Temperamental dimensions of the TEMPS-A in male and female subjects engaging in extreme or/and high risk sports

Temperament structures and the effectiveness of individual play in football

Background

Regulatory Theory of Temperament distinguishes two traits involving the time course of responses and four relating to how energy is distributed and stored. This theory enables the presentation of entire structures of temperament traits and it is relevant for assessing an individual's ability to process stimulation and influence their performance during competitions. In our cross-sectional study, these structures are examined in relation to the offensive, defensive, and comprehensive effectiveness of an individual player's actions.

Methods

The study included 91 football players aged between 20 and 31 years, who had approximately 10 years of training experience. The Formal Characteristics of Behavior - Temperament Inventory was utilized to assess temperamental traits, while a simulation game was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of each individual player's actions.

Results

Research demonstrated that football players possessing a temperament structure that is closely aligned harmonized structure with a high capacity to process stimulation showed higher levels of individual efficacy in attack, defence, and comprehensive effectiveness of performance compared to football players with a harmonized temperament structure but a low capacity to process stimulation.

Conclusion

The obtained result emphasises the significance of specific temperament structures in terms of matching the individual's stimulation levels and the their ability to process it.

Bipolar spectrum in prostate cancer patients and its role in stress related symptoms

BACKGROUND

Studies show significant co-occurrence of bipolar disorder and prostate cancer, as well as the presence of shared genes associated with both diseases. Our aim was to evaluate whether prostate cancer patients present bipolar spectrum symptoms and to establish their possible associations with stress related symptoms during diagnosis and the course of the cancer therapy.

METHODS

200 participants were enrolled to this study: 100 prostate cancer patients and 100 healthy males. Bipolar spectrum symptoms were measured with the use of Mood Disorder Questionnaire and Hypomania Checklist-32 (HCL-32). Stress related symptoms were rated with The Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R), Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) and Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES).

RESULTS

In comparison to healthy controls group, prostate cancer patients have shown higher HCL-32 scores. Mood Disorder Questionnaire measures were associated with more severe stress related to prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment reflected by higher scores of IES-R and its subscales (Avoidance, Intrusions and Hyperarousal). Mood Disorder Questionnaire, HCL-32, PSS-10, IES-R and GSES measures were not associated with clinical characteristics of prostate cancer severity.

LIMITATIONS

Cross-sectional study model precluded identification of causal relationship among variables. Bipolar spectrum symptoms and stress related measures were based on auto-questionnaires.

CONCLUSIONS

To our best knowledge, this is the first study evaluating bipolar spectrum symptoms in prostate cancer patients. We have shown that this clinical group presents increased bipolarity traits compared to healthy individuals. Moreover, bipolar spectrum symptoms were associated with more severe stress related to the prostate cancer diagnosis and its treatment, reflected in avoidance, hyperarousal, and intrusions.

Physical exercise, depression, and anxiety in 2190 affective disorder subjects

BACKGROUND

This study evaluated associations of PE with symptomatic status in mood and anxiety disorder subjects, and considered many other associated factors so as to expand on comparable previous studies.

METHODS

Consenting adults at a mood disorder center were assessed for associations of PE frequency ([never, past only, ≤once/week] vs. regularly at 2-3- or >3-times/week) with standard psychometric measures of depression and anxiety symptoms, selected demographic, clinical factors, using bivariate and multivariate methods.

RESULTS

Of 2190 subjects (58.8% women; mean age 42.6 years; 44.8% with major depressive, 40.6% bipolar, and 14.6% anxiety disorders), 22.5% currently engaged in regular PE. Such engagement was associated with lower morbidity ratings, youth, male sex, being unmarried, more education, higher socio-economic status (SES), less religious practice, less early abuse, younger age at illness onset and at intake, fewer years ill, lower BMI, fewer siblings, hyperthymic temperament, less time depressed before intake, and living at higher population density. Greater PE-frequency was associated with lower ratings of depression (but not anxiety), male sex, younger age, and lower BMI. Factors independently associated with PE in multivariate modeling ranked by significance: older age at intake ≥ lower BMI > more education > higher SES > male sex.

