Criterion validity and psychometric properties of the affect intensity measure in a psychiatric sample

Recent research has confirmed the presence of individual differences in dispositional levels of affect intensity as assessed by the Affect Intensity Measure (AIM). At present, research with the AIM has focused exclusively on subclinical samples. In the present study, we conducted an initial examination of the clinical relevance of affect intensity by assessing the criterion validity of the AIM in a psychiatric sample. A total of 61 psychiatric patients (31 men, 30 women) were administered the AIM and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory. Evidence of the AIMʹs criterion validity was obtained in that affect intensity was correlated positively with indices of borderline personality and passive-aggressive personality, and it was correlated negatively with compulsive-conforming personality. In addition, affect intensity was associated significantly with numerous symptom measures of poor adjustment including somatoform symptoms, hypomania, alcohol abuse, and psychotic thinking. The results are discussed in terms of the clinical usefulness of assessing affect intensity in dysfunctional personality styles and other forms of psychopathology.