Terms Of Temperament Research Articles

Clinical Characteristics, Sleep, and Temperament in Infants and Young Children with Problematic Hair Pulling and Skin Picking.

This study examined clinical characteristics of problematic hair pulling (HP) and skin picking (SP) in infants and young children and their association with self-soothing, sleep, and temperament. An internet survey of parents/caregivers of 0-5-year-olds (n = 384 with data analyzed, of whom 26 experienced HP, 62 experienced SP, and 302 were controls free of HP and SP) assessed demographics and medical history, HP and SP characteristics, contextual factors, self-soothing, sleep patterns, and temperament. Participants were recruited through both HP and SP advocacy and support webpages and general webpages (e.g., parenting groups). Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests of independence, independent samples t-test clinically characterized HP, SP, and control groups. Logistic regression and one-way analysis of covariance controlled for sex and age in analyses. HP and SP rates were 6.1% (n = 26) and 14.5% (n = 62), respectively. SP presented in 23.1% of children with HP, and HP presented in 9.7% of children with SP. Mean HP and SP onset occurred at 12.2 (SD = 11.2) and 24.1 (SD = 15.8) months, respectively. Contextual factors, including boredom, upset, and awake-in-bed were common in HP and SP. Common caregiver responses included distracting the child, moving the hand away, and telling the child to stop. Few caregivers sought professional help for the child. Children with HP engaged in more hair twirling than controls, and children with SP engaged in more nail biting than controls. Children with HP, but not SP, had more sleep disturbance than controls. In terms of temperament, children with HP displayed sensitivity to stimuli, children with SP exhibited low persistence, and both HP and SP groups displayed serious, observant mood relative to controls. Findings expand clinical understanding of HP and SP in children aged 0-5 and provide targets (contextual factors, sleep, sensory sensitivity, persistence, and mood) for behavioral interventions. Low rates of treatment seeking highlight the need for expansion of clinical guidelines for HP and SP in this age range.

The Effects of Different Temperaments on Vascular Parameters: A Pilot CrossOver Randomized Controlled Trial.

According to the Persian Medicine (PM) point of view, the function of the cardiovascular system and the risk of cardiovascular events would be different between subjects having warm and cold temperaments. Moreover, different foods in terms of temperament may lead to different acute and chronic effects on the body. We investigated the postprandial effects of PM-based warm and cold test meals on arterial stiffness indices in healthy men with warm and cold temperaments. Twenty-one eligible warm or cold temperament subjects with a similar range of age, weight, and heights were enrolled in this pilot cross-over randomized controlled trial study during February- October 2020. Two test meals (cold and warm PM-based temperament foods) were designed as different interventions. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and pulse wave analysis (PWA) was obtained at the baseline state (following 12 hours fasting), 0.5, 2, and 4 hours after the test meal consumption during each test day. Warm temperament participants had higher values of lean body mass, total body water, and protein content (P = 0.03, 0.02, and 0.02, respectively). Cold temperament individuals had higher aortic heart rate (HR) following 12 hours of fasting (P <0.001). On the other hand, the augmentation pressure (AP) of warm temperament individuals was higher than the colds (P= <0.001). According to the results of the present study, although warm temperament individuals could have higher arterial stiffness at the fasting state, arterial stiffness indices had a greater reduction following warm-temperament meal intake compared to cold-temperament meal. International Clinical Trials Registry Platform IRCT20200417047105N1 (Where the full trial protocol can be accessed).

Early castration in foals: Consequences on physical and behavioural development.

The impact of very early castration of foals has not yet been studied despite the many positive effects observed in dogs and cats. The objective of the study was to compare castration at 3 days and 18months and assess their subsequent morphological and behavioural development. This was a randomised, blinded clinical study. Twenty-two Welsh ponies underwent either early (3-day old, EC group, n=11) or traditional (18-month old, TC group, n=11) castration. Animals were followed up to 3 years of age. All ponies were castrated using a primary closure technique under general anaesthesia. Weight and morphometric measurements were monitored monthly from birth until 8 months of age in both groups. Then, measurements were taken every 3 months until 2 years of age and then every 6 months until 3 years of age. Temperament tests were performed on all animals when they were 1- and 3-years old. No differences were observed between the EC and TC groups in terms of physical development from birth until 40months of age or in terms of temperament and behaviour at either 1 or 3 years of age. The study included only one breed (Welsh ponies) and only 22 animals that were castrated before 2 years of age, precluding comparison with castration performed at older ages. We demonstrate that early castration at 3 days does not interfere with morphological or behavioural development.

