Personality dimensions in patients with sleep-apnea syndrome: comparison with narcolepsy

Personality measures of Anxiety-Neuroticism, Extraversion and Socialization obtained from self-report questionnaires were studied in a group of sleep-apnea patients (15 males, 5 females), and compared with results from a normal control group (63 males, 21 females) and a group of narcoleptic patients (17 males, 32 females). Sleep-apnea patients were significantly higher in Anxiety-Neuroticism and slightly higher in Extraversion than controls. Although the main symptom, i.e. excessive daytime sleepiness, of sleep-apnea and narcoleptic patients is similar, there were distinct differences in pattern of personality measures. Sleep-apnea patients were lower in Anxiety-Neuroticism and higher in Extraversion. Thus, increased sleepiness alone did not induce uniform changes in personality traits in the two patient groups. It is suggested that the particular personality profile of the sleep-apnea patients is secondary to increased psychosocial strain and coping strategies to keep awake. In contrast, the high Somatic Anxiety scores and low Socialization scores in the narcoleptic group are assumed to reflect a constitutional lability which also involves autonomic and sleep functions.     

A study of temperament and personality in anorexia and bulimia nervosa

Although temperament and personality traits could influence the development and course of eating disorders, only a few studies examined the similarities and differences in personality between anorexia and bulimia nervosa. We compared 72 patients with DSM-IV eating disorders and 30 healthy controls. Dimensions of personality and personality disorders were evaluated with the Eysenck's EPQ, Cloninger's TCI, and the SCID-II questionnaires. The rates of impulsivity and clinical features were evaluated using specific rating scales. A comorbid personality disorder was found in 61.8% of patients with eating disorder. Avoidant personality disorder appeared was relatively common in anorexia nervosa restricting type; borderline personality disorder was most frequent in bulimia nervosa and the binge eating-purging type of anorexia nervosa. From a dimensional perspective, anorexic patients presented high scores in the dimension of persistence. Higher harm avoidance and impulsivity was found in bulimic patients. The overall eating disorders group presented high scores in neuroticism and low scores in self-directedness. Eating disorder patients have heterogeneous features of temperament and personality traits. Cluster C personality disorders seem more common in anorexia nervosa restricting type and impulsive personality features are associated with bulimic symptoms. Impulsivity seems to be a key aspect of temperament of bulimic patients, whereas anorexic symptoms are linked to persistent temperament traits.     

The relationship between five-factor personality measurements and ICD-10 personality disorder dimensions: results from a sample of 229 subjects

This article examines the relationship between the five-factor model (FFM) and dimensional ICD-10 personality disorders. In a follow-up study of a child and adolescent psychiatric cohort, former patients and controls were assessed with NEO-FFI and the IPDE interview (CD-10 personality disorder). Full data were available for 229 subjects (149 former patients, 80 controls). Multiple regression analysis showed that the five factors of the FFM as independent variables explained between 5% (schizoid personality disorder) and 32% (anxious personality disorder) of the variance of ICD-10 dimensional personality disorder scores. For the two types of emotionally unstable personality disorder dimension (impulsive and borderline), for anxious (avoidant) personality disorder dimension and for the total score of any personality disorder dimension, FFM explained between 17% and 32% of the variance with almost identical results for the former patient group and the control group. High neuroticism was a feature of paranoid, emotionally unstable, histrionic, anankastic, anxious (avoidant), and dependent personality disorder dimensions, whereas low agreeableness was found in dissocial, emotionally unstable and histrionic personality disorder dimensions. Low extraversion was found in schizoid, anxious (avoidant) and dependent personality disorder dimensions, whereas histrionic PD dimension correlated with high extraversion. We find that the FFM is valuable for the further understanding not only of DSM-IV but also of ICD-10 personality disorder dimensions. The differences between ICD-10 and DSM-IV in this respect seem to be small.     

