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<abstract xmlns="http://eprints.org/ep2/data/2.0">his thesis considers personality disorder (PD) within a forensic population. The first chapter is comprised of a systematic literature review of the association between specific offence typologies and specific PDs. Antisocial and narcissistic PD were more prevalent in non-sexual groups, whilst avoidant, schizoid and borderline PD were more prevalent in sexual offenders. However, heterogeneity in the methodologies of included studies meant that robust conclusions could not be drawn. A narrower research question was recommended, along with more comparable studies.&#13;
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The second chapter explores PD within a therapeutic community prison. PD, identified by the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire (PDQ) (Hyler, 1994) was highly prevalent in this sample (86.2%). Intervention was found to be effective in reducing disordered personality traits, such as psychoticism, impulsivity and hostility. Further to this, clinically significant change in personality traits showed a difference between clusters. For example, criminality reduced significantly within cluster B disorders. This research demonstrated the effective treatment of PD offenders within a therapeutic community, but further research is required before robust conclusions can be drawn. &#13;
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Finally, the findings from the thesis were placed in the context of the critique of the PDQ. Findings suggested the PDQ has a tendency to over-diagnose PD. However, the challenges faced in diagnosing PD per se and limitations of the current diagnostic criteria were discussed.  &#13;
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Overall, the thesis raises some interesting findings into the effectiveness of a therapeutic community prison with PD offenders. This may be beneficial to guide future research in the area and the development of effective interventions with such a population.&#13;
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