LIMITATIONS

PE assessment did not include type, intensity or duration. Some information provided may be subject to recall bias, though it should not affect comparisons among subjects.

CONCLUSION

Regularly repeated PE again appeared to be beneficial for patients with depression or anxiety and should be included in their treatment interventions.

Contributions of Affective Temperament Traits to Professional Choice: Evidence from the Study of Firefighters, Musicians, Athletes, Bank Managers, Nurses and Paramedics

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to expand knowledge about the relationship between temperament and choice of profession by comparing temperaments among representatives of various professional groups.

Subjects and Methods

A total of 759 subjects aged 18-71, representatives of six professional groups: firefighters, musicians, athletes, bank managers, nurses and paramedics, were included in the study. Temperament was assessed using the TEMPS-A autoquestionnaire.

Results

Musicians showed higher levels of depressive and anxious temperaments whereas firefighters were lower on cyclothymic dimension. Athletes, bank managers and paramedics showed higher intensity of hyperthymic temperament compared to firefighters, musicians and nurses. Athletes showed lower of depressive temperament compared to bankers, musicians and nurses. Bankers obtained lower results of irritable temperament compared to musicians, athletes and nurses. Nurses showed a higher intensity of anxious temperament compared to firefighters, athletes and paramedics.

Conclusion

The results obtained support the concept of adaptive and socially useful role of affective temperaments. The studied professional groups show different individual temperamental profiles, which is justified in such aspects of the profession, as the level of stimulation, stress encountered, the necessity of making important decisions, or entering into relationship with the patient.

Content overlap analysis of 64 (hypo)mania symptoms among seven common rating scales

OBJECTIVES

Fried () quantified the overlap of items among seven widely used depression rating scales. The analysis revealed substantial heterogeneity of the depressive syndromes and a low overlap among the scales. To our best knowledge, there are no studies evaluating the content overlap of (hypo)mania scales. The goal of our study, therefore, is to quantify the overlap of items among seven widely used (hypo)manic scales, implementing the methodology developed by Fried ().

METHODS

Seven commonly used (hypo)manic scales underwent content analysis. Symptom overlap was evaluated with the use of the Jaccard index (0 = no overlap, 1 = full overlap). In case of every scale, rates of idiosyncratic symptoms and rates of specific versus compound symptoms were calculated.

RESULTS

The seven scales gathered 64 hypo(manic) symptoms. The mean overlap among all of the instruments was low (0.35), the mean overlap of each scale with all others ranged from 0.29 to 0.48, and the overlap among individual scales ranged from 0.20 to 0.65. Thirty-six percent of symptoms appeared only on one scale. Only 6% of the symptoms appeared on all of the instruments.

CONCLUSIONS

We have shown that using (hypo)manic scales as interchangeable measurements may be problematic.

The role of affective temperaments assessed by the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa and San Diego-Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) in the relationship between morningness-eveningness and bipolarity

BACKGROUND

Growing number of studies indicates a link between eveningness chronotype, affective temperaments and bipolarity, both in patients with mood disorders and in general population. Given these tripartite associations, we hypothesized that the effect of circadian preferences on the bipolarity may be mediated by the temperamental traits.

METHODS

The study included 1449 subjects (402 men and 1047 women). They all fulfilled a web-based questionnaire, consisting of the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM), Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), Hypomania Checklist-32 (HCL-32) and the Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa and San Diego-Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A). The role of temperamental traits in the relationship between morningness-eveningness and bipolarity was assessed using mediation analysis.

RESULTS

Morningness is correlated with lower bipolarity measured by the MDQ and HCL-32, and to lower scores of depressive, cyclothymic, irritable and anxious temperaments of the TEMPS-A. There is no significant association between morningness and hyperthymic traits. Cyclothymic and irritable traits are full mediators of the association between chronotype and bipolarity, influencing bipolarity independently from circadian preferences. Depressive and anxious traits are partial mediators of this association, increasing the effect of eveningness on bipolarity.

LIMITATIONS

The indirectness of the findings in the web-based study and disproportion of participants' gender.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study confirmed that eveningness is associated with bipolarity. In case of depressive and anxious temperaments, bipolarity is associated stronger with eveningness than with the TEMPS-A scores. On the other hand, cyclothymic and irritable temperaments were associated with bipolarity independently from circadian preferences.

