CHRONIC, LOW-GRADE DEPRESSION IN A NONCLINICAL SAMPLE: DEPRESSIVE PERSONALITY OR DYSTHYMIA? Andrew G. Ryder, MA, R. Michael Bagby, PhD, and Kenneth L. Dion, PhD Depressive personality disorder (DPD) is being considered for inclusion in future editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Dis- orders (DSM). However, there is substantial conceptual and empirical overlap between DPD and dysthymic disorder (Dysthymia) criteria, sug- gesting that these two constructs may not be distinct. Confirmatory fac- tor analysis of the DPD traits and dysthymia symptoms in a large, non- clinical sample (N = 368) indicated that a two-factor model was a better fit than a one-factor model. However, binary diagnostic analysis re- vealed that over half of the individuals meeting criteria for DPD also met criteria for dysthymia and that the best-fitting model allowed the psy- chological symptoms of dysthymia to load on both DPD and dysthymia latent factors. All of the individuals with DPD alone failed to meet crite- ria for dysthymia because they did not report chronic depressed mood. Our results suggest that although DPD is not synonymous with Dys- thymia, it may be a milder subtype. The construct of depressive personality has been described and used by researchers and clinicians for over 75 years (Huprich, 1998; Ryder & Bagby, 1999); however, an official diagnostic category has only recently been created. Publication of the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) saw the inclusion of a provisional diagnostic criterion set in Ap- pendix B, replacing the research criteria outlined by Akiskal (1983). The controversy over the proper conceptualization of chronic nonmajor depres- sion, such as Axis I syndrome, Axis II personality disorder, or both, has been debated at a theoretical level over the past several years (Klein, 1990; 1999; McLean & Woody, 1995; Phillips & Gunderson, 1999; Phillips, Hirschfeld, Shea, & Gunderson, 1993; Ryder & Bagby, 1999; Widiger, 84 Journal of Personality Disorders, 15(1), 84–93, 2001 © 2001 The Guilford Press From the Department of Psychology (Ryder), University of British Columbia, and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Department of Psychiatry (Bagby, Dion), University of Toronto. Preparation of this study was facilitated by a research grant from the Social Sciences and Hu- manities Research Council of Canada. The authors would like to thank Lynn Alden, Candace Minifie, and Delroy Paulhus for their assistance in instrument design and data collection. Address correspondence to Andrew G. Ryder, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4; E-mail: agryder@interchange.ubc.ca.