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BMC Psychiatry
Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research article

Personality dimensions of schizophrenia patients compared to control subjects by gender and the relationship with illness severity

Authors: Carmen Miralles, Yolanda Alonso, Begoña Verge, Sònia Setó, Ana M Gaviria, Lorena Moreno, María J Cortés, Alfonso Gutiérrez-Zotes, Elisabet Vilella, Lourdes Martorell

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

Background

Personality traits and schizophrenia present gender differences; however, gender has not been considered in most studies on personality and schizophrenia. This study aims to identify the different personality dimensions of schizophrenia patients and healthy control subjects by gender and to explore the relationship between personality dimensions and illness severity variables by analyzing data for males and females separately.

Methods

Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised dimensions were compared by gender between 161 schizophrenia patients and 214 healthy controls from a population-based sample using independent t-tests. We then investigated whether personality dimensions are related to illness severity variables using correlation analyses and bivariate logistic regression, also by gender.

Results

The patients had significantly higher scores for harm avoidance (HA) and self-transcendence (ST) and lower scores for reward dependence (RD), cooperativeness (C), and self-directedness (SD) than the controls. Similar results were obtained when the sample was stratified by gender, however the differences were higher and more significant for HA among males and for RD among females. The number of admissions to a psychiatric hospital positively correlated with novelty seeking (NS) in males and negatively with SD in females. In males, SD and ST negatively correlated with the number of suicide attempts.

Conclusions

Male and female patients present difficulties for regulating and adapting behavior to achieve goals (SD) and for identifying and accepting others (C), as well as a great sense of spirituality and universe identification (ST). However, male patients are more characterized by being fearful, doubtful and easily fatigued (HA), while female patients are characterized by presenting difficulties maintaining and pursuing associated reward behaviors (RD). Furthermore, male and female patients who are frequently admitted to psychiatric hospitals and male patients who attempt suicide should be evaluated regarding their personality dimensions. Future studies assessing the relationship between personality dimensions and the clinical features of schizophrenia should consider gender differences.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Personality dimensions of schizophrenia patients compared to control subjects by gender and the relationship with illness severity
Authors
Carmen Miralles
Yolanda Alonso
Begoña Verge
Sònia Setó
Ana M Gaviria
Lorena Moreno
María J Cortés
Alfonso Gutiérrez-Zotes
Elisabet Vilella
Lourdes Martorell
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-14-151

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