Adult Personality Traits Research Articles

Correlation between attachment and personality dimensions and their association to the catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met polimorphism

IntroductionBoth attachment style and personality traits are closely related to individual's interpersonal patterns. Association between these constructs has been widely studied, but variability in results makes it difficult to reach definite conclusions. Similarly, dopaminergic pathways are considered to underlie some personality traits and to be related to attachment styles, but evidence, hitherto, remain inconclusive.AimsTo assess the correlation between personality and attachment dimensions and to study whether a common association to the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism exists.MethodsOne hundred and three Caucasian controls (mean age 39.6 ± 6.4; 65% women) were recruited in the province of Biscay, Spain. DAPP-BQ and ECR-Spanish scales were administered to assess personality and attachment dimensions respectively. DNA was obtained from saliva and the COMT Val158Met polymorphism was determined. Pearson's correlation coefficient and ANOVA were calculated using R statistical software.ResultsHigh positive correlation is observed between inhibition personality dimension and attachment avoidance (r = 0.75). Besides, both inhibition and avoidance dimensions’ scores are significantly higher in the COMT ValMet genotype than in the other genotypes. MetMet: 63.1 ± 13.6; ValMet: 71.0 ± 13.9; ValVal: 63.0 ± 16.7 (ANOVA F = 3.75, P = 0.027) for inhibition and MetMet: 3.44 ± 0.17; ValMet: 3.82 ± 0.2; ValVal: 3.33 ± 0.23 (ANOVA F = 3.83, P = 0.025) for avoidance.ConclusionsAttachment patterns are rooted in early interactions with parental figures, and according to our results they could be linked to self-perceived personality traits in adulthood. Our study also suggests that genetics may predispose individuals to certain interaction styles. Our findings, linking ValMet individuals to avoidant attachment, are similar to Luijk's (2011) results, and would support a genetic-environmental model of both attachment and personality.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

A Multi-method Examination of the Links Between ADHD and Personality Disorder.

An existing relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and personality disorder (PD) has been well documented, yet research has been limited by possible selection and self-report biases as well as PD models of questionable validity. This study examined the relationship of ADHD with adult personality traits and disorders in a sample that included individuals prescreened for elevated childhood ADHD symptoms. Four hundred thirty-nine undergraduates completed retrospective reports of childhood ADHD symptoms as well as current ratings of ADHD symptoms, traditional PD categories, and the DSM-5 alternative PD trait model. To overcome potential biases in self-report, 161 parents of the participants provided ratings of childhood and current functioning. Results suggest that while self-report of ADHD was significantly correlated with several PDs, parent reports obtained somewhat more specific links with adult dependent, borderline, and paranoid PDs. Most importantly, the DSM-5 Section III dimensional trait model provided greater specificity, as the trait of distractibility consistently emerged as a unique predictor, and thus appeared more useful for understanding the developmental pathways of ADHD.

Do Personality Traits Predict Functional Impairment and Quality of Life in Adult ADHD? A Controlled Study

Objective: To examine the association of personality traits and characteristics on quality of life and functioning in adults with ADHD. Method: Participants were adults with (n = 206) and without ADHD (n = 123) who completed the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q), and the Social Adjustment Scale–Self-Report (SAS-SR). Participants also provided information on academic, motor vehicle operation, legal, social, familial, and occupational functioning. Outcomes were examined using stepwise linear regression, logistic regression (for binary outcomes), and negative binomial regression (for count outcomes) controlling for ADHD symptoms, psychiatric comorbidity, and executive dysfunction. Results: Adults with ADHD significantly differed from controls across nearly all TCI personality domains. On average, adults with ADHD endorsed more novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and self-transcendence, and less reward dependence, persistence, self-directedness, and cooperativeness. Personality traits and characteristics, especially self-directedness, significantly predicted functional impairments even after controlling for ADHD symptoms, executive function deficits, and current psychiatric comorbidities. Conclusion: In adults with ADHD, personality traits exert unique associations on quality of life and functional impairment across major life domains, beyond the relations expected of and associated with ADHD symptoms and other associated psychiatric conditions and cognitive vulnerabilities. Addressing personality traits in adults with ADHD may lead to improvements in quality of life and reductions in functional impairment.