James Baldwin and Film Beyond the American Century

This article provides an introduction to this special section of James Baldwin Review 7 devoted to Baldwin and film. Jackson considers Baldwin’s distinct approach to film criticism by pairing him with James Agee, another writer who wrote fiction as well as nonfiction in several genres, and who produced a large body of film criticism, especially during the 1940s. While Agee, a white southerner born almost a generation before Baldwin, might seem an unlikely figure to place alongside Baldwin, the two shared a great deal in terms of temperament and vision, and their film writings reveal a great deal of consensus in their diagnoses of American pathologies. Another important context for Baldwin’s complex relationship to film is television, which became a dominant media form during the 1950s and exerted a great influence upon both the mainstream reception of the civil rights movement and Baldwin’s reception as a public intellectual from the early 1960s to the end of his life. Finally, the introduction briefly discusses the articles that constitute this special section.

Comparison of Smartphone Addiction Level, Temperament and Character and Parental Attitudes of Adolescents with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

This study aims to compare smartphone addiction level, temperament, and character and parental attitudes of adolescents with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). For this purpose, 143 adolescents with and without ADHD and their parents were included in the study. Participants completed the “Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Form,” “Junior Temperament and Character Inventory,” and “Parental Attitude Research Instrument.” According to the analysis, the smartphone addiction scores of adolescents with ADHD were significantly higher than those in without ADHD group. Both groups differed in terms of temperament and character and parental attitudes. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that high novelty seeking and low overprotection parental attitude were significantly associated with smartphone addiction scores in ADHD group, whereas high novelty seeking and low persistence were significantly associated with smartphone addiction scores in without ADHD group. This study is exceptionally important in terms of demonstrating the relationship between ADHD and smartphone addiction. Important findings related to parental attitude and temperament and character were also revealed.

Evaluation of Temperament and Character Traits and Their Subscale Dimensions Associated with Major Depressive Disorder.

Objectives:The relationship between major depressive disorder (MDD) and, especially harm avoidance, self-directedness, and cooperativeness has been determined based on Cloninger’s psychobiological personality model; there are not enough studies in the literature on the role of the subdimensions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the patients with MDD and healthy controls in terms of temperament and character traits and especially subdimensions and thus to determine the role and predictive value of temperament and character subdimensions in major depression patients.Methods:The sample of this cross-sectional study consisted of 105 participants, 65 of whom were MDD patients, and 40 healthy controls, who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study. Sociodemographic data form, temperament and character inventory, and Hamilton depression rating scale were administered to the participants.Results:Compared with healthy controls, patients with MDD had lower self-directedness (p<0.001), cooperativeness (p=0.017), persistence (p<0.001), self-transcendence (p=0.001), and higher harm avoidance (p<0.001) scores. While there was no significant difference in novelty seeking (p=0.774); it was determined that MDD patients got higher scores in “Impulsiveness” (p=0.013) and lower scores in “Exploratory excitability” (p=0.001) subscales. Reward dependence has been identified as the only personality trait that there was no significant difference between major depression patients and healthy controls (p=0.511). As a result of the logistic regression analysis performed to determine the predictors of temperament and character subdimensions in major depression patients, only three temperament and character traits “Fatigability, Purposefulness, and Spiritual Acceptance” were determined as significant predictors (p<0.001). Fatigability was determined to be a serious risk factor, increasing the probability of MDD 3.6 times (p<0.001); purposefulness and spiritual acceptance were found to be protective personality traits that together reduced the probability of MDD by 0.8 times (p<0.001).Conclusion:This study shows that the risk of developing MDD is increased in individuals with low self-directedness, cooperativeness, persistence, and self-transcendence profiles, and whereas with prominent Harm avoidance personality traits. Therapeutic interventions, especially considering the temperament and character traits of “Fatigability, Purposefulness, and Spiritual Acceptance” determined in our study, may contribute positively to MDD treatment.

Evaluation of temperament and character traits of patients with severe acne.

