Level of personality functioning of adolescents in an acute psychiatric treatment setting: A cohort study.

BACKGROUND

Adolescents admitted as acute inpatients are a particularly vulnerable psychosocial population. This study aimed to examine their level of personality functioning in an acute psychiatric treatment setting.

METHODS

We evaluated personality functioning in 62 adolescents using the Level of Personality Functioning-Questionnaire 12-18 (LoPF-Q 12-18) from a patient perspective and the Level of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS) completed by clinicians.

RESULTS

Adolescent patients exhibited a relatively high level of impaired personality functioning, with females tending to show partly higher levels of impairment than males. The agreement between self-reported and clinician reported impairment of personality functioning was low. Biopsychosocial mental health was a strong predictor of self-reported and clinician-reported levels of personality functioning, in contrast to nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior and suicidality.

CONCLUSION

Our findings identify important characteristics of adolescents in acute psychiatric inpatient units. The LoPF-Q may serve as a valuable screening tool for diagnostics and treatment.