Personality Traits in Childhood and Adolescence

Like adults, children and adolescents can be described in terms of personality traits: characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. We review recent research examining how youths’ specific behavioral tendencies cohere into broader traits, how these traits develop across childhood and adolescence, and how they relate to important biological, social, and health outcomes. We conclude that there are both key similarities and key differences between youth and adult personality traits, that youths’ personality traits help shape the course of their lives, and that a full understanding of youth personality traits will require additional research at the intersection of personality, developmental, and clinical psychology.

Three Lines of Personality Development

Abstract. The paper outlines a new and broadly inclusive conceptual itinerary for the scientific study of personality development across the human life course. From the standpoint of the person as a social actor, a first line of development runs from the temperament dimensions observed in infancy through the establishment of adult personality traits, tracking a movement toward greater elaboration and regulation of the person’s socio-emotional performance style. A second line of development traces continuity and change in the motivated agent, running from the child’s consolidation of theory of mind, through an age 5–7 shift, to the articulation in adolescence and adulthood of life goals and values. From the perspective of the autobiographical author, a third line of personality development runs from the sharing of episodic memories between preschool children and their parents to the emergence of autobiographical reasoning skills in adolescence, ultimately resulting in the construction of an integrative life story, or narrative identity. The itinerary expands the purview of personality development beyond the canonical trait concept to encompass contemporary theories and findings in evolutionary psychology, sociology, and motivational psychology, as well as the study of cognitive development in children, moral development, political orientations, religious attitudes and practices, autobiographical memory, and the master narratives of culture.

Can the Five Factor Model of Personality Account for the Variability of Autism Symptom Expression? Multivariate Approaches to Behavioral Phenotyping in Adult Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The present study aimed to: determine the extent to which the five factor model of personality (FFM) accounts for variability in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptomatology in adults, examine differences in average FFM personality traits of adults with and without ASD and identify distinct behavioral phenotypes within ASD. Adults (N = 828; nASD = 364) completed an online survey with an autism trait questionnaire and an FFM personality questionnaire. FFM facets accounted for 70 % of variance in autism trait scores. Neuroticism positively correlated with autism symptom severity, while extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness negatively correlated with autism symptom severity. Four FFM subtypes emerged within adults with ASD, with three subtypes characterized by high neuroticism and none characterized by lower-than-average neuroticism.

Sensory-processing sensitivity moderates the association between childhood experiences and adult life satisfaction

There are few studies testing the differential susceptibility hypothesis (DSH: hypothesizing that some individuals are more responsive to both positive and negative experiences) with adult personality traits. The current study examined the DSH by investigating the moderating effect of sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS) on childhood experiences and life satisfaction. A total of 185 adults completed measures of SPS, positive/negative childhood experiences and life satisfaction. SPS did moderate the association between childhood experiences and life satisfaction. Simple slopes analysis compared those reporting high and low SPS (+/−1 SD) and revealed that the difference was observed only for those who reported negative childhood experiences; with the high SPS group reporting lower life satisfaction. There was no difference observed in those reporting positive childhood experiences, which supported a diathesis-stress model rather than the DSH.

Patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome have widespread personality differences

Only little is known about pathological personality traits in patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). The aim of this study was to further investigate the prevalence of personality traits in adults with GTS. We used a variety of rating scales to assess not only personality traits, but also severity of tics, quality of life, and comorbidities (obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression), in a large group (n=50) of patients. Our major finding was that pathological personality traits are very common in patients with GTS encompassing a wide range of different personality traits, but most typically personality traits related to cluster C. Demand-anxious was the most common personality trait, while histrionic personality trait was absent. Patients’ quality of life was more impaired by personality traits than comorbidities. Personality traits were more common in patients with comorbid OCD and depression, while comorbid ADHD had no influence. Our findings, therefore, corroborate the hypothesis that GTS plus OCD represents a more severe subtype of GTS, and support the assumption that OCD and depression, but not ADHD, are part of the GTS spectrum.

