Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, 2019; 1: 74–86 DOI: 10.12740/APP/104379 The experience of using the Neurotic Personality Questionnaire KON-2006 in Russia Piotr Krystian Trąbczyński, Galina L. Isurina, Irina V. Grandilevskaya Summary The article presents the first application of the “Neurotic Personality Questionnaire KON-2006” method, de- veloped by the Polish scientist J. Aleksandrowicz, in Russia. This study is approved by the Ethics Committee of St. Petersburg State University. At subsequent stages, the project was carried out with the financial sup- port of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant№ 17-06-00956). It describes the adaptation pro- cedure of the questionnaire, and the results obtained from the study of his construct and convergent validity. The paper outlines the results of an empirical study, conducted with 423 participants (201 patients with neu- rotic disorders, and 222 healthy persons), which demonstrate the psychodiagnostic possibilities of the meth- od. It shows that, in the Russian sample, “KON-2006” clearly demarcates the clinical group from the healthy group, revealing significant differences in almost all indicators. The questionnaire describes a wide range of personality traits (personality dysfunctions) inherent in patients with neurotic disorders, and reveals their high level of manifestation. Along with the “KON-2006”, the present study also uses methods for studying the lev- el of social frustration: the “Neurotic personality traits” questionnaire, the “Level of neuroticism” questionnaire, the Symptoms Check List – 90 method, for studying the severity of psychopathological symptoms, and a meth- od for studying intrapersonal conflicts. Our study revealed the personality traits that show the highest correla- tion with clinically validated neurotic disorders. Based on these observations, an attempt was made to identi- fy and describe certain “personality types” typical of patients with neurotic disorders. As a result, we have de- signed a methodical complex for the positive diagnosis of neurosis, which main tool is the “Neurotic Person- ality Questionnaire KON-2006”. neurotic disorder, positive diagnosis of neurotic disorders, neurotic conflict, social frustration, personality types INTRODUCTION the genesis and progress of the disease, requires a thorough examination and analysis of all the The definition of neurosis as a mental illness [1- components of the psychogenesis. In Russia, 9], which shows a clear connection, on the one various theoretical approaches have been used hand, between a psycho-traumatic situation in research on personality traits of patients and personality traits, and on the other hand, with a neurotic disorder. Different question- naires (ММРI, Cattell Questionnaire, Giesener Personality Questionnaire, Eysenk Personality 1Piotr Krystian Trąbczyński, 1Galina L. Isurina, 1Irina V. Grand- Questionnaire), and projective techniques (TAT, ilevskaya: Department of Medical Psychology and Psychophysio- logy of Saint Petersburg State University, Department of Psychology, Rosenzweig Frustration Test, Sentence Comple- Russia tion Methodology etc.) have been applied, re- Correspondence address: [email protected] sulting in the development of new adaptations The experience of using the Neurotic Personality Questionnaire KON-2006 in Russia 75 of existing methods in personality research [12- Object of the research: clinical-psychological 20]. Self-esteem and attitude to “the self “ have and personality characteristics of patients with been explored as well [21-26]. The conducted neurotic disorders. studies unraveled a wide range of individual- Subject of the research: psychopathological psychological and personality features charac- symptomatology of a neurotic register; expression teristic to patients with neurotic disorders. How- of personality dysfunctions; personality patterns, ever, in order to solve the tasks of practical psy- intrapersonal conflicts, social frustration level. chological diagnosis it is not possible, based on these studies, to single out a more informative method, or to create a compact methodological Description of the sampling complex, which would allow to quickly enough, specify and measure a wide range of personal- 423 people have been examined in total: 167 ity traits of a neurotic register. In this context, male (39.5%) and 256 female (60.5%). The whole the “Neurotic Personality Questionnaire KON- sampling has been divided into two groups: an 2006”, developed in Poland by J. Aleksandrow- experimental group and a control group. The ex- icz, is of utmost interest because it allows speci- perimental group consists of 201 patients – 114 fying and measuring a wide range of personality female (56.7%) and 87 male (43.3%) with a diag- traits of a neurotic register [27-29]. The present nosis of neurotic, related to stress and somato- research’s purpose is to adapt this methodology form disorders. The control group is formed by to a Russian sampling. 