Personality traits in women with Alzheimer's disease: Comparisons with control groups with the NEO-FFI

Personality traits and disorders in Alzheimer's disease

BACKGROUND

The relationships between axis II personality disorders and the normative personality traits were explored in the context of current and pre-morbid personality assessment in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHODS

The study was conducted with four groups who were administered the NEO-FFI and the PDQ-4+, in the form of individual interview sessions. Current personality measure: consisting of 44 female participants (AD group) and, the control group, consisting of 80 female participants from the population at large. Pre-morbid personality measure: AD group informants (n = 40); control group informants (n = 42).

RESULTS

The results are in line with the literature review and provide new research data. By factorial discriminant analysis, the current and pre-morbid personality variables that differentiate AD from control groups are identified. The personality traits variables are the best discriminators such as low agreeableness, low openness to experience, and high neuroticism, suggesting that the maladaptive personality functioning can be described extending the range of psychopathology to a dimensional approach.

CONCLUSIONS

The study of personality variables seems to suggest, in their inclusion, the possibility to increase sensitivity toward an assessment in AD.

Assessing the Effects of Healthy and Neuropathological Aging on Personality with the Iowa Scales of Personality Change

Personality changes in older adults with brain disease may be confounded by effects of normal aging. In this cross-sectional study, ratings with the Iowa Scales of Personality Change for 62 healthy older adults (OA-H, aged 60+) were compared to matched older adults with brain diseases (OA-BD). OA-H did not show any significant personality changes from middle age to older adulthood. However, between 10% and 20% of OA-H developed a disturbance in Lack of Stamina, Inflexibility, Lability, and Lack of Insight. Otherwise, the pattern of findings suggesting normal aging effects on personality disturbances in clinical groups are generally minimal.

The predictive power of personality through psychopathology in Alzheimer's disease: a control study of self-report and baseline retrospective assessment

Although there is a growing body of literature on the Alzheimer's disease (AD) personality changes, its relationships with personality disorders are still largely understudied. The relationships between the Five-Factor Model and the Axis II personality disorders were explored in the context of current and baseline personality in AD. The study was conducted with four groups who were administered the NEO-FFI and the PDQ-4+, mainly in interview sessions. Self-report measurement: AD Group, 40 female participants (M = 81.48 years); Control Group, 47 female participants from the population at large (M = 76.81 years). Baseline retrospective measurement: AD Group Informants (n = 40); Control Group Informants (n = 47). Three logistic regressions were computed. The baseline Neuroticism moderates the Neuroticism in the current clinical state. High Neuroticism, low Openness, high Cluster B, and baseline high Neuroticism, predicted the presence of AD diagnosis, accounting for 85% of the variance. In order to increase sensitivity towards an earlier diagnosis in AD, future empirically-based research should take into account an assessment set of structural personality variables.

Personality disorders characterized by anxiety predict Alzheimer's disease in women: A case-control studies

This research is geared toward the evaluation of current and pre-morbid personality psychopathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study was conducted with four groups who were administered the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+, mainly in the form of individual interviews. Current measurement: AD Group, 44 female participants (M = 81.36 years); Control Group, 80 female participants from the population at large (M = 75.84 years). Pre-morbid measurement: AD Group Informants (n = 40); Control Group Informants (n = 42). The incidence of all clusters in clinical state are significant, and Cluster B incidence in pre-morbidity is evidenced. Cluster C is highlighted throughout the life course as a predictor. Logistic regression analyses showed that schizotypical, narcissistic, avoidant, obsessive-compulsive, pre-morbid schizotypical, pre-morbid histrionic, and pre-morbid obsessive-compulsive personality disorders, predicted the presence of AD diagnosis, accounting for 49% of the variance. These findings are relevant to research relating personality and psychopathology in Alzheimer's disease.

Meta-Analysis of Personality Traits in Alzheimer's Disease: A Comparison with Healthy Subjects

BACKGROUND

The role of specific personality traits as factor risks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been consistently found, whereas personality traits specifically related to AD (after the diagnosis) have not been outlined yet.

OBJECTIVE

A meta-analysis of published studies was performed to determine whether AD patients have a distinctive personality trait profile compared to healthy subjects (HC), similar to or different from a premorbid personality profile consistently reported in previous studies.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed using PsycInfo (PROQUEST), PubMed, and Scopus. The meta-analysis pooled results from primary studies using Hedges' g unbiased approach.

RESULTS

The meta-analysis included 10 primary studies and revealed that, when the personality was evaluated by informant-rated measures, AD patients had significantly higher levels of Neuroticism, lower levels of Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion than HCs. When the personality was evaluated by self-rated measures, the results obtained from informants were confirmed for Neuroticism, Openness, and Extraversion but not for Agreeableness and Conscientiousness where AD patients and HCs achieved similar scores.

CONCLUSIONS

The meta-analysis revealed that high Neuroticism and low Openness and Extraversion are distinctive personality traits significantly associated with a diagnosis of AD when evaluated both self-rated and informant-rated measures. This personality trait profile is similar to premorbid one, which contributes to development of AD over time. Therefore, our findings indirectly support the idea of specific premorbid personality traits as harbingers of AD.

Depressive vulnerability in women with Alzheimer's disease: Relationship with personality traits and abnormal personality dimensions

BACKGROUND

This study sought to determine the evaluation of current and pre-morbid depressive vulnerability dimensions in Alzheimer's disease. Sidney Blatt´s personality developmental perspective, the Five-Factor model and Axis II personality disorders were taken as references.

METHODS

The study was conducted with two groups which were assessed using the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire, the NEO-FFI and the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+, in the form of individual interview sessions. Current personality measure: Alzheimer's disease Group, consisting of 44 female participants (M_Age= 81.36 years); Pre-morbid personality measure: Alzheimer's disease Group Informants (n = 40).

RESULTS

Self-Criticism personality vulnerability is a general indicator of psychopathology. In pre-morbidity, Neuroticism (β = 0.41), Agreeableness (β = -0.63) and Conscientiousness (β = -0.08) predicted Self-Criticism, explaining 64% of the variance; additionally, Self-Criticism (β = 0.72) and Neediness (β = 2.05) predicted the PDQ-4+ total, explaining 58% of the variance. In terms of current personality, the PDQ-4+ total was predicted by Self-Criticism (β = 0.55), explaining 30% of the variance.

LIMITATIONS

The small size of the samples, especially since it is difficult to access individuals diagnosed with AD at the onset or in its early stages; measuring personality changes by means of retrospective assessment by proxies may have introduced some memory bias.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings are relevant to research relating depressive vulnerability to personality traits and psychopathology in Alzheimer's disease.

Cognitive Impairment, Dementia, and Personality Stability Among Older Adults

There is contrasting evidence on personality stability in advanced age, and limited knowledge on the impact of cognitive impairment and dementia on trait stability. Group- and individual-level longitudinal analyses of the five major dimensions of personality assessed twice over 4 years ( N = 9,935) suggest that rank-order stability was progressively lower with advancing age (from rtt = 0.68 for age 50 to 60 years to rtt = 0.58 for age >80 years). Stability was low in the dementia group ( rtt = 0.43), and this was not simply due to lower reliability given that internal consistency remained adequate in the dementia group. Among individuals with no cognitive impairment or dementia, there was no association between stability and age ( rtt = 0.70 even for age >80 years). These results suggest that the lower personality stability in older adults is not due to age but cognitive impairment and dementia.