Adult Attachment and Personality Traits and the Quality of Marriage of Husband and Wife Couples

The study aimed to increase the quality of marriage by understanding the match between adult attachment and personality traits (which includes agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism) on marriage quality of couples. Five hundred couples or 1000 participants were recruited with cluster area sampling in five areas of Bandung City, and were asked to complete Marital Satisfaction Scale and Big Five Inventory. Data was analysed using Multiple Regression and Paired-Sample T-Test. Results showed that adult attachment and personality traits both had a simultaneous effect on marriage quality. Adult attachment had a greater effect compared to the three traits mentioned. Agreeableness was found to have a direct effect on marriage quality of couples, while conscientiousness was found to only have a direct effect on husbands, not wives. Neuroticism was not found to have any direct effects on marriage quality. Further paired sample t-test result confirmed these findings.

Personality Traits in Adults With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Implications for Clinical Practice

Although medications are efficacious in reducing symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), many adults with ADHD are nonresponders to prescribed medications, do not adhere to their medication regimens, or have persistent psychological problems and/or personality traits that affect the emotional, behavioral, and social aspects of their lives. In this article we review findings from research studies that characterize the personality traits of adults with ADHD and suggest ways that nurse practitioners can incorporate evidence-based findings into the assessment and treatment of this population. Suggestions and directions for future studies to enhance clinical practice are also presented.

Prevalence of childhood obsessive–compulsive personality traits in adults with obsessive compulsive disorder versus obsessive compulsive personality disorder

Identifying risk factors of psychopathology has been an important research challenge. Prior studies examining the impact of childhood temperament on adult disorder have largely focused on undercontrolled and inhibited presentations, with little study of overcontrolled traits such as obsessive–compulsive personality traits (OCPTs). We compared rates of childhood OCPTs in adults with OCD (without OCPD) (n=28) to adults with OCPD (without OCD) (n=27), adults with both OCD and OCPD (n=28), and healthy controls (HC) (n=28), using the childhood retrospective perfectionism questionnaire, a validated measure of perfectionism, inflexibility, and drive for order. Adults with OCPD (both with and without comorbid OCD) reported higher rates of all three childhood OCPTs relative to HC. Individuals with OCD (without OCPD) reported higher rates of inflexibility and drive for order relative to HC, suggesting that these traits may presage the development of OCD, independent of OCPD. Childhood OCPTs were associated with particular OCD symptom dimensions in adulthood (contamination/cleaning, doubt/checking, and symmetry/ordering), independent of OCD onset age and OCPD diagnosis. Longitudinal prospective studies evaluating OCPTs in children are needed to better understand the progression of these traits from childhood to adulthood and their ability to predict future psychopathology.

Functional Neuroscience of Psychopathic Personality in Adults.

Psychopathy is a personality disorder that involves a constellation of traits including callous-unemotionality, manipulativeness, and impulsiveness. Here we review recent advances in the research of functional neural correlates of psychopathic personality traits in adults. We first provide a concise overview of functional neuroimaging findings in clinical samples diagnosed with the PCL-R. We then review studies with community samples that have focused on how individual differences in psychopathic traits (variously measured) relate to individual differences in brain function. Where appropriate, we draw parallels between the findings from these studies and those with clinical samples. Extant data suggest that individuals with high levels of psychopathic traits show lower activity in affect-processing brain areas to emotional/salient stimuli, and that attenuated activity may be dependent on the precise content of the task. They also seem to show higher activity in regions typically associated with reward processing and cognitive control in tasks involving moral processing, decision making, and reward. Furthermore, affective-interpersonal and lifestyle-antisocial facets of psychopathy appear to be associated with different patterns of atypical neural activity. Neuroimaging findings from community samples typically mirror those observed in clinical samples, and largely support the notion that psychopathy is a dimensional construct.

Infant SES as a predictor of personality--is the association mediated by intelligence?

