Genetic and environmental structure of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire: Three or four temperament dimensions?

Previous phenotypic factor analyses suggest that C. R. Cloninger's Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ; 1987) assesses 4 rather than 3 temperament dimensions. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Cloninger's revised 4-factor model showed incremental validity over his original model, and to investigate the convergent and discriminant validity of Cloninger's dimensions in comparison to the personality dimensions proposed by H. J. Eysenck (1981) and J. A. Gray (1970). The sample included 2,420 women and 870 men (aged 50-96) from a volunteer population-based sample of twins. Joint phenotypic factor analyses supported Cloninger's 4-dimensional temperament model. A 4-dimensional genetical factor structure was also confirmed in genetic analyses of the TPQ higher order dimensions in women. For men only 3 genetic factors were necessary to explain the genetic variance among the TPQ dimensions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trajectories of PTSD and substance use disorders in a longitudinal study of personality disorders.

This study investigated the co-occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUDs) in a sample (N = 668) recruited for personality disorders and followed longitudinally as part of the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study. The study both examined rates of co-occurring disorders at baseline and temporal relationships between PTSD and substance use disorders over 4 years. Subjects with a lifetime history of PTSD at baseline had significantly higher rates of SUDs (both alcohol and drug) than subjects without PTSD. Latent class growth analysis, a relatively novel approach used to analyze trajectories and identify homogeneous subgroups of participant on the basis of probabilities of PTSD and SUD over time, identified 6 classes, which were compared with respect to a set of functioning and personality variables. The most consistent differences were observed between the group that displayed low probabilities of both SUD and PTSD and the group that displayed high probabilities of both. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Microcirculation disorders of the skin

Medical patients' (75 with chronic fatigue complaints, 61 with dizziness, and 88 with disabling tinnitus; N = 224) current and past psychiatric diagnoses and personality characteristics were assessed to determine if they could independently explain the number of medically unexplained physical symptoms that the patients had experienced. Cloninger's Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule based on DSM-III-R were used to assess the personality and psychiatric diagnoses, respectively. The results revealed that the number of lifetime medically unexplained symptoms were significantly, independently, and positively related to increasing numbers of current and past anxiety and depressive disorders and to the harm avoidance dimension of the TPQ. In a second analysis, the "worry/pessimism" and "impulsiveness" subscales were positively related to the number of medically unexplained symptoms. The results suggest that somatization is associated with current and past history of psychiatric illnesses and harm avoidance in this sample of medical patients.     

A cross-cultural comparison of personality in adults and children: Singapore and England.

493 men (mean age 28.24 yrs) and 501 women (mean age 26.65 yrs) in Singapore completed the adult Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). Similarly, 250 Singapore boys (mean age 13.14 yrs) and 508 girls (mean age 13.28 yrs) completed the Junior EPQ. Correlations between items were calculated for men and women, boys and girls separately. Factor analyses were performed on the resulting matrices, and indices of factor comparison were calculated for all 4 groups, comparing the factors extracted and rotated with similar factors from the original British standardizations. All the indices were high (.91) for the children and even higher (.96) for the adults. It is concluded that similar personality dimensions are to be found in the 2 countries. Findings support the idea that the dimensions of neuroticism, psychoticism, and extraversion are of universal applicability. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distinguishing general and specific personality disorder features and implications for substance dependence comorbidity.

Clinical and population-based samples show high comorbidity between Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) and Axis II Personality Disorders (PDs). However, Axis II disorders are frequently comorbid with each other, and existing research has generally failed to distinguish the extent to which SUD/PD comorbidity is general or specific with respect to both specific types of PDs and specific types of SUDs. We sought to determine whether ostensibly specific comorbid substance dependence-Axis II diagnoses (e.g., alcohol use dependence and borderline personality disorder) are reflective of more pervasive or general personality pathology or whether the comorbidity is specific to individual PDs. Face-to-face interview data from Wave 1 and Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions were analyzed. Participants included 34,653 adults living in households in the United States. We used hierarchical factor models to statistically partition general and specific personality disorder dimensions while simultaneously testing for specific PD-substance dependence relations. Results indicated that substance dependence-Axis II comorbidity is characterized by general (pervasive) pathology and by Cluster B PD pathology over and above the relationship to the general PD factor. Further, these relations between PD factors and substance dependence diagnoses appeared to largely account for the comorbidity among substance dependence diagnoses in the younger but not older participants. Our findings suggest that a failure to consider the general PD factor, which we interpret as reflecting interpersonal dysfunction, can lead to potential mischaracterizations of the nature of certain PD and SUD comorbidities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Suspension "hypokinesia/hypodynamia" may decrease bone mass by stimulating osteoclast production in ovariectomized mice

