COPING AND MCMI-II PERSONALITY-DISORDERS

Inflexible and dysfunctional coping strategies are considered to be among the core features of personality disorders. In the present study, the relationship between coping and the second edition of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-II) personality disorder (PD) scales was investigated in a sample of 240 psychiatric clinic outpatients at follow-up. Three groups of coping strategies were studied, namely problem-focused, emotion-focused, and potentially dysfunctional coping strategies. Correlation and regression analyses indicated a considerable association between coping and most of the personality disorders (MCMI-II), irrespective of sex and age. The general pattern of association was that of deficits in problem-focused coping, together with an excess of dysfunctional coping. Patients with MCMI-II personality disorders tended to make little use of active coping and social support: instead they were inclined to disengage from goals and to discharge negative emotions. The findings seem promising with respect to a better understanding of the adaptational problems of patients with personality disorders.