BackgroundAlthough research into the continuity and change of personality traits during a lifespan has been fairly extensive, little research has been conducted on childhood predictors of adult personality.PurposeWe aimed to investigate the association between infant socioeconomic status (SES), and Eysenck personality traits in adulthood. An additional aim was to investigate whether intelligence and education may mediate this association.MethodsSES of 9125 children in the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort was recorded at a 1-year examination. A subsample of this cohort, comprising 1182 individuals, participated in a follow-up at 20–34 years and was administered the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) which includes measures of neuroticism, extraversion, psychoticism and the so-called lie-scale. Associations of SES with each of the four personality traits were analysed by bivariate and partial correlations, and the mediating effects of intelligence and years of education were analysed.ResultsHigher SES in infancy was associated with lower neuroticism (r = −0.06; p = 0.05), lower lie-scale scores (r = −0.11; p = 0.0002), and higher psychoticism (r = 0.09; p = 0.003). However, analyses of mediation revealed no direct effect of infant SES on any of the adult personality traits, but only indirect effects mediated by intelligence and years of education, with intelligence being the main mediating factor.ConclusionOnly weak associations were observed between infant SES and personality in young adulthood, and the observed associations were mediated by adult intelligence and educational level. Thus, factors associated with infant SES or family background appears to have weak direct effects on personality development.

Association between childhood maltreatment and normal adult personality traits: exploration of an understudied field.

We assessed normal personality traits and childhood trauma in approximately 1170 subjects from a general population-based community sample. In bivariate analyses emotional abuse was most pervasively related to personality, showing significant detrimental associations with neuroticism, extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. Neuroticism was significantly related to emotional abuse and neglect, physical abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse. Emotional abuse was related to neuroticism in men more profoundly than in women (β = 0.095). Adjusting for the covariance between childhood maltreatment variables, neuroticism was mainly related to emotional abuse (β = 0.193), extraversion to emotional neglect (β = -0.259), openness to emotional abuse (β = 0.175), conscientiousness to emotional abuse (β = -0.110), and agreeableness to emotional neglect (β = -0.153). The proportion of variance explained was highest in neuroticism (5.6%) and lowest in openness (1.9%) and conscientiousness (1.8%). These findings help to understand the complex association between childhood maltreatment and both normal and pathological personality.

Personality Traits of Older Adults Participating in a Structured Exercise Program

Personality Traits of Older Adults Participating in a Structured Exercise Program

Alexithymia and adult attachment representations: Associations with the five-factor model of personality and perceived relationship adjustment

Several studies have demonstrated associations between alexithymia, adult attachment styles, personality traits, and relationship adjustment. Only two studies, however, have explored associations between alexithymia and attachment representations. As part of a larger investigation of maternal and infant attachment, the current study explored this association in a sample of 97 pregnant women; in addition, measures of alexithymia and domains of the five-factor model (FFM) of personality were compared in predicting attachment security, assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview Coherence of Mind mind scale, and perceived relationship adjustment. Alexithymia negatively predicted coherence of mind; the domains of the FFM did not add significantly to the prediction. The Openness-to-Experience domain predicted relationship adjustment better than alexithymia. Contrary to findings from studies that assessed adult attachment styles, coherence of mind was unrelated to relationship adjustment and the FFM. The results suggest that alexithymia does not uniquely predict relationship adjustment beyond the domains of the FFM.

Personality and self-insight in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involves widespread difficulties in social interaction, communication, and behavioral flexibility. Consequently, individuals with ASD are believed to exhibit a number of unique personality tendencies, including a lack of insight into those tendencies. However, surprisingly little research has examined these issues. Study 1 compared self-reports of Big Five personality traits in adults with ASD (n = 37) to those of typically developing (TD) adults (n = 42). Study 2 examined whether any observed personality differences replicated in children/adolescents with ASD (n = 50) and TD controls (n = 50) according to self- and parent reports of personality. Study 2 also assessed level of self-insight in individuals with ASD relative to TD individuals by examining the degree to which self-reports converged with parent reports in terms of self-other agreement and self-enhancement (vs. self-diminishment) biases. Individuals with ASD were more Neurotic and less Extraverted, Agreeable, Conscientious, and Open to Experience. These personality differences replicated for (a) children, adolescents, and adults; (b) self- and parent reports; and (c) males and females. However, personality traits were far from perfect predictors of ASD vs. TD group membership, did not predict within-group variability in ASD symptom severity, and had differential links to maladjustment in the ASD and TD groups, suggesting that ASD represents more than just an extreme standing on trait dimensions. Finally, individuals with ASD had a tendency to self-enhance and TD individuals, to self-diminish, but both groups showed comparable self-other agreement. Thus, individuals with ASD exhibit distinct personalities relative to TD individuals but may have a similar level of insight into them.

