Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+: A study with Chinese college students

The Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+ (PDQ-4+) has been regarded as an effective instrument for screening people with personality disorders in Western countries. Recently, it has also been widely used in research of personality disorders on the Chinese mainland. Using a sample of 4,811 Chinese college students, the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the PDQ-4+ (Yang, Rorbert, & Paul, 2000) were examined. Results indicated that the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of PDQ-4+ subscales were psychometrically acceptable. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 3-factor solution, which conforms to the conceptual categorization of personality disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Disorders - III (American Psychiatric Association, 1987). Significant correlation was found between PDQ-4+ subscale scores and the factor scores of the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire (Bifulco, Bernazzani, Moran, & Jacobs, 2005). The sensitivity and specificity of the PDQ-4+ in the Chinese mainland population need further study.