Acne vulgaris (AV) is an inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous unit. The relationship between personality and acne development has not been fully explained, and to the best of our knowledge, there are a limited number of studies in the literature evaluating temperament and character traits of individuals with acne. The aim of this study is to evaluate temperament-character traits of individuals with severe acne and to compare them with healthy controls. This study was conducted on 51 patients who admitted to the dermatology outpatient clinic with complaint of acne and were diagnosed with severe AV and 47 healthy individuals, as a control group. All individuals included in the study participated voluntarily. The forms including sociodemographic data, clinical information, and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) scores were applied to the patient and control groups. The scores of scales/subscales of exploration (NS1), persistence (P), responsibility (S1), purposefulness (S2), resourcefulness (S3), self-acceptance (S4), enlightened 2nd nature (S5), self-directedness (S), integrated conscience (C5), and cooperativeness (C) were statistically significantly lower, and the scores of scales/subscales of worry and pessimism (HA1), fear of uncertainty (HA2), shyness (HA3), fatiguability (HA4), and harm avoidance (HA) were statistically significantly higher in the patient group, in comparison with the control group. When we evaluated the patients with severe acne in terms of temperament and character features, we concluded that individuals' feeling of discomfort about their appearance may cause them to be less sociable, more anxious, and to have low resourcefulness and virtues.

Correlations between temperament and autistic trait measures – Quantitative or qualitative differences between children with and without autism spectrum disorders?

BackgroundThe study tested the spectrum hypothesis, which claims that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder with normal intelligence differ in terms of temperament from typically developing peers quantitatively and not qualitatively. Severity of autistic traits was also taken into account and the question whether temperament may serve as predictor for autistic traits was tested. MethodsParticipants included 352 children, aged 4–11 years, from the general population and 79 children with an ASD diagnosis. Parents completed questionnaires about the severity of autistic traits and temperament of their children. ResultsQuantitatively, differences in means were found between ASD and non-clinical groups in terms of emotionality, sociability, activity and shyness. Qualitatively, in the ASD group, there was higher variance in autistic traits, as well as sociability, activity, and shyness. There were also differences between ASD and non-clinical groups in internal consistency with respect to autistic traits and shyness but not activity, sociability and emotionality. In addition, the relationship between shyness and autistic traits was stronger in the ASD group than in the non-clinical group. ConclusionsThe results do not definitively confirm the spectrum hypothesis but further research is needed with better control for the severity of ASD symptoms in study groups and more sophisticated statistical analysis methods.

Distinct temperament and character traits in patients with hyperemesis gravidarum

Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is an extreme form of vomiting during pregnancy and is characterized with excessive vomiting and nausea and ketonuria, electrolyte imbalance, dehydration and severe nurtition deficiency. The etiology of HG is considered as multifactorial. Altough there is a great interest to HG in terms of psychiatric conditions, there have been limited numbers of studies that researched personality traits in patients with HG. In present study, we aimed to compare temperament and character traits between pregnant women with and without HG by Temperament and Character Inventory. 48 pregnant women with HG and 64 healthy pregnant women were included to study. The HG groups and control group were compared in terms of temperament and character traits and anxiety levels. The temperament scores of novelty seeking, harm avoidance and reward dependence were found to be similar between groups while the score of persistence was significantly lower in HG group compared with control group (p = .021). All character scores in HG group as cooperativeness, self-directedness, and self‐transcendence were significantly lower compared with control groups (respectively; p = .002, p = .018 and p = .029). The scores of STAI-1 was higher in HG group compared with control group (p = .027) whereas the score of STAI-2 was found to be similar between groups. Present study is the first to demonstrate different temperament and character traits in patients with HG. We argue that our results support the psychiatric background of HG; however further studies are needed to confirm our results.

Active and passive procrastination in terms of temperament and character.

BackgroundWhile passive procrastination is usually associated with distress and dysfunction active procrastination may be an effective coping style. To test this possibility, we examined passive and active procrastination in terms of temperament, character, and emotional intelligence (EI), as well as by a short-term longitudinal study.MethodsAdult community volunteers (N = 126) self-reported twice in an online short-term longitudinal study. At baseline on active and passive procrastination, as well as on the temperament and character inventory of personality (TCI-140) and EI. At first testing, they were asked to freely describe three personal goals and to make action plans to achieve each within the next two weeks. Two weeks later they reported on progress on their personal goals (PPG).ResultsPPG correlated positively with active procrastination and negatively with passive procrastination. Dividing the participants into median splits on active and passive procrastination resulted in four groups: Active, Passive, Active-Passive, and Non-Procrastinators. Analysis of variance showed that active procrastinators had an advantage in temperament and character traits as well as EI. Active procrastinators were also higher than the other groups on personality profiles i.e. combinations of traits; dependable temperament and well-developed character.ConclusionsActive procrastination can be an adaptive and productive coping style. It is associated with dependable temperament, well-developed character, and high emotional intelligence and predicts meeting personal goals.

