Expanding the utility of the malignant self-regard construct $ Ketrin J. Lengu a , Carly D. Evich a , Sharon M. Nelson a , Steven K. Huprich b,n a Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA b Department of Psychology, Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS 67260-0034, USA article info Article history: Received 30 March 2015 Received in revised form 9 July 2015 Accepted 31 July 2015 Available online 31 July 2015 Keywords: Malignant self-regard Depressive personality Vulnerable narcissism Masochism abstract The empirical and theoretical literature suggest that several proposed personality disorders (PDs) – Masochistic/Self-Defeating, Depressive, and Vulnerably Narcissistic – may be related through a common self-representation know as Malignant Self-Regard (MSR). To assess this construct, the MSR Ques- tionnaire (MSRQ) was developed. Though its initial psychometric properties were very strong, the pre- sent study extended these findings by examining the relationship of the MSRQ with measures of other PDs and depressive subtypes, and by establishing four-week and eight-week test–retest reliability in two samples (Ns ¼840, 911) of undergraduate students. The MSRQ was internally consistent and temporally stable over four and eight weeks. It was positively correlated with measures of introjective and anaclitic depression, measures of Self-Defeating, Depressive, and Vulnerably Narcissistic personalities (rs ranging between 0.60 and 0.82), and other select PDs. After controlling for depressive symptoms and self-esteem, the highest remaining partial correlations were with Vulnerably Narcissistic, Self-Defeating, Depressive, and Avoidant personalities. A factor analysis of the MSRQ with measures of other PDs yielded a two- factor solution, with MSR loading most strongly on one factor, along with Vulnerably Narcissistic, Avoidant, Depressive, and Self-Defeating personalities. It is concluded that MSR is a psychometrically supported construct that might have good clinical utility in explaining personality pathology that has historically been difficult to assess. & 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Historically, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has included a number of different personality disorders (PDs) in the appendices as potential diagnostic cate- gories. Three of these include Masochistic, Self-Defeating, and Depressive PDs (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1980, 1994, 2001, 1987). Furthermore, a renewed interest in Narcissistic PD has led to the identification of two subtypes – grandiose and vulnerable – that are phenotypically different, yet share a common problem with self-esteem regulation and self-regard (Pincus and Lukowitsky, 2010). While the DSM has not included any of these proposed categories or the vulnerable subtype of narcissism in its descriptions of personality disorders, interest in these types of personality pathology remains high (Caligor et al., 2007; Huprich, 2009; Pincus et al., 2009; Ronningstam, 2009; Miller and Maples, 2011; Tritt et al., 2010; McWilliams, 2011; Huprich, 2012; Huprich et al., 2012). Huprich (2014) reviewed the theoretical and empirical relationship among Masochistic, Self-Defeating, Depressive, and Vulnerably Narcissistic personalities. Across all four personality types, he identified similar patterns of self and other representa- tions, relational styles, affects experienced and related affective difficulties, comparable behavioral patterns including avoidance and self-defeat, and developmental experiences of inadequate support and mirroring. Empirically, he found that all of these personality pathologies overlap with each other. Specifically, measures of these pathological personalities were intercorrelated, with rs ranging between .54 and .65 (Huprich and Nelson, 2014). On semi-structured, diagnostic interviews, overlap rates of these types have been found to be as high as 70% (Huprich et al., 2006). Furthermore, all of these personality types share a common vul- nerability to depression, with rates of Major Depressive Disorder and Dysthymic Disorder ranging between 18 and 95%, with most clinical studies reporting overlap rates of at least 42% or higher (Huprich, 2014). Considering these issues together, Huprich (2014) suggested that the aforementioned personalities are unified by the way in which the self is experienced and engages with others. He de- scribed this overarching construct as malignant self-regard (MSR), a phenomenon characterized by experiencing frustration and disappointment with others and attributing it toward the self in a personally harmful way. The process of MSR is self-discrediting Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/psychres Psychiatry Research http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2015.07.087 0165-1781/& 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. ☆ Portions of this article were presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the So- ciety for Personality Assessment in Arlington, VA, USA. n Corresponding author. E-mail address: steven.huprich@witchita.edu (S.K. Huprich). Psychiatry Research 229 (2015) 801–808