Frontiers in Psychiatry (Sep 2022)

Sex differences in personality disorders in a Chinese clinical population

  • HongZhen He,
  • Mei Xu,
  • ZhangYing Fei,
  • Yuou Xie,
  • XinYi Gu,
  • HongLiang Zhu,
  • JunJie Wang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1006740
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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IntroductionSex differences in the frequency and severity of personality disorders (PDs) have been widely reported in Western countries. However, limited literature suggests a similar sex distribution in the Chinese clinical population. This study investigated sex differences in self-reported and interviewed patients with PDs in a clinical population in China.Materials and methodsThe participants were 1,389 consecutive outpatients with a mean age of 30.5 years, including 634 (45.6%) males and 755 (54.4%) females. Self-reported PD traits were assessed using the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire Fourth Edition Plus (PDQ-4+). PDs were diagnosed according to the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) Axis II (SCID-II).ResultsMale outpatients reported more paranoid, schizotypal, antisocial, and passive-aggressive PD traits, whereas females reported more borderline PD traits on the PDQ-4+. Self-reported PD traits in male outpatients were more likely to reach the positive threshold of antisocial PD than in females (χ2 = 5.293, p = 0.021). Males were more likely to meet the criteria for schizoid (χ2 = 5.050, p = 0.025), narcissistic (χ2 = 27.244, p < 0.001), antisocial (χ2 = 11.430, p = 0.001), avoidant (χ2 = 5.098, p = 0.024), and obsessive-compulsive PD (χ2 = 5.496, p = 0.019) diagnoses in the SCID-II. In contrast, females were more likely to meet the criteria of histrionic (χ2 = 12.327, p = 0.001), borderline (χ2 = 28.538, p < 0.001), and dependent (χ2 = 4.919, p = 0.027) diagnoses.DiscussionThese findings indicate gender differences in the traits, frequency, and pattern of PDs when assessed in a Chinese clinical population.

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