Avoidant Personality Disorder in People Navigating Divorce or Separation
| Key things to know | What the evidence shows |
|---|---|
| How common is it? | NE |
| Is it more common among people navigating divorce or separation? | Relationship disruption doesn't cause AvPD; AvPD is associated with substantial interpersonal impairment |
| Are people navigating divorce or separation at higher risk? | Association with relationship dysfunction; causal direction uncertain |
| How much higher is the risk? | Not established clean divorce RR |
| How often can it be missed? | Very High |
| Does it show up differently among people navigating divorce or separation? | Yes contextually |
| How might it look different? | Rejection sensitivity may make dating/re-entering relationships especially difficult; avoidance may intensify after rejection |
| What commonly occurs alongside it? | Depression; social anxiety |
| What can it be confused with? | Post-breakup withdrawal; social anxiety; BPD; depression |
| Common screening tool | SAPAS — Standardised Assessment of Personality–Abbreviated Scale → clinical evaluation |
| Separate screening tool for people navigating divorce or separation | None |
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