Comparing the Personality Traits of Patients with an Eating Disorder versus a Dual Diagnosis

Abstract

Objectives: This cross-sectional study explored personality traits of individuals receiving treatment in a private clinic for an eating disorder (ED) compared to those receiving treatment for a dual diagnosis (DD; defined as an addiction to illegal drugs and/or alcohol along with a mental illness, in this case an ED). The aims of this study were to: (a) assess the personality profiles and differentiating traits between the ED and DD groups, (b) analyze differences in personality traits of restrictive ED versus bingeing ED profiles, and lastly (c) compare the individuals Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R) results to their personality clusters as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th edition (DSM-5). Methods: The TCI-R is a self-report questionnaire consisting of seven scales, each with their own subscales, which provide a fuller understanding of each temperament and character trait evaluated. This questionnaire was given to patients (n = 67) receiving treatment at a private institute specialized in eating disorders in Barcelona, Spain and the surrounding areas, along with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11). These subsequent questionnaires were given as they are often found to be comorbidities of ED. Results: The ED group (n = 41), regarding the TCI-R scales, showed higher scores in harm avoidance (HA), reward dependence (RD), persistence (P), cooperativeness (C) and self-directedness (SD). Whereas, the DD (n = 26) group, showed higher scores in novelty seeking (NS) and self-transcendence (ST). Also, there was a significant positive correlation between the DD group and the extravagance (NS3) subscale of novelty seeking across models. When comparing the two ED groups, the restrictive profile (RP) to the bingeing profile (BP), there were significant negative correlations in the TCI-R subscales of dependence (RD4) and perfectionism (P4) whereas there were positive correlations in the TCI-R subscale of responsibility (SD1). Conclusions: These results support previous studies and help to appraise differences in personality traits between specific groups in a clinical setting.