Specific Temperament Traits Research Articles

Features of Temperament and Character in Families with Recurrent Depressive and Bipolar Affective Disorders

The research is devoted to the study of temperament and character characteristics in families with mood disorders (recurrent depressive disorder (RВВ) and bipolar affective disorder (BD)). Many temperament and character traits tend to aggregate in families and influence the risk of RDD and BD. At the same time, no studies have been conducted in the Russian population with an assessment of temperament and character traits depending on the presence of mood disorders in families. The hypothesis of the study: patients with mood disorders and their relatives have specific features of temperament and character. 36 probands with RDD and BD and 68 of their relatives were examined, as well as 23 probands without mood disorders and 53 of their relatives. A Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125) was used to assess personality traits. The results of the study showed that probands with mood disorders, in comparison with their relatives, had significantly higher scores on such TCI-125 dimensions as novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and reward dependence. However, the main contribution to the identified differences was made by relatives without mood disorders. Probands with mood disorders had a higher score on the dimension of harm avoidance compared to healthy probands. In addition, a higher score on the novelty seeking dimension was associated with the absence of relatives with mood disorders when comparing healthy relatives of probands with mood disorders and healthy relatives of probands without mood disorders. It is concluded that there are specific temperament traits in families with mood disorders that can be considered as candidates for the endophenotypes of RDD and BD.

Temperament traits mediate the relationship between CACNA1C polymorphisms and bipolar disorder in cisgender women.

The influence of temperament traits on bipolar disorder (BD) has been investigated. Both temperament traits and BD are partially genetically determined and seem to be influenced by variations in the CACNA1C gene. These variations presented a significant interactive effect with biological sex, although studies that evaluate this relationship are scarce. Here, we assessed the mediation effect of temperament traits on the relationship between two polymorphisms in the CACNA1C gene (rs1006737 and rs4765913) and BD according to sex. This is a cross-sectional study consisting of 878 Caucasian individuals (508 women and 370 men), aged 18-35, enrolled in a population-based study in the city of Pelotas, Southern Brazil. BD diagnosis was evaluated using the clinical interview MINI 5.0, and temperament traits were assessed via the application of the Affective and Emotional Composite Temperament Scale (AFECTS). Mediation models were tested using the modeling tool PROCESS (version 3.3) for SPSS. Bootstrapping-enhanced mediation analyses in women indicated that traits anger (39%) and caution (27%) mediated the association between the rs4765913 SNP and BD, while traits volition (29%), anger (35%), and caution (29%) mediated the association between the AA haplotype (rs1006737-rs4765913) and the BD. No effect was encountered for cisgender men. Our model revealed that paths from CACNA1C SNPs to BD are mediated by specific temperament traits in women, reinforcing the definition of temperament traits as endophenotypes.

Individual, Family, and Environmental Correlates of Motor Competence in Young Children: Regression Model Analysis of Data Obtained from Two Motor Tests.

Physical activity and motor competence (MC) have been considered to be closely related and prevent childhood obesity. The aim of the study was two-fold: to examine MC measured with two different tools in relation to individual, family, and environmental correlates and to investigate gender differences in MC. The Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition (TGMD-3) was administered to three- to seven-year-old children (n = 945), while the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) was also used for five- to seven-year-old children (n = 444). The parent questionnaire (n = 936) included questions about individual (e.g., participation in organized sports), family (e.g., parents’ education level), and environmental (e.g., access to sports facilities) correlates. The children’s temperament was assessed using the Colorado Childhood Temperament Inventory (CCTI) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and linear mixed-effects regression models. The regression models explained 57% and 38% of the variance in TGMD-3 and KTK, respectively. Individual correlates, including older age, more frequent participation in sports, and specific temperament traits of activity and attention span-persistence, were the strongest predictors for better MC. Small gender differences were found in both assessment tools, albeit in a different manner. In conclusion, socioecological correlates of MC in young children are multidimensional, and individual correlates appear to be the most important predictors of MC. Importantly, the correlates can differ according to the MC assessment tools.

Neuropsychological Functioning and Temperament Traits in a Czech Sample of Children and Adolescents at Familial Risk of Bipolar Disorder.