Measuring racing thoughts in healthy individuals: The Racing and Crowded Thoughts Questionnaire (RCTQ)

Racing thoughts refer to an acceleration and overproduction of thoughts, which have been associated with manic and mixed episodes. Phenomenology distinguishes 'crowded' from 'racing' thoughts, associated with mixed depression and mania, respectively. Recent data suggest racing thoughts might also be present in healthy individuals with sub-affective traits and symptoms. We investigated this assumption, with a 34-item self-rating scale, the Racing and Crowded Thoughts Questionnaire (RCTQ), and evaluated its reliability, factor structure, and concurrent validity. 197 healthy individuals completed the RCTQ, the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego - autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Altman Self-Rating Mania scale (ASRM), and the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS). Exploratory factor analysis yielded a three-factor solution, labeled 'thought overactivation', 'burden of thought overactivation', and 'thought overexcitability'. Internal consistency of each of the three subscales of the RCTQ was excellent. The TEMPS-A cyclothymia score was associated with the three factors, suggesting good concurrent validity. The 'thought activation' subscale was selectively associated with current elated mood and included items conveying both the notion of increased amount and velocity of thoughts, whereas the 'burden of thought overactivation' subscale was associated with current low mood. The 'thought overexcitability' subscale included items conveying the notion of distractibility, and was associated with both elated and low mood. Rumination was not a significant predictor of RCTQ subscores. These results suggest that the RCTQ has good psychometric properties. Racing and crowded thoughts, as measured by the RCTQ, are a multi-faceted phenomenon, distinct from rumination, and particularly associated with mood instability even in its milder forms.

Cognitive Psychophysiological Substrates of Affective Temperaments

Affective temperaments are the subclinical manifestations or phenotypes of mood states and hypothetically represent one healthy end of the mood disorder spectrum. However, there is a scarcity of studies investigating the neurobiological basis of affective temperaments. One fundamental aspect of temperament is the behavioral reactivity to environmental stimuli, which can be effectively evaluated by use of cognitive event-related potentials (ERPs) reflecting the diversity of information processing. The aim of the present study is to explore the associations between P300 and the affective temperamental traits in healthy individuals. We recorded the P300 ERP waves using an auditory oddball paradigm in 50 medical student volunteers (23 females, 27 males). Participants' affective temperaments were evaluated using the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-auto questionnaire version (TEMPS-A). In bivariate analyses, depressive temperament score was significantly correlated with P300 latency ( r_s = 0.37, P < .01). In a multiple linear regression analysis, P300 latency showed a significant positive correlation with scores of depressive temperament (β = 0.40, P < .01) and a significant negative one with scores of cyclothymic temperament (β = -0.29, P = .03). Affective temperament scores were not associated with P300 amplitude and reaction times. These results indicate that affective temperaments are related to information processing in the brain. Depressive temperament may be characterized by decreased physiological arousal and slower information processing, while the opposite was observed for cyclothymic temperament.

Affective temperaments in subjects with female-to-male gender dysphoria

BACKGROUND

Males and females have different temperaments. In individuals with gender dysphoria (GD) there is marked incongruence between a person׳s expressed/experienced gender and their biological sex. The present study aimed to investigate the most common affective temperaments in individuals with female-to-male (FtM) GD.

METHODS

We performed a prospective and comparative study investigating affective temperaments in subjects with FtM GD. Eighty subjects with FtM GD and 68 female controls were enrolled. The Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) was completed by all participants.

RESULTS

TEMPS-A scores were significantly higher in subjects with FtM GD for hyperthymic temperament (p≤0.001), whereas depressive (p≤0.001), anxious (p≤0.001), and cyclothymic (p=0.028) temperament scores were significantly higher in female controls.

LIMITATIONS

The study was limited by the lack of male-to-female subjects and male controls.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of our study indicate that individuals with FtM GD have significantly higher scores of hyperthymic temperament, measured by TEMPS-A. Biological basis underlying the development of gender identity independent from the biological sex might be related with affective temperaments.