Five-factor model and internalizing and externalizing syndromes: A 5-year prospective study

The main aim of the present research was to study the prospective relationships of the five-factor model of personality and the internalizing and externalizing suprafactors of psychopathology. A sample of 323 young adults completed the NEO-FFI at Time 1 and different scales of symptoms 5 years later. Neuroticism prospectively predicted the internalizing factor, while extraversion, low agreeableness and low conscientiousness predicted the externalizing factor. We found additional paths between introversion and social phobia symptoms, and between low agreeableness and psychopathy symptoms. These relationships remained significant, even when controlling for previous symptoms, except for extraversion. Gender had no moderation effect on the interrelationship between personality and psychopathology factors. The present study extends previous research about personality and psychopathology, and suggests different ways in which they can be related.     

Three-way interaction of neuroticism,extraversion, and conscientiousness in the internalizing disorders: Evidence of disorder specificity in a psychiatric sample

It is well-established that neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness are individually associated with internalizing disorders, but research suggests that these main effects may be qualified by a three-way interaction when predicting depression. The current study was the first to examine this three-way interaction in a psychiatric sample (N = 463) with a range of internalizing symptoms as the outcomes. Using two omnibus personality inventories and a diagnostic interview, the expected three-way interaction emerged most consistently for symptoms of major depression, and there was also evidence of synergistic effects for post-traumatic stress disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Findings indicate that, even in a clinically-distressed and currently-disordered sample, high levels of extraversion and conscientiousness protect against distress disorders for those with high levels of neuroticism.     

Personality prototypes in eating disorders based on the Big Five model

A three factor model of personality pathology was investigated in a clinical sample of 335 female eating disordered patients. Cluster analysis of the Big Five NEO-FFI scales (Costa & McCrae, 1992) yielded three distinct personality profiles, which were consistent with previous studies: (1) a resilient/high functioning cluster with no clinical elevations on the NEO-FFI scales; (2) an undercontrolled/emotionally dysregulated cluster with elevated scores on the Neuroticism scale and low scores on Conscientiousness and Agreeableness; (3) an overcontrolled/constricted cluster showing high scores on Neuroticism and Conscientiousness and low scores on Openness to Experience. Comparing the three personality prototypes with respect to Axis I and Axis II disorders,resilients reported systematically less clinical and personality problems than both undercontrollers and overcontrollers. Compared to the latter, undercontrollers showed more impulsive personality features and behaviors. Finally, cluster membership was not clearly associated with eating disorder subtypes, suggesting that there is considerable variance in personality features and/or pathology within the various eating disorder categories.     

Positive schizotypal symptoms predict treatment outcome in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Previous research has suggested that the presence of schizotypal personality disorder may represent a risk factor for treatment failure in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Relying on a dimensional approach, the present study investigated whether the predictive importance of schizotypal personality is shared by all of its features to the same extent or whether it is confined to a subset of symptoms. Fifty-three patients underwent multi-modal cognitive-behavioral therapy with or without adjunctive antidepressive medication. Therapy response was defined as a 35% decline of the Y-BOCS total score. At baseline assessment, patients were asked to fill out the schizotypal personality questionnaire, the perceptual aberration scale and the Beck depression inventory. Stepwise regression analysis and group comparisons conducted with the schizotypal and depression scales revealed that elevated scores in the positive schizotypal scales, especially perceptual aberrations, were highly predictive for treatment failure. Responders to treatment and non-responders did not significantly differ on other variables or on scores in two scales which measured response biases. The study provides evidence that positive schizotypal symptoms are antecendents for treatment failure in OCD. It needs to be evaluated whether these at-risk individuals benefit from additional intervention, such as the adminstration of low-dose atypical neuroleptics and specifically tailored behavorial intervention.     

Socialization preferences and intentions: Does one size fit all?

The purpose of this study was to investigate student preferences for socialization tactics and their intentions to be proactive when they begin a new job. We examined the relationship between the Five Factor Model of personality and proactive personality with socialization tactics preferences and proactive behavior intentions in a sample of 243 undergraduate university students enrolled in a cooperative management program. The results indicate that personality predicts preferences for socialization tactics and intentions to be proactive. In particular, individuals high on agreeableness prefer institutionalized socialization tactics and individuals high on extraversion and proactive personality report higher intentions to be proactive when they begin a new job. These results suggest that one size does not fit all newcomers when it comes to socialization. The implications for research and practice before and after organizational entry are discussed.     