The factorial structure of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS; A. T. Beck, A. Weissman, D. Lester, & L. Trexler, 1974) was examined in a nonclinical sample (N = 154) in Japan, and the relationships between dimensions of hopelessness and psychosocial variables were analyzed. A semistructured interview was used, as well as a questionnaire consisting of the BHS, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ; H. J. Eysenck & S. B. Eysenck, 1975), and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI; G. Parker, H. Tupling, & L. B. Brown, 1979). A factor analysis with principal components solution after oblimin rotation yielded 2 factors--Doubt About a Hopeful Future (Factor 1) and Belief About a Hopeless Future (Factor 2). Significant, positive correlations were found between Factor 2 and (a) the number of emotional symptoms of depression in a 4-day depressive episode and (b) scores on the Neuroticism subscale of the EPQ. The Factor 1 score was significantly and negatively correlated with the Extraversion subscale of the EPQ and the Paternal Care subscale of the PBI.     

The construct validity of the extraversion subscales of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Examined the construct validity of the extraversion and introversion subscales of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and the Howarth Personality Questionnaire (HPQ). The unitary nature of extraversion was also explored. A conjoint factor analysis undertaken at the scale level produced 4 factors: MBTI extraversion/introversion, Inferiority/Anxiety, Sociability/EPQ/Impulsiveness, and Dominance. A subsequent higher-order factor analysis revealed 1 factor. Results suggest that the MBTI subscales are largely a measure of sociability and that extraversion as represented in these 3 measures is not, at 1st glance, unitary, although interfactor correlations do exist in varying degrees. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Convergence of two systems for assessing specific traits of personality disorder.

Two samples of normal-range individuals (N?=?237) completed the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (L. A. Clark, 1993a) and the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology—Basic Questionnaire (W. J. Livesley & D. Jackson, in press), each of which assesses traits relevant to personality disorder. Convergence between the 2 instruments was examined at both the level of broad factors and the level of specific scales that had been matched previously on a conceptual basis (L. A. Clark & W. J. Livesley, 1994). Four of 5 higher order factors resembled dimensions of the 5-factor approach to personality, and a strong convergent and discriminant pattern was found between matched scales of the 2 instruments. Moreover, considerable specific trait variance remained after nonspecific (higher order) variance was accounted for. The results are interpreted as supporting a replicable structure of maladaptive personality traits at both levels of the hierarchy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family history of alcoholism and the stability of personality in young adulthood.

The authors examined the magnitude and durability of personality differences related to family history of alcoholism (FH) and the development of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in late adolescence and early adulthood. Data were taken from a longitudinal sample (N = 487; approximately half FH-positive [+]) who completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (H. J. Eysenck & S. B. G. Eysenck, 1975) at 3 points spanning 11 years (participants were 18 years old at baseline). Hierarchical linear analyses showed that FH+ participants had higher levels of neuroticism and psychoticism over the study period, independent of AUD. Despite relatively large mean decreases in neuroticism (as well as extraversion), the magnitude of the between-groups differences found at age 18 were maintained over the next decade. These changes thus reflect stable underlying differences in personality and not artifacts of higher rates of AUDs in FH+ individuals, recently living in an alcoholic home, vulnerability to the developmental challenge of leaving home, and/or a developmental lag. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and Jungian Myers-Briggs type indicator correlation of extraversion-introversion.

Hypothesized that given the methods and content similarity of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Extraversion-Introversion scales of the inventories will be significantly positively correlated. Data from 93 undergraduates support the prediction and provide a demonstration of convergent validity at the self-report questionnaire level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health-related quality of life varies with personality types: a comparison among cancer patients, non-cancer patients and healthy individuals in a Japanese population

In an attempt to examine differential effects of personality on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) without regard to disease type, we used the HRQoL-20, a general questionnaire (Japanese original scale) we developed (comprising 20 questions related to physiological, psychological or social HRQoL) and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), which measures personality traits of extraversion (E), neuroticism (N) and psychoticism (P). The subjects (399 males and 429 females), stomach cancer patients, non-cancer patients (who had received acupuncture or moxibustion treatment) and healthy controls, were classified into three personality types. The results indicated that the HRQoL score of the tolerable/tolerant type (high E, low N and high P scorers) was greater than the intolerable/intolerant type (low E, high N and low P scorers) and also the unclassified type (neither of above scorers). The HRQoL correlated positively with the E and P scales and negatively with the N scale, in the case of all subjects, with the exception of N in male cancer patients and E in male non-cancer patients. The results supported the hypothesis that the HRQoL varies with personality variables, in that each patient, in different treatment settings, strives for the situation that is congruent with his/her personality to attain a better HRQoL.     

