The relationships between sociotropic and autonomous personality styles and depressive realism in dysphoric and nondysphoric university students.

Examined the hypothesis that Ss' responses to depressive realism tasks are not only a function of mood state, but also a function of sociotropic and autonomous personality style. In the 1st experiment, 74 undergraduates who scored high or low on a measure of sociotropy and high or low on a measure of dysphoria were exposed to a depressive realism paradigm in which they engaged in dyadic interaction with a friend. Following the interaction, Ss' estimates of their performance were compared with the evaluations of their friend. In the 2nd experiment, 79 undergraduates who scored high or low on a measure of autonomy and high or low on dysphoria were exposed to a computerized success/failure task. The results across both experiments did not support the depressive realism hypothesis, in that the Ss' degree of realism, distortion and/or bias generally varied as a function of both personality style and mood state in the predicted directions. Implications of these findings for the depressive realism literature are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anaclitic (sociotropic) and introjective (autonomous) dimensions.

The distinction between the anaclitic and introjective configuration of personality and psychopathology has potential to inform therapeutic practice. Anaclitic patients, concerned primarily with obtaining and maintaining close and nurturing interpersonal relations, respond differently to brief and longterm treatment, in comparison to their introjective counterparts, who are mainly concerned with securing a positive sense of self. This article reviews research on the therapeutic responses of anaclitic and introjective patients in three settings: (a) in intensive, inpatient psychoanalytically oriented treatment; (b) in psychoanalysis as compared to long-term supportive-expressive therapy; and (c) in manualized brief treatments for depression. Findings indicate that anaclitic patients improve more in long-term supportive expressive therapy than in psychoanalysis. The reverse occurs with introjective patients, who also did particularly poorly in brief manualized treatment for depression. Therapists should take into account the tendency of anaclitic and introjective patients to receive and react differently to different therapeutic situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conformity and achievement-related characteristics of depressed patients.

Conformity and achievement-related characteristics of 10 hospitalized depressed patients and 11 matched acute schizophrenics were studied in an Asch-type conformity situation, and by the use of self-report inventories. It was found that in the conformity situation, depressed Ss showed a greater tendency to conform to social pressure than did the controls. When conformity and achievement were assessed by the use of self-reports, the results were either nonsignificant or opposite to those found in the conformity situation. The results were compared with recent theory and research dealing with cyclical affective disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vulnerability to specific life events and prediction of course of disorder in unipolar depressed patients.

Tested a cognitive-life stress integrative model that predicted depressive symptoms following stressful life events when the negative events were personally meaningful to the individual, and likely to be interpreted as depletions or failure in the domain of central relevance to self-worth. 27 unipolar depressed outpatients completed a sociotropy-autonomy scale and were followed prospectively for periods of up to 2 yrs, with periodic assessments of life events and symptoms. As predicted, Ss' periods of worst symptoms followed a 3-mo period in which life event stress that matched their personally relevant domain significantly exceeded that of the nonrelevant domain. For Ss who experienced an onset following a symptom-free period, the severity of symptoms was significantly predicted by the interaction of their autonomy score and achievement events; however, the same pattern did not occur for sociotropy score and interpersonal events. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between personality characteristics and postconcussion symptoms in a nonclinical sample.

Postconcussion symptoms are relatively common in the acute recovery period following mild traumatic brain injury. However, for a small subset of patients, self reported postconcussion symptoms continue long after injury. Many factors have been proposed to account for the presence of persistent postconcussion symptoms. The influence of personality traits has been proposed as one explanation. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between postconcussion-like symptom reporting and personality traits in a sample of 96 healthy participants. Participants completed the British Columbia Postconcussion Symptom Inventory and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III (MCMI–III). There was a strong positive relation between the majority of MCMI–III scales and postconcussion-like symptom reporting. Approximately half of the sample met the International Classification of Diseases-10 Criterion C symptoms for Postconcussional Syndrome. Compared with those participants who did not meet this criterion, the PCS group had significant elevations on the negativistic, depression, major depression, dysthymia, anxiety, dependent, sadistic, somatic, and borderline scales of the MCMI–III. These findings support the hypothesis that personality traits can play a contributing role in self reported postconcussion symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reliability of personality disorder symptoms and personality traits in substance-dependent inpatients.

The authors compared the internal consistency, 1-year temporal stability and self-informant agreement of ratings of personality trait (NEO Five-Factor Inventory; NEO-FFI; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1992) and personality disorder symptom severity (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R personality Disorders Questionnaire; SCID-II-Q ; R. L. Spitzer, J. B. W. Williams, M. Gibbon, & M. First, 1990) in 131 substance-dependent inpatients. Internal consistency coefficients were acceptable to very good for most NEO-FFI and SCID-II-Q scales, and temporal stability correlations were significant for all measures. Agreement between patient and informant ratings was more modest. Substance abuse and depression symptom severity moderated the temporal stability and self-informant agreement of several personality trait and disorder ratings. The authors did not find that the five factors were more reliable than the Axis II symptoms. Issues related to the reliability of personality assessment in multiply diagnosed patients are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of personality characteristics to persistence in psychotherapy.

