Screening for personality disorder in probationers: Validation of the Standardised Assessment of Personality-Abbreviated Scale (SAPAS)

Personality disorder (PD) is an important indicator of future recidivism, and a brief assessment of PD would be of great value to those working in the criminal justice system. There is insufficient research on PD among probation populations. We examined the concurrent validity of a mini-interview for PD, the Standardised Assessment of Personality-Abbreviated Scale (SAPAS), by comparing its performance with that of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders (SCID-II) in a sample of 40 individuals on probation in Lincolnshire, UK. The SCID-II identified 30/40 (75%) of the sample as having a PD. The most common category was antisocial PD, for which 20/40 (50%) were positive. A cut score of 3 on the SAPAS produced a good balance of sensitivity (0.73) and specificity (0.9) for case identification. We conclude that the SAPAS is a valid screening tool for PD among those on probation and is of potential value to those working in the criminal justice system.