Personality factors moderate subjective and psychophysiological responses to d-amphetamine in humans.

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between measures of novelty and sensation seeking and both psychophysiological and subjective measures of stimulation after a pharmacological challenge with an indirect dopamine agonist, d-amphetamine. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex and subjective responses were assessed after the challenge. The results indicated that the Novelty Seeking scale of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ; M. Zuckerman, 1994). TPQ was a significant predictor of lower PPI and greater subjective stimulation. The Disinhibition scale of the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS; M. Zuckerman, S. B. G. Eysenck, & M. J. Eysenck, 1978) moderated the effects of amphetamine on stimulation and elation, whereas the Boredom Susceptibility and Experience Seeking subscales of the SSS moderated subjective stimulation. These findings indicate that higher scores on novelty and sensation seeking correspond to heightened sensitivity to the effects of a stimulant medication. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A further attempt to differentiate violent from nonviolent offenders by means of a battery of psychological tests.

30 male Ss who had been convicted of violent offenses and 30 convicted on nonviolent offenses (mean ages 17.5 and 17.4 yrs, respectively) were administered the WAIS, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI), the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire, and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Only 6 of the dependent variables differentiated between the 2 groups at or beyond the .05 level of significance. They were Information, Comprehension, Verbal IQ, Object Assembly, Full Scale IQ, and Assault. With the exception of Assault (a BDHI subscale), all the variables come from the WAIS. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups on S. B. Eysenck and H. J. Eysenck's (1975) personality dimensions of extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. (French abstract) (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality disorders in adolescents with major depression, substance abuse disorders, and coexisting major depression and substance use disorders.

This study examined the presence of personality disorders in adolescent inpatients with major depression (MDD; n?=?45), substance use disorders (SUD; n?=?27), or both disorders combined (MDD-SUD; n?=?42). A consecutive series of patients were given structured diagnostic interviews for Axes I and II disorders. The groups did not differ with regard to age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, psychiatric history, or global assessment of functioning. Borderline personality disorder was diagnosed more frequently in the MDD-SUD group than in the MDD or SUD groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of the MMPI-2 Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5), the NEO-PI, and the NEO-PI—R.

This study examined relations between Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5; A. R. Harkness, J. L. McNulty, & Y. S. Ben-Porath, 1995), NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1985), and the revised NEO-PI (NEO-PI—R; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1992) scores in community (N?=?170) and clinical (N?=?57) samples. In the clinical sample, the temporal stability of the scales and their associations with personality disorder symptom counts were also assessed. Correlations between the two instruments demonstrated meaningful relations between the two sets of constructs in both samples. Both instruments showed substantial stability over 6 months, and both were significant and substantial predictors of symptom counts for most personality disorders. The data support the reinterpretation of personality disorders in terms of underlying dimensions of personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-rating scales reveal psychopathy

Psychopathy is regarded as a dimensional concept--i.e., a person can be more or less psychopathic. This approach enables psychopathy to be measured with reliable, validated personality scales, and to be related to impairment of serontonergic function in the brain. Several personality inventories are described in the article, especially the Karolinska Scales of Personality, the Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scales, form V, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, including an impulsiveness scale from the IVE (Impulsiveness-Venturesomeness-Empathy) inventory, and the old dimensional scale, the Marke-Nyman Personality Temperament scale based on the personality theory of Henrik Sj?bring. In this way both old and new, and both Swedish and foreign personality concepts are linked together. Personality scales are easy to use and enable better stability and validity of results to be attained.     

The Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire: Reliability and validity studies and derivation of a short form.

A series of interrelated analyses were conducted on 2 samples of college students to examine the reliability and validity of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) and to develop and validate a short version of the scale. Factor analyses were conducted and tended to approximate Cloninger's proposed model, Novelty Seeking predicted a range of substance use and abuse measures, and substance use disorders. Harm Avoidance was unrelated to substance use but predicted alcohol problems and dependence phenomena. No support was found for the quadratic and specific interaction effects proposed by Cloninger (1987). The Short-TPQ, a 44-item scale derived through exploratory factor analysis, demonstrated levels of reliability and validity quite comparable to those of the full scale. These results provide moderate support for the reliability and validity of both the TPQ and the Short-TPQ. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)