Comparison of the Personality Traits of Male and Female BASE Jumpers.

BASE jumping is an extreme adventure sport which consists of jumping from a fixed object with specially adapted parachutes. A few studies of the personality of BASE jumpers have been conducted, but little is known about how the women in this sport compare to the men. The purpose of this study is to compare the personality traits among a sample of men and women who are experienced BASE jumpers, as this provides an interesting and important opportunity to better understand the motivation for extreme sports. Eighty-three participants completed the Temperament and Character Inventory the day before the jump at the New River Gorge Bridge Day BASE Jumping event, West Virginia, United States. The sample included 64 men and 19 women. Results show that men and women BASE jumpers shared similar personality traits both in terms of temperament and character, except for the character trait of cooperativeness on which women scored higher than men. This suggests that the basic drive for participation in extreme sports is self-regulation of personal emotional drives and needs for self-actualization, rather than to oppose social pressure or cultural bias against female participation. These findings are discussed in relation with other studies conducted among extreme athletes and in terms of congruence between personality and activity.

Personality in women with endometriosis: temperament and character dimensions and pelvic pain.

Is pelvic pain due to endometriosis associated with temperament and character dimensions? Women with endometriosis and pelvic pain do not clearly exhibit a specific personality profile; however, personality is associated with pelvic pain perception. There is research evidence suggesting that endometriosis patients with pelvic pain are more likely to present psychological disruption. Little is known about the association between subjective factors, such as personality traits, and pelvic pain. This cross-sectional study (N = 133) is part of a larger research on the association between endometriosis and several psychological variables carried out between 2012 and 2014. The participants were 82 endometriosis patients and 51 healthy controls. Endometriosis patients indicated on a dichotomous scale (yes/no) whether they were suffering from pelvic pain and were divided in two study groups: painful endometriosis group (N = 58) and pain-free endometriosis group (N = 24). The severity of pelvic pain (chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhoea, dyspareunia, and dyschezia) was rated on a 0-10 point numerical rating scale. All participants completed a 240-item psychometric test (TCI-R) evaluating personality in terms of temperament and character dimensions. Women with painful endometriosis had lower novelty seeking compared with the control group (P = 0.017) and higher harm avoidance (P = 0.007) and lower exploratory excitability (P = 0.034) and responsibility (P = 0.027) compared with the pain-free endometriosis group, as well as higher fatigability compared with the pain-free endometriosis group (P = 0.001) and the control group (P = 0.032). Higher harm avoidance (B = 0.081; P = 0.002) and lower self-directedness (B = -0.053; P = 0.015) were associated with a greater severity of chronic pelvic pain. These study findings should be taken cautiously for several methodological reasons such as small sample size, differences in group sizes and cultural homogeneity. More research is needed to further investigate the association between personality and pelvic pain related to endometriosis. Our findings suggest new avenues for future research and treatment of endometriosis. The association between the severity of chronic pelvic pain and personality may help clarify the lack of a direct correlation between pain severity and the type and stage of endometriosis, as well as the inconsistencies in patients' response to medical and/or surgical treatment. Therapeutic strategies should be specifically targeted on individual women and involve an integrated approach to the treatment of chronic pelvic pain related to endometriosis. There was no external funding for this study and the authors have no conflicts of interest. Not applicable to this study.