The perceived personality traits of adults with digitally induced large angle strabismus and the impact of its correction.

Purpose:To ascertain the effect of digitally induced large angle strabismus and its correction on social bias against strabismic adults.Subjects and Methods:This prospective, observational study included 10 orthotropic subjects whose face photographs were digitally altered to produce esotropia, exotropia, and hypertropia. Three batches of non-medical professionals, each consisting of 14 subjects, adjudged personality traits of the altered face photographs on a 10-item questionnaire. The same evaluators effected the appraisal of the orthotropic photographs. The personality score of the strabismic photograph of a subject was compared with its own orthotropic photograph.Subjects and Methods:This prospective, observational study included 10 orthotropic subjects whose face photographs were digitally altered to produce esotropia, exotropia, and hypertropia. Three batches of non-medical professionals, each consisting of 14 subjects, adjudged personality traits of the altered face photographs on a 10-item questionnaire. The same evaluators effected the appraisal of the orthotropic photographs. The personality score of the strabismic photograph of a subject was compared with its own orthotropic photograph.Results:The 10 subjects whose photographs were digitally modified were of the same age (21 years) and had equal gender distribution. The evaluation of the photographs was performed by 42 evaluators aged 38.3 ± 14.9 years, of whom 21 were males. Different personality traits were rated negatively in the strabismic photographs. The statistically significant negative impact was apparent on more number of personality traits for esotropia (7 out of 10) as compared to exotropia (4 out of 10) or hypertropia (3 out of 10). Rating of the strabismic photographs was significantly lower by female evaluators (P = 0.006). However, there was no difference whether the subject evaluating the photograph of the strabismic individual was of the same gender or the opposite gender. Internal consistency of the questionnaire was excellent (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.81).Conclusion:There was a significant negative impact of strabismus on the perceived personality traits of the digitally altered face photographs of the adults when compared to their orthotropic photograph.

How Adult Attachment and Personality Traits are Related to Marital Quality: The Role of Relationship Attributions and Emotional Reactions

The purpose of this research was to explore the role of General Factor of Personality (GFP) and adult attachment dimensions in marital quality through relationship attributions and emotional reactions. The sample consisted of 261 couples who were married at least more than one year and had no major stressful events in their lives up to the time of the study. In this study, the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), the Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire-Revised (ECR-R), the Relationship Attribution Measure (RAM), the Geneva Emotion Wheel (GEW), and the Perceived Relationship Quality Components (PRQC) were used for collecting the data. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data. The results suggest that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance and GFP directly and indirectly, through relationship attributions and emotional reactions, were related to marital quality. In addition, relationship attributions are antecedent to emotional reactions. Based on the findings, an intrapersonal-situational model of marital quality is suggested.

Personality‐Relationship Transactions Revisited

The transactional paradigm states that people create, maintain, and change their environments according to their personalities. At the same time, the environment reacts back on personality. As social relationships are part of an individual's environment, this likewise implies that there are reciprocal transactions between personality and relationships. However, earlier studies have concluded that adult personality traits are so stable that they have a stronger effect on later relationships, but that relationship effects on personality are negligible. In this article, we contend that personality-relationship transactions should be revisited. We submit that the relative powers of personality versus relationship effects depend on the type of life transition during which the effects take place: Relationship effects on personality development are more likely to emerge in the context of rather normative and highly scripted life transitions, whereas personality effects on relationship development are more likely to occur in the context of rather non-normative life transitions that are less regulated by social expectations. We illustrate these assumptions with examples from our own work and other findings reported in the literature. Furthermore, we theorize that effects of personality-relationship transactions on health also vary with the normativeness of the eliciting life transition.