Personality and accident liability: are extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism related to traffic and occupational fatalities?

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism, and road traffic fatalities in a data set of 34 nations. In addition to traffic fatalities per 100,000 vehicles, work-related fatalities were included in the study. Results showed that extraversion had a positive relation to the number of traffic fatalities whereas neuroticism correlated negatively with road fatalities. Occupational fatalities were strongly related to deaths on the roads but not to personality dimensions. Countries with high extraversion scores had more traffic fatalities than countries with moderate or low extraversion scores. The need for well-designed studies investigating the link between personality factors and traffic accident liability via driver behaviour was expressed.     

Cosmetic surgery and the relationship between appearance satisfaction and extraversion: Testing a transactional model of personality

Few studies have tested potential explanatory mechanisms for the high stability of extraversion. In this study, the relationship between extraversion, appearance evaluation, and cosmetic surgery was investigated to examine such mechanisms. The “Big Five” personality traits were assessed in 155 female cosmetic surgery patients prior to and 6 months after surgery, as well as from a representative sample of 907 women. Patients showed higher extraversion scores prior to surgery than were found in the representative sample; further, extraversion scores increased after surgery, while the increase diminished when controlled for appearance evaluation. The results are in accordance with a transactional model, whereby extraverts engage in actions that reinforce extravert tendencies, which may account for the high stability of extraversion.     

Extraversion,neuroticism, psychoticism and self-reported delinquency: Evidence from eight separate samples

Eight separate samples of high school and university students (Total N = 410) in Britain and Canada were used to test predictions from Eysenck's theory that delinquents should be high scorers on scales of extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. Self-report paper- and pencil-questionnaire measures of both personality and delinquency were administered under conditions that ensured anonymity. The evidence showed clear support for a relationship between high delinquency scores and high scores on both extraversion and psychoticism. These relationships held up across diverse samples and different ways of analyzing the data. No support was found for a relationship between delinquency scores and the dimension of neuroticism.     

Beginning and Succeeding in Graduate School

Alcohol-dependent outpatients were clustered on the basis of their responses on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI; Millon, 1983) personality disorder scales; male and female patients were clustered separately. The clusters were compared with respect to self-reported psychiatric, interpersonal, and drinking problems. The results, along with those of previous cluster analyses with male inpatients, suggest several reliable personality subtypes. One type (more common in inpatient settings) scores high on Negativistic and Avoidant/Schizoid or Dependent scales and reports numerous problems and intense distress. A second type (more common in outpatient settings) reports few problems and scores highest on Compulsive or Histrionic/Narcissistic scales. A third group (found in all and only male samples) scores high on Narcissism and Antisocial scales, readily admits substance problems, and may be interpersonally controlling and distancing.     

Personality and self-determination of exercise behaviour

There is extensive evidence that personality traits are associated with health-related behaviours, but less evidence regarding the underlying mechanisms. In this study, we examined the relationships between personality and self-determination of exercise behaviour. Users of a sports centre completed personality scales (the NEO Five Factor Inventory supplemented with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Psychoticism scale) and exercise self-determination scales (Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire which measures extrinsic, introjected, identified and intrinsic forms of regulation). Analyses were restricted to 182 individuals in the maintenance stage of exercise participation. Partial correlation analysis was used to examine the relationships between each personality scale and the self-determination scales, controlling for other personality scales, gender and age. Neuroticism was associated with more introjected regulation, extraversion with more identified and intrinsic regulation, openness with less external regulation, conscientiousness with less external regulation and more intrinsic regulation, and psychoticism with more external regulation. Relating these findings to self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), it is speculated that extraverted individuals are able to feel self-determined because exercise can satisfy the need for relatedness, conscientious individuals because exercise can satisfy the need for competence. Furthermore, conscientious individuals may have greater wherewithal to advance along the continuum of behavioural regulation.     