Humour production may enhance observational learning of a new tool-use action in 18-month-old infants

Many studies have shown that making children laugh enhances certain cognitive capacities such as attention, motivation, perception and/or memory, which in turn enhance learning. However, no study thus far has investigated whether laughing has an effect on learning earlier in infancy. The goal of this study was to see whether using humour with young infants in a demonstration of a complex tool-use task can enhance their learning. Fifty-three 18-month-old infants participated in this study and were included either in a humorous or a control demonstration group. In both groups infants observed an adult using a tool to retrieve an out-of-reach toy. What differed between groups was that in the humorous demonstration group, instead of playing with the toy, the adult threw it on the floor immediately after retrieval. The results show that infants who laughed at the demonstration in the humorous demonstration group reproduced significantly more frequent target actions than infants who did not laugh and those in the control group. This effect is discussed with regard to individual differences in terms of temperament and social capacities as well as positive emotion and dopamine release.

Sigara bırakmada psikopatoloji, bağımlılık şiddeti ve mizaç karakter özellikleri

Objective: In our study temperaments,characters and general psychopathology of adults applied to smoking quitting outpatient clinics and nonsmoking control group were compared; relation between quitting and general psychopathology, severity of addiction was aimed to be determined. Material and Method: 68 adults between 18-65 of age diagnosed as Nicotine Dependent according to DSM-IV criteria who applied to smoking outpatient clinics for quitting smoking were taken to the study. Social demographic form, a semistructrured form formed by researchers to get information related to cigarette smoking, Fagerstorm nicotine dependence test, symptom control list (SCL-90R), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) and Temperament and Character Inventory were given to the study group. Data was analyzed with SPSS 17.00. 6 months later patients were called to assess whether they were smoking or not. Temperaments, characters, general psychopathology and severity of addiction of quitting and nonquitting group were determined. Results: In smoking group SCL (Somatization), SCL (Depression), SCL (Anxiety), SCL (Hostility), SCL (Additional items), SCL (Phobia) and SCL general assessment scores were significantly high. Total NS (Novelty seeking), total HA (Harm Avoidance) scores of smoking group, total S (Self Directedness), total P (Persistence), total C (Cooperativeness) scores of control group were significantly high. ST (Self Transcendence) and RD (Reward dependence) scores were similiar between groups. Severe and mild nicotine addicts were similiar in terms of temperament and character traits. There was no significant difference between smoking quitting and nonquitting groups in terms of psychopathology. There was no relation between quitting and severity of addiction. Conclusion: Detailed psychiatric assessments of nicotine addicts who apply for treatment should be done and personalized treatments should be planned according to their temperament and character traits.

Temperament and Personality Traits of Bipolar Disorder I Patients Comorbid with Adult ADHD

Objective: Temperament and personality in bipolar I patients have been studied but temperament and personality in bipolar I patients comorbid with adult ADHD have not been studied. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of ADHD on the temperament and personality of bipolar I patients in remission. Materials and Method: Patients with a bipolar I disorder diagnosis (n=121) (female 71, male 50) were matched with control group with no known psychiatric illness (n=100 female 55 male 45) according to age, sex, education were recruited from consecutive admissions. Information about the characteristics of patients and control group were obtained from sociodemographic form, SCID-I, SCID-II. All patients were interviewed for the presence and history of current adult and childhood ADHD diagnosis. The subjects also completed the Adult ADD/ADHD DSM-IV Based Diagnostic and Screening Rating Scale Turkish version and the Turkish version of TEMPS-A scale. Results: Adult ADHD diagnosis were observed in bipolar I patients with 22.3% (n=27) and in control group with 8% (n=8). The mild depressive and anxious temperaments were observed in bipolar I patients. The bipolar patients comorbid with adult ADHD were observed to have moderate/severe episodes, earlier and longer maintenance treatment periods. Both groups didnot differ in terms of temperament. Antisocial personality disorder were observed only in bipolar I patients comorbid with adult ADHD. Conclusion: Bipolar I disorder comorbid with adult ADHD has significant clinical implications which may relate to a personality disorder. This may be due to the influence of ADHD on bipolar I disorder.

