Predictive capabilities of the Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in evaluating the effectiveness of antidepressant pharmacotherapy. Systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

In the pharmacotherapy of depressive disorders, the problem of the predictors of a therapeutic response remains relevant, they may be important in determining treatment tactics. Objective : to determine the predictive power of the Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in evaluating the results of antidepressant pharmacotherapy in patients with depression (major depressive disorder). Material and methods . PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for articles published between 1990 and November 2021. Only English-language prospective studies, that examined the relationship between pre-treatment TCI personality scores and antidepressant pharmacotherapy efficacy were selected. Results . A total of 18 studies were found (N tot =3122). The most commonly cited statistically significant predictors of therapy effectiveness were: harm avoidance (HA) in 11 studies (N tot =2413), reward dependence in 6 (N tot =1941), cooperativeness (CO) in 6 (N tot =1259). In only two studies (N tot =234), personality parameters were not associated with treatment efficacy. In 10 studies (N tot =1065) baseline values of personality characteristics were indicated, which made it possible to include them in the meta-analysis. HA (z=4.06; p<0.0001; I 2 =49%) and CO (z=2.71; p=0.007; I 2 =66%) were associated – in a statistically significant way – with the likelihood of achieving a response to antidepressant pharmacotherapy. Conclusion . Personality dimensions from the TCI questionnaire are predictors of the effectiveness of antidepressant pharmacotherapy