Background: Although a positive family history is the strongest predictor for bipolar disorder (BD), most offspring of BD parents (BO) will not develop the disorder. Identification of vulnerability markers for BD is essential for specific individual risk estimation. Impairments in cognitive functioning and the presence of specific temperament traits are considered promising candidates.Methods: Sixty-three BO (48% female; 11.8 ± 3.3 years) and 54 control offspring (CO; 44% female; 12.3 ± 3.2 years) comparable in sex (p = 0.4) and age (p = 0.4) were enrolled. Detection of current sub/threshold mood symptoms by the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia and General Behavior Inventory was applied to separate BO into ultrahigh-risk (UHR) and high-risk (HR) subgroups. Cognitive functions were tested by the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment II test battery, d2 Test of Attention, and Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks. Temperament was assessed by the Temperament in Middle Childhood and Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaires.Results: The BO sample consisted of 5 BD, 17 UHR, and 41 HR participants. We did not observe any significant differences between the BO and CO groups or between the UHR, HR, and CO subgroups (Hedges' g = 0.21–0.39) in cognitive functioning. The BO differed significantly in some temperament traits from the CO (g = 0.42–0.61), while the UHR subgroup exhibited lower effortful control and attention focusing than both HR and CO participants (g = 0.92–1.19).Limitations: The cross-sectional design and wide age range of the sample limited our findings.Conclusions: Neuropsychological impairment does not seem to be a trait marker of BD in the premorbid stage. Temperament with low effortful control and low attention focusing might be associated with the development of mood disorders in BO.

How young adults imagine their future? The role of temperamental traits

Relatively few empirical studies have addressed the psychological dimensions involved in the imagination of the future. The present study aimed to verify the hypothetical link between the temperament traits of young adults and their attitudes towards the future. Through an online panel, 246 subjects aged 20 to 30 years (M = 26.07 ± 2.36), of whom 54.5% were female, answered a protocol consisting of an identity record, a specially designed tool called the Future Thinking Questionnaire, and the Temperament and Character Inventory developed by Cloninger. The data were analysed through linear regression, Student’s t test, and the Kruskall-Wallis test. Results show that specific temperament traits, such as Reward Dependence and Harm Avoidance, significantly predict the perception of Uncertainty, the sense of Helplessness, the attitude of Persistence, and Fantasy regarding external solutions. Findings suggest that the view of the future is influenced by a temperamental and hence hereditary disposition.

Patterns and sources of continuity and change of energetic and temporal aspects of temperament in adulthood: A longitudinal twin study of self- and peer reports.

This study investigated the mean-level and individual-level trends as well as the genetic and environmental sources of rank-order continuity and change in temperament traits (Briskness, Perseveration, Sensory Sensitivity, Emotional Reactivity, Endurance, and Activity). We analyzed self-reports and peer ratings from 2 adult age groups of twins, aged 15-30 (n = 348; 113 monozygotic and 61 dizygotic twin pairs) and 31-67 (n = 352; 110 monozygotic and 66 dizygotic twin pairs), captured at 2 different points of time 13 years apart. Temperament traits were fairly stable accompanying high levels of heritability. However, they also undergo mean-level, individual-level, and rank-order changes. In young adulthood, rank-order change was due to both genetic and environmental factors, whereas in older adult years, rank-order change was predominantly attributable to environmental effects. Phenotypic rank-order continuity was larger for older adults due to higher genetic as well as environmental continuity. For specific temperament traits (e.g., Activity), environmental variance proportionally increased across adulthood compared with genetic variance resulting in decreasing levels of heritability, whereas the reverse was found for other traits (e.g., Endurance). Specifics regarding the traits studied were discussed. The results indicate a complex interplay between genetic and environmental sources resulting in continuity and change of temperament across adulthood.

