Exploring the reliability and component structure of the personality assessment inventory in a neuropsychological sample

The current study was designed to advance general research investigating the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), by examining whether the psychometric properties of the PAI would generalize to a sample differing from the original standardization sample. Specifically, the reliability and factor structure of the PAI were examined in a mixed neuropsychological sample. Reliability full scale coefficients ranged from.72 to.94, and subscale coefficients ranged from.60 to.90. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test Moreys original four-factor model (for all 22 PAI scales) and three-factor model (for the 11 clinical scales). CFA results indicated that Moreys original factor solutions were not a good fit. Thus, following Moreys original methodology, principal components analyses (PCA) were conducted on all 22 PAI scales and on the 11 PAI clinical scales and the results indicated evidence for a five-component solution (for all 22 PAI scales) and a two-component solution (for the 11 clinical scales). Overall, while results indicated some relatively subtle differences between the original standardization sample and the current sample, they still supported the notion that the PAI is a reliable and valid measure when used in a neuropsychological sample. This study expands upon the existing literature related to the clinical utility of the PAI in specialized samples.