222 healthy persons – 142 female (63.9%) and 80 Objective of the research. The objective of the male (36.1%). research is to study personality characteristics Most participants in the sampling are between of patients with neurotic disorders and to define 20 and 40 years old: 77.94% in the experimental personal patterns adjacent to a clinically formed group and 68.66% in the control group. neurotic disease in connection with the tasks of Table 1 presents more detailed description of positive neurotic diagnostics. A separate task the research group and the control group includ- was to adapt the methodology. ing demographic data. Table 1. Social and demografic characteristics of research and the control groups. Indicators All group Research group Control group (N = 423) (N = 201) (N = 222) Occupation Students 39.5 % 32.33 % 45.95 % Employment 57.8 % 65.51 % 54.05 % No employment 2.7 % 2.16 % - Education Higher education 25.3 % 34.33 % 17.12 % Continues to study 36.6 % 3.98 % 43.69 % Secondary education 38.1 % 32.84% 14.86 % Family status Married 34.5 % 35.83 % 33.34 % Single 54.1 % 51.24 % 56.75 % Divorced 11.1 % 12.44 % 9.91 % Widowed 0.3 % 0.49 % - Amount of children Childless 58.2 % 52.74 % 63.06 % 1 Child 25.8 % 24.38 % 27.04 % 2 Children 14.2 % 19.9 % 9 % More than 2 children 1.8 % 2.98% 0.9 % The criterion of inclusion to the experimental neurotic disorder (F 4 diagnosis under ICD-10). group is the presence of a clinically validated In connection with the objectives of the research, Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, 2019; 1: 74–86 76 Piotr Krystian Trąbczyński et al. at the stage of data processing, the experimen- – adaptation disorder (F 43.2); tal sampling was divided into three subgroups, – pseudoneurotic disorder (F 33; F 60; F named: 60.2; G 4.1 и G 40.2). – neurotic disorder (F 40; F 41.0; F 41.2; F A clinical characterization of patients of the 42; F 45.0); experimental group is submitted in table 2. Table 2. Clinical characteristics of patients. Group and syndrome-complexes Number of test persons Duration of illness (N) (years) Neurotic disorder 83 1.96±0,68 Phobic anxiety disorders (F 40) 13 Mixed anxiety and depression disorder (F 41.2) 59 Somatoform disorder (F 45.0) 3 Panic disorder (F 41.0) 2 Obsessive and compulsive disorder (F 42) 6 Adaptation disorder (F 43.2) 84 2.17±0.77 Pseudoneurotic disorder 34 2.8±1.56 Dissociative disorder of organic etiology (F 60.2) 6 Specific personality disorder (F 60) 7 Recurrent depressive disorder (F 33) 9 Epilepsy* (G 4.1 и G 40.2) 12 Total 201 2.19±0.96 * Some patients with severe neurotic symptoms subsequently received a TLE diagnosis without marked personality changes. All patients have been treated in medical fa- with pseudoneurotic disorders is a mixed group, cilities – neurosis clinics, mental health facilities, and represents non-psychotic psychic disorders, ambulatory treatment at a clinical psychothera- called earlier borderline neurotic disorders, in pist. Duration of the disease (manifestations of which patients have had pseudoneurotic symp- clinical symptoms) all patients did not exceed 4 tomatology, meaning that it resembled a neurot- years. Clinical diagnostic was conducted by clini- ic symptomatology clinically, but differed from cians according to the general approach in diag- it by its main ethiopathogenetic mechanisms. We nostics of neurotic disorders developed by V.N. suppose that neurotic personality features will Myasishchev, his students and followers. In con- appear the least in this category. nection with the objectives of the research, the Healthy test persons form the control group. experimental sampling was divided into three The criteria for this group was absence of diag- groups: patients with a neurotic disorder, pa- nosis, and appeal to a psychiatrist, neuropsychi- tients with an adaptation disorder and patients atrist or psychotherapist (appeal to a psycholo- with a pseudoneurotic disorder. Such a division gist was not considered an exclusion criterion). is based on ICD-10 criteria, and to some extent complies with Myasishchev’s views on various combinations of personality distinctions and RESEARCH METHODS psycho-traumatic situation in aetiopathogen- esis of different neurotic disorders. In the neu- The clinico-psychological method is present- rotic condition, the manifestation of personality ed by the “Social frustration level” (SFL) medi- dysfunctions comes to the fore, and in a neurot- cal social scoring system [30]. The experimental ic reaction, the expression of a psycho-traumat- psychological method is formed