Matched 28 pairs of Ss, representing long- and short-term counseling cases, on age, sex, therapist, and time of requesting counseling service. These groups were compared on 15 personality needs as assessed by the EPPS. Means were significantly different on 4 variables. Longer term cases were higher on Exhibitionism and Heterosexuality. Short-term cases were higher on Order and Persistence. Means for long-term cases were more deviant from norm groups than were means of short-term cases on 11 of the 15 EPPS variables. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations between personality and smoking behavior in preadult subjects.

Results from 562 high school and junior high school students cross-validated and extended the generality of earlier work with 1462 adults. In both studies, smoking status, on the basis of self-report information, and personality scores derived from peer ratings, showed smokers significantly (p     

Relations between personality and coping: A meta-analysis.

Personality may directly facilitate or constrain coping, but relations of personality to coping have been inconsistent across studies, suggesting a need for greater attention to methods and samples. This meta-analysis tested moderators of relations between Big Five personality traits and coping using 2,653 effect sizes drawn from 165 samples and 33,094 participants. Personality was weakly related to broad coping (e.g., Engagement or Disengagement), but all 5 traits predicted specific strategies. Extraversion and Conscientiousness predicted more problem-solving and cognitive restructuring, Neuroticism less. Neuroticism predicted problematic strategies like wishful thinking, withdrawal, and emotion-focused coping but, like Extraversion, also predicted support seeking. Personality more strongly predicted coping in young samples, stressed samples, and samples reporting dispositional rather than situation-specific coping. Daily versus retrospective coping reports and self-selected versus researcher-selected stressors also moderated relations between personality and coping. Cross-cultural differences were present, and ethnically diverse samples showed more protective effects of personality. Richer understanding of the role of personality in the coping process requires assessment of personality facets and specific coping strategies, use of laboratory and daily report studies, and multivariate analyses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between personality pathology and dysfunctional cognitions in previously depressed adults.

Multivariate and univariate regression models were used to examine the relationship between Axis II personality pathology and dysfunctional cognitions in a follow-up study of 40 formerly depressed inpatients. A dimensionalized measure of overall Axis II pathology was significantly and positively related to dysfunctional attitudes (Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale [DAS]) and maladaptive negative event attributions (Attributional Style Questionnaire–Negative Composite [ASQ-N]); the Axis II measure accounted for approximately 29% of the variance in DAS and 14% of the variance in ASQ-N, after controlling statistically for subsyndromal depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]). Axis II pathology was not significantly associated with positive event attributions, and no significant Axis II?×?BDI interaction effects were observed. A secondary canonical analysis of Axis II clusters was largely consistent with a hypothesized general personality pathology factor associated with dysfunctional cognitions, though a more specific association between Axis II Cluster C pathology and dysfunctional attitudes was also observed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anger arousal and personality characteristics.

Examined personality differences (California Psychological Inventory) between 150 undergraduates manifesting varying degrees of anger arousal as measured by the Anger Self-Report (ASR) and the Novaco Anger Inventory (AI). MANOVA revealed that high-anger-arousal Ss scored lower on socialization (ASR) self-control, tolerance, psychological-mindedness, and flexibility (AI); low-anger-arousal Ss scored lower on self-acceptance (AI) and higher on responsibility, socialization, and good impression (ASR). (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations of age and personality dimensions to cognitive ability factors

The relation between three cognitive ability factors - Information Processing Ability (IPA), Manual Dexterity (MD), and Pattern Analysis Capability (PAC) - and three personality dimensions - Anxiety, Extraversion, and Openness to Experience - were examined in three age groups. Subjects were 969 male volunteers ranging in age from 25 to 82. Subjects high in anixety scored lower on all three cognitive factors; subjects open to experience scored higher on IPA and PAC; and introverted subjects scored higher on PAC. Most of these effects remained when the education and socio-economic status were held constant in covariance analyses. Older subjects performed less well than younger ones on MD and PAC, but not on IPA. While personality has some influence on cognitive performance, the declines with age in performance on some cognitive tasks are not mediated by personality.     

Personality characteristics of formerly depressed women.