Temperament traits associated with bipolar affective disorder: an integrative literature review

Studies have suggested an association between temperament characteristics and adjustment and psychiatric disorders, describing them as different manifestations of vulnerability to psychopathology. The objective of this study was to conduct an integrative review of the literature on temperament traits typical of bipolar patients in relation to the general population. A systematic search was conducted on the MEDLINE, PsycINFO and LILACS databases, using the headings bipolar disorder, temperament and/or personality, between January 2000 and December 2010. The search was performed in January 2011. A total of 199 articles were identified for potential inclusion in the review. After application of the exclusion criteria, a total of 15 articles were selected and their full texts analyzed. Review of the selected studies revealed heterogeneity in terms of sample profile and specific temperament traits assessed with the appropriate instruments. Temperament traits in bipolar patients are identified based on different theoretical models. The results of five studies consistently showed that neuroticism is a distinct personality trait in the temperament profile of bipolar patients. Future reviews should use more specific keywords and limit the search to studies with a longitudinal design.

Child Temperament, ADHD, and Caregiver Strain: Exploring Relationships in an Epidemiological Sample

To investigate the relationship between child-reported dimensions of temperament and attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as other indicators of child psychopathology, including disruptive disorders, depression, and anxiety. It also examined whether difficult child temperament scores independently predicted caregiver strain. A school-district-wide, two-phase screening design (response rate 70% for phase 2) identified elementary school children at high risk for ADHD. Two hundred high-risk children and their parents completed standardized instruments to assess child temperament, diagnoses of disruptive disorders, children's symptoms of anxiety and depression, and caregiver strain. Relationships were examined using analysis of variance, correlations, and multivariate prediction models, adjusting for child sociodemographic characteristics and psychopathology. All estimates were weighted for sampling design and differential participation. Combined subtype ADHD was associated with lower scores on task orientation and higher scores on general activity level. Depressive symptoms correlated significantly with all but one difficult temperament dimension, in a pattern consistent with clinical symptoms of depression. Child temperament did not vary by ADHD treatment status. Among these high-risk children, maternal caregiver strain experiences were increased by male gender, inattention symptoms, and oppositional defiant disorder, but not by difficult temperament scores. This study provides support for Graham and Stevenson's hypothesis of continuity between specific temperament traits and certain child psychiatric disorders, namely ADHD and depressive disorders.

Relationships between CSF neuropeptides and temperament traits in suicide attempters

Depressive disorders have been associated with deviances in the levels of various neuropeptide like immunoreactivities in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and also with specific temperament traits. With the hypothesis that neuropeptides in CSF might be associated with specific temperament traits, we studied a sample of 40 hospitalized suicide attempters. They all filled in the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) in combination with the impulsiveness scale from the Impulsiveness-Venturesomeness-Empathy (IVE) inventory. Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), neuropeptide Y (NPY), β-endorphin, gamma-melanocyte stimulating hormone ( γ 2-MSH), somatostatin, peptide YY and delta-sleep inducing peptide (DSIP) like immuno-reactivities were measured in lumbar CSF. Contrary to our hypotheses, there was no relationship between neuroticism and CRH or NPY. Psychoticism and impulsiveness correlated positively and significantly with γ 2-MSH, a peptide associated with increased sympathetic drive. The other neuropeptides showed no significant associations with temperament. The relationship between γ 2-MSH and the psychoticism dimension needs to be replicated and studies of healthy subjects and non-suicidal patients would be of interest.

P.4.001 Brain acetylcholinesterase activity following administration of 7-methoxytacrine and L-carnitine to rats

Depressive disorders have been associated with deviances in the levels of various neuropeptide like immunoreactivities in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and also with specific temperament traits. With the hypothesis that neuropeptides in CSF might be associated with specific temperament traits, we studied a sample of 40 hospitalized suicide attempters. They all filled in the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) in combination with the impulsiveness scale from the Impulsiveness-Venturesomeness-Empathy (IVE) inventory. Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), neuropeptide Y (NPY), β-endorphin, gamma-melanocyte stimulating hormone (γ2-MSH), somatostatin, peptide YY and delta-sleep inducing peptide (DSIP) like immuno-reactivities were measured in lumbar CSF. Contrary to our hypotheses, there was no relationship between neuroticism and CRH or NPY. Psychoticism and impulsiveness correlated positively and significantly with γ2-MSH, a peptide associated with increased sympathetic drive. The other neuropeptides showed no significant associations with temperament. The relationship between γ2-MSH and the psychoticism dimension needs to be replicated and studies of healthy subjects and non-suicidal patients would be of interest.