A network analysis of DSM-5 avoidant personality disorder diagnostic criteria

Network analysis conceptualises psychopathology as systems of symptoms that interact and influence each other. It is hypothesised that network analysis can identify core symptoms relevant to the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder. We applied network analysis to avoidant personality disorder DSM-5 diagnostic criteria to identify such symptoms in a non-clinical and clinical sample (N = 718, N = 354). We estimated the networks as unregularised Ising models by fitting a log-linear model to each sample. Further on, we examined centrality indices, network stability, and normalised accuracy to determine which nodes are more central amongst avoidant personality disorder diagnostic criteria. “Fear of criticism and rejection” and “Certainty of being liked” emerged as the most central nodes in both networks. Symptom “Inferiority” had the lowest centrality levels. Results are discussed in terms of implications for the conceptualisation of avoidant personality disorder and similarities with other studies that focused on DSM-5 criteria. •We model Avoidant Personality Disorder as a network of interacting symptoms.•Fear of criticism and rejection and certainty of being liked are central symptoms.•Inferiority had the lowest level of centrality.•Centrality levels were the same in both the non-clinical and clinical networks.