Confirms and extends the implications of a study by J. H. Altman and J. R. Wittenborn (see record 1980-25740-001) that indicated that formerly depressed women now in remission described certain aspects of their personality in a manner different from that of comparable women who had no psychiatric history. Present Ss were 48 remitted depressives and 90 normal controls (average age 40 yrs). 15 items that had discriminated significantly in the Altman and Wittenborn study were included in the present inventory. When factor analyzed, the 43 items that distinguished between the 2 groups generated 5 factors identified as Unhappy Outlook, Narcissistic Vulnerability, Low Self-Esteem, Critical Mother, and Dependency-Fostering Father. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Caregiver personality characteristics and adaptation to juvenile rheumatic disease.

Objective: To assess the impact of caregiver personality characteristics on the adaptation of children with juvenile rheumatic diseases (JRDs). Method: This study examined the relationships between caregivers' personality characteristics and adaptation among 59 children with JRDs. The NEO Five-Factor Inventory was administered to caregivers, and scores on each scale served as predictor variables. Criterion variables included child emotional and behavior problems, depression, self-esteem, and pain. Results: Pearson correlation coefficients and hierarchical regression analyses revealed that caregivers' personality scores were related to indexes of emotional functioning, depression, self-esteem, and pain. Conclusion: Identification of specific caregiver personality characteristics that enhance or detract from children's adaptation may facilitate early identification of risk and protective factors and the development of interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distinguishing optimism from pessimism: Relations to fundamental dimensions of mood and personality.

Contrary to unidimensional conceptions of optimism and pessimism, factor analysis of 2 widely used instruments revealed that optimism and pessimism are empirically differentiable, but related, constructs. Moreover, consistent with expectations, optimism and pessimism were differentially linked with fundamental dimensions of mood and personality. Pessimism was principally associated with neuroticism and negative affect. Optimism was primarily associated with extraversion an positive affect. Findings are discussed with reference to current conceptual and measurement models of optimism and pessimism and their relations to broad dimensions of mood and personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Big Five dimensions and ADHD symptoms: Links between personality traits and clinical symptoms.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood is conceptualized as originating in childhood. Despite considerable theoretical interest, little is known about how ADHD symptoms relate to normal personality traits in adults. In 6 studies, the Big Five personality dimensions were related to ADHD symptoms that adults both recalled from childhood and reported concurrently (total N=1,620). Substantial effects emerged that were replicated across samples. First, the ADHD symptom cluster of inattention-disorganization was substantially related to low Conscientiousness and, to a lesser extent, Neuroticism. Second, ADHD symptom clusters of hyperactivity-impulsivity and oppositional childhood and adult behaviors were associated with low Agreeableness. Results were replicated with self-reports and observer reports of personality in community and clinical samples. Findings support theoretical connections between personality traits and ADHD symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive complaints in elderly depressed and pseudodemented patients.

The cognitive complaints of 11 patients with depressive pseudodementia were compared with those of 22 patients with depression alone. Pseudodemented subjects were defined as depressed inpatients showing reversible cognitive impairment as measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); subjects with depression alone had no such impairment. For each group, cognitive complaints were highly correlated with depressive symptoms and were not related to MMSE scores. The pseudodemented group had significantly higher cognitive complaint scores, complaining more of difficulties with concentration and recent memory. Groups did not differ significantly in complaints of difficulties with remote memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contagious depression: Existence, specificity to depressed symptoms, and the role of reassurance seeking.

This study prospectively examined the phenomenon of contagious depression in 96 pairs of college roommates during 2 assessment sessions separated by 3 wks. Depression, anxiety, negative and positive affect, negative life stress, and reassurance seeking were assessed. Consistent with prediction, roommates of depressed target students became more depressed themselves over the course of the 3-wk study. The effect persisted when baseline levels of roommate depression and roommate negative life events were controlled. Furthermore, these findings were specific to depressed symptoms. Finally, as predicted, reassurance seeking served as a vulnerability factor for the contagion effect: High- but not low-reassurance-seeking roommates of depressed target students became more depressed themselves. However, the moderating effects of reassurance seeking were not specific to depressed symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Speed in test performance in depressed patients.

Compared the performance of 2 groups of nonschizophrenic, nonorganic, psychiatric patients—25 depressed (mean age 41.4 yrs) and 25 nondepressed (mean age 37.8 yrs) Ss—on several tests, including the Quick Test, the WAIS, and 10 speed tests and measures of ambiguous figure reversal rates. The 2 groups of Ss were matched for general psychopathology, sex, age, and education. No difference in the performance on power-cognitive (i.e., intelligence) tests was found. Depressed patients performed more slowly on psychomotor speed tests, confirming an earlier study comparing depressed patients and normal controls. Findings generally confirm those of the 1st author et al (1972) and those of several earlier studies summarized by W. R. Miller (see record 1975-20082-001). (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)