Citation

Westen D, Muderrisoglu S, Fowler C, Shedler J, Koren D. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 1997; 65(3): 429-439.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037//0022-006x.65.3.429

PMID

9170766

Abstract

This article describes the development of, and preliminary findings with, the Affect Regulation and Experience Q-Sort (the AREQ), an observer-based assessment of affect regulation and experience. In Study 1, 31 clinicians provided Q-sort descriptions of 90 patients. Factor scores correlated in predicted ways with criteria such as suicide attempts and hospitalizations, as well as with clinicians' ratings of functioning in a variety of domains. Correlations between prototype Q-sorts and actual Q-sort profiles for patients sharing a diagnosis (dysthymia, borderline personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder) also provided evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. The data also suggested the importance of distinguishing 2 kinds of negative affect that have very different correlates. Study 2 showed that the AREQ can be applied reliably using an interview that avoids many of the problems of self-report.

Language: en

Keywords

Adult; Affect; Defense Mechanisms; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Observer Variation; Personality Disorders