinical settings. This study aimed to develop and validate a brief screening version suitable for routine clinical use.
Methodology
The research employed confirmatory factor analysis to examine the factorial structure of the LoPF-Q 12–18, resulting in both a comprehensive 97-item version and a 20-item short form. The brief screener was developed using ant colony optimization algorithms to select items maximizing clinical validity while maintaining internal consistency and domain coverage.
The validation sample included both clinical populations diagnosed with personality disorders and healthy control groups, enabling robust assessment of discriminant validity and clinical utility.
Psychometric Properties
The LoPF-Q Screener demonstrated strong psychometric performance across multiple parameters:
- Excellent internal consistency (α > 0.85)
- High clinical validity with substantial effect sizes differentiating clinical and non-clinical samples
- Balanced coverage across four personality functioning domains: Identity, Self-direction, Empathy, and Intimacy
- Comparable diagnostic accuracy to the full-length version despite 80% reduction in item count
Clinical Applications
The LoPF-Q Screener addresses practical implementation barriers in clinical settings where comprehensive assessment may not be feasible due to time constraints or resource limitations. The brief format enables systematic screening in diverse contexts including:
- Primary care and general mental health services
- School-based mental health programs
- Initial clinical evaluations requiring rapid triage
- Large-scale epidemiological research
Implications for Early Intervention
Early detection of personality pathology enables intervention during adolescence, a period of substantial neuroplasticity and personality development. Accessible, validated screening instruments support systematic identification of at-risk youth who may benefit from specialized interventions.
The LoPF-Q Screener's alignment with contemporary dimensional models of personality pathology (DSM-5 AMPD, ICD-11) ensures conceptual coherence with current diagnostic frameworks and facilitates integration into evidence-based clinical practice.
Read Full Study on PLOS ONEImplementation Information
The LoPF-Q Screener and other validated assessment instruments are available through MHIRA's digital platform for clinical and research implementation.
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