O'Neill, Cognition, and the Common Core Standards

O'Neill, Cognition, and the Common Core Standards

Temperament and character in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis and with first-episode schizophrenia: Associations with psychopathology, psychosocial functioning, and aspects of psychological health

ObjectiveThe psychobiological model of temperament and character indicates that personality traits are heritable and, during development, constantly influence one’s susceptibility to schizophrenia. Our objective was to evaluate temperament and character in subjects at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis and individuals with first-episode schizophrenia. MethodsUHR for psychosis subjects (n=50), first-episode schizophrenia patients (n=33), and normal controls (n=120) were compared on temperament and character dimensions, and correlation analysis of each personality dimension with psychopathologies, global and social functioning, and self-esteem. General and social self-efficacy reports were conducted. UHR subjects were followed-up for 24months and the baseline personality dimensions were compared between the converted and non-converted groups. ResultsBoth clinical groups showed abnormal personality traits in terms of temperament (higher harm avoidance, lower reward dependence and persistence) and character (lower self-directedness and cooperativeness). Psychosocial functioning and psychological health components were found to be correlated with some personality dimensions. The conversion rate of overt psychotic disorder was 25.0% at the 24-month follow-up. Baseline cooperativeness dimension was a significant predictive dimension for conversion into overt psychosis in the UHR group during the follow-up period. ConclusionPatients with first episode schizophrenia have a pervasively altered personality profile from normal controls. More importantly, this altered personality profile already emerged in putative prodromal, UHR individuals. The present findings indicate that certain personality traits can play a protective or vulnerable role in developing schizophrenia.

The relationship between temperament and character in conversion disorder and comorbid depression

AimsThe aim of this study was to compare conversion disorder patients with healthy controls in terms of temperament and character, and to determine the effect of these characteristics on comorbid depression, based on the idea that conversion disorder patients may have distinctive temperament and character qualities. MethodsThe study involved 58 patients diagnosed with conversion disorder, based on the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria, under observation at the Bakırköy Psychiatric and Neurological Disorders Outpatient Center, Istanbul. The patients were interviewed with a Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-I) and 57 healthy volunteers, matched for age, sex and education level, were interviewed with a Structured Clinical Interview for people without a psychiatric disorder (SCID-I/NP). All the participants completed a sociodemographic form, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale and the Temperament and Character Inventory. ResultsThe conversion disorder patients displayed more harm avoidance (P<.001), more impulsivity (P<.01) and more sentimentality (P<.01) than the healthy controls, but were less persistent (P<.05). In terms of character qualities, conversion disorder patients had high self-transcendence (P<.05), but were inadequate in terms of self-directedness (P<.001) and took on less responsibility (P<.05) than the healthy controls. ConclusionConversion disorder patients are significantly different from healthy controls on temperament and character measures of harm avoidance, persistence, self-transcendence and self-directedness.

Temperament and character personality profile in relation to suicide attempts in patients with schizophrenia

IntroductionSchizophrenia is associated with a significant risk of suicide, and suicide still remains one of the main causes of death in schizophrenic patients. Beside classic risk factors for suicidality, temperament and character traits have been researched and considered as risk factors for suicidal behavior in recent years. MethodSubjects were 94 patients with schizophrenia who were under treatment. All patients were in a stable phase of the illness. Patients with lifetime suicide attempt (n = 46) and without suicidal attempt (n = 48) were compared with each other in terms of temperament and character traits by using the Temperament and Character Inventory. ResultsHarm avoidance and persistence scores were higher in suicidal schizophrenic patients compared with nonsuicidal schizophrenic patients. The scores of self-directedness and cooperativeness were lower in suicidal schizophrenic patients compared with nonsuicidal schizophrenic patients. These 4 variables remained significant predictors of lifetime suicidal attempts in a logistic regression model. ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first that specifically compares schizophrenic patients with and without suicidal behavior by the Cloninger temperament and character model. Our data indicate that schizophrenic patients will show a greater risk for suicide according to certain personality configurations. However, to establish causal relationships between personality and suicidality in schizophrenia, longitudinal studies are warranted within a multifactorial interactive framework of biologic and clinical variables.

Characteristics of Athletes’ Approach to the Question of Physical Health and Health Behaviors: Do Athletes Lead Healthy Lifestyles?

Athletes are people for whom physical health is a key value. Health promoting behaviors are an integral part of athletes’ success. The aim of this article is to identify health criteria and health-related behaviors among athletes and their determinants in terms of temperament and personality features. The concept of healthy lifestyle as understood by athletes and their most important health criteria were defined. Neuroticism and extraversion correlated with and were significant predictors of health behaviors; there were no significant relationships between health-promoting behaviors and temperament. Four groups of athletes, each characterized by a different approach to health, were identified. These groups were described with respect to various personality and temperamental determinants. Knowledge about the above-mentioned aspects of athletes’ performance can assist sport psychologists in providing athletes with more personalized support.