Personality and the Perception of Transformational Leadership: The Impact of Extraversion,Neuroticism, Personal Need for Structure,and Occupational Self‐Efficacy1

This experimental study examined the influence of followers' personal characteristics on their perception of leadership. Participants were 175 students who self‐rated several personality scales (extraversion, neuroticism, personal need for structure, and occupational self‐efficacy) at Time 1. Two weeks later, participants were divided into two groups and were presented a vignette about a transformational or a nontransformational leader. Subsequently, respondents were asked to rate the described leader's behavior on the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Results revealed that followers high in extraversion tended to perceive more transformational leadership, and showed a more positive evaluation of transformational leadership than did followers with low extraversion. Moreover, perceived transformational leadership predicted the acceptance of a leader, but followers' personality traits did not moderate the relationship between perceived transformational leadership and acceptance.     

Psychological states and traits in female agoraphobics: A controlled study

Recent surveys on the psychology of agoraphobia point to the paucity of sound empirical studies addressing personality and symptomatology factors related to the disorder. In the present study, a sample of female agoraphobics was compared with control groups of nonphobic psychiatric and of nonpatient normal female Ss on a relatively large number of psychological state and trait measures. Besides scoring clearly higher than both groups of controls on agoraphobic symptoms, agoraphobics, as a group, scored significantly higher in terms of (a) anxiety, (b) certain components of depression, (c) interpersonal difficulties, (d) general psychological malaise, and (e) fears of bodily injury, illness, and death as well. Further, compared to both groups of controls, agoraphobics could be characterized by higher levels of (a) neuroticism, (b) seclusion (low on extraversion and sociability and showing greater tendencies toward isolating themselves from social contacts), (c) situational dependency (higher scores on a restrictive style of living), (d) passivity (greater hypoactivity), and (e) intropunitiveness (scores in more intropunitive than extrapunitive direction). The claim, frequently made in the clinical literature, that agoraphobics have dependent personalities was not confirmed.     

The Dark Triad,happiness and subjective well-being

Narcissism can be expressed in grandiose or vulnerable forms. We examined whether positive psychological states (defined by the Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI) and the Diener Satisfaction With Life (SWL) scales) assisted differentiation relative to general personality traits and the “the Dark Triad” (psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism, measured by the D12 and Short Dark Triad (SD3) indices) for 840 persons primarily from the UK, USA and Canada. The best fitting structural equation model comprised two latent variables, one of positive mood (comprising total scores on the OHI and SWL scales), and another forming a “dark dyad” of Machiavellianism and psychopathy (predicted by low agreeableness and lower positive mood), with narcissism regarded as a separate construct correlated with the dark dyad. Latent positive mood was primarily predicted by higher emotional stability and extraversion. Narcissism was predicted by lower emotional stability, lower agreeableness, and higher extraversion. Latent profile analysis identified four groups in the data: “unhappy but not narcissistic”, “vulnerable narcissism”, “happy non-narcissism” and “grandiose narcissism”. Our results suggest more problematic narcissism can be identified by reference to measures indexing positive mood states and general personality traits.     

Two-year stability of Psychosis Proneness Scales and their relations to personality disorder traits

Two-year stability of Physical Anhedonia (PhA), Perceptual Aberration (PER), and Magical Ideation (MI) scale scores and their relation to personality disorder traits were examined. Additionally, the effects of a time-lagged (prospective) versus concurrent measurement of psychosis proneness and personality disorder traits were studied to examine the specificity of MI, PER, and PhA. With a non-college-student sample (n = 404), stability for PhA was sufficiently high, but for PER and MI, stability was moderate to low. The correlations between personality disorder traits and psychosis proneness scales demonstrate that simultaneous assessment leads to a more nonspecific pattern of associations for MI and PER, although the correlation to schizotypal personality disorder traits were the highest. However, prospectively only MI, but neither PER nor PhA, emerged as a significant predictor for schizotypal and paranoid personality disorder traits in multiple-regression analysis. This suggests that MI may allow for a more specific assessment of psychosis proneness than PER.