Cloninger's Temperament Dimensions and Threat, Stress, and Performance Appraisals During Different Challenges Among Young Adults

The relationship between temperament, polygenic score for intelligence and cognition: A population-based study of middle-aged adults

We investigated whether temperament modifies an association between polygenic intelligence potential and cognitive test performance in midlife. The participants (n = 1647, born between 1962 and 1977) were derived from the Young Finns Study. Temperament was assessed with Temperament and Character Inventory over a 15-year follow-up (1997, 2001, 2007, 2012). Polygenic intelligence potential was assessed with a polygenic score for intelligence. Cognitive performance (visual memory, reaction time, sustained attention, spatial working memory) was assessed with CANTAB in midlife. The PGSI was significantly associated with the overall cognitive performance and performance in visual memory, sustained attention and working memory tests but not reaction time test. Temperament did not correlate with polygenic score for intelligence and did not modify an association between the polygenic score and cognitive performance, either. High persistence was associated with higher visual memory (B = 0.092; FDR-adj. p = 0.007) and low harm avoidance with higher overall cognitive performance, specifically better reaction time (B = -0.102; FDR-adj; p = 0.007). The subscales of harm avoidance had different associations with cognitive performance: higher "anticipatory worry," higher "fatigability," and lower "shyness with strangers" were associated with lower cognitive performance, while the role of "fear of uncertainty" was subtest-related. In conclusion, temperament does not help or hinder one from realizing their genetic potential for intelligence. The overall modest relationships between temperament and cognitive performance advise caution if utilizing temperament-related information e.g. in working-life recruitments. Cognitive abilities may be influenced by temperament variables, such as the drive for achievement and anxiety about test performance, but they involve distinct systems of learning and memory.

Harm avoidance, daily stress, and problematic smartphone use in children and adolescents

OBJECTIVE

Temperament is close to susceptibility to stress and the increased level of stress may lead problematic smartphone use (PSU). In this study, the relationships between harm avoidance (HA) as a personality trait, daily traits, and PSU in children and adolescents were investigated.

METHODS

At baseline, all participants (184 children and adolescents, mean age 13.15 years) completed questionnaires on PSU using the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) and the Korean Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale (SAPS). The Daily Hassles Questionnaire (DHQ) and Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI) were also administered to evaluate stress levels and personality traits. SAS-SV, SAPS, and DHQ were reassessed at 3 and 6 months.

RESULTS

Among JTCI temperament, HA displayed robust positive correlations with SAS-SV, SAPS, and DHQ at all time points. Mediation effects of daily stress on the relationship between HA and PSU were observed at baseline, 3, and 6 months.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that managing stress may important in PSU children and adolescents with high HA.

Temperamental Sensitivities Differentially Linked With Interest, Strain, and Effort Appraisals

The present research examined the connections between temperament (punishment sensitivity; interindividual reward sensitivity; intraindividual reward sensitivity), students' domain- and course-specific motivational appraisals (interest, strain, effort), and performance, in two studies. Study 1 explored the relationships between temperamental sensitivities, motivational appraisals, and task achievement among secondary students (N = 268) in the domain of mathematics, using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) for the analyses. Study 2 was conducted longitudinally among upper-secondary students (N = 155) during a course in four key school subjects. Subject interest was included alongside the temperamental sensitivities as a predictor of course-specific motivation and course grades, and the data were analysed with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Previous achievement was controlled in both studies. The findings showed temperamental sensitivities to be differentially linked with motivational appraisals. Punishment sensitivity in Study 1, and interindividual reward sensitivity (sensitivity to reward dependent on others' approval or attention) in Study 2 were found to have an effect on psychological strain. In both studies, interest and effort were predicted by intraindividual reward sensitivity (positive responsiveness to novelty and own successes). In Study 2, subject interest was a consistent predictor of higher course interest and lower strain. In both studies, connections were found between strain and lower performance. The findings suggest individual characteristics may predispose students to certain motivational experiences, and contribute to educational outcomes, in both domain and course contexts and across subject content.

Associations Of Personality Traits With The Capacity-Performance Discrepancy Of Functional Outcome In Patients With Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE

Functional capacity, which indicates one's ability to perform everyday living tasks, contributes to real-world functional performance in patients with schizophrenia. However, functional capacity is sometimes not comparable with functional performance in clinical settings. We hypothesized that specific personality traits are related to this capacity-performance discrepancy of functional outcome.

METHODS

The measures in this study were the UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment Brief (UPSA-B) for functional capacity, the Social Functioning Scale (SFS) for functional performance, and the Temperament and Character Inventory-140 (TCI-140) for personality traits. A total of 94 stable outpatients with schizophrenia were divided into four groups based on combinations of their UPSA-B and SFS cut-off points, as follows: a high capacity and high performance (HH) group, a high capacity but low performance (HL) group, a low capacity but high performance (LH) group, and a low capacity and low performance (LL) group.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in demographics among the four groups. The LH group showed a significantly lower harm avoidance level than the LL group. The HL group showed a significantly lower persistence level than the HH group.

CONCLUSION

Lower harm avoidance may enhance functional performance, and lower persistence can limit functional performance, regardless of the primary levels of functional capacity in patients with schizophrenia. Novel and individualized psychosocial treatments considering the individual's personality traits seem to be helpful for maximizing their functional performance in the community.

Type 1 long QT syndrome and psychological stress in a laboratory setting

Trait-like sensitivity to stress in long QT syndrome patients has been documented previously. In addition, mental stress has been associated with symptomatic status of long QT syndrome. We examined whether the symptomatic type 1 long QT syndrome patients would be more sensitive to mental stress compared to asymptomatic patients and whether there would be differences in task-related physiological stress reactions between type 1 long QT syndrome patients and healthy individuals. The study population consisted of 21 symptomatic and 23 asymptomatic molecularly defined KCNQ1 mutation carriers, their 32 non-carrier relatives and 46 non-related healthy controls, with mean ages of 37, 39, 35 and 23 years, respectively. Electrocardiography was utilised to calculate inter-beat interval and high frequency and low frequency heart rate variability. Blood pressure was measured and mean arterial pressure and pulse pressure were calculated. Stress was induced using three different tasks: mental arithmetic, reaction time and public speech. Stress responses of symptomatic and asymptomatic type 1 long QT syndrome patients were not statistically different in any of the stress tasks. Short-term physiological stress reactivity of symptomatic type 1 long QT syndrome patients appears to be normal and does not enhance the risk assessment of asymptomatic mutation carriers.

Opinions of forensic schizophrenia patients on the use of restraints: controversial legislative issues

The use of restraints is a controversial issue even though legal regulations may seem straightforward. Our aims were to evaluate the forensic patients' opinions on certain aspects of restraining and to compare these opinions with the current legal norms. Inpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder at the Department of Forensic Psychiatry in Popovača, Croatia, were asked the following questions about the use of mechanical restraints: (a) Should the patients' family be informed about the use of restraints? (b) Should the physician ask the patient whether to inform the family about the use of restraints? (c) Can the use of restraints be a kind of punishment for intentionally aggressive behavior toward people in their environment? and (d) Should restraints be used if the patient requests to be restrained? The patients were assessed according to the Temperament and character inventory and Positive and Negative Symptom Scale. Fifty-four forensic patients with a history of serious offences were included in the study. Their average age was 44.7 (± 8.39) years and the mean duration of their treatment was 6.6 (± 5.08) years. There was no predominant opinion on sharing the information with the family, but there was a relationship between the opinions and psychopathology and personality. Regardless of the patients' mental state and personality, the opinions on the voluntary use of restraints and the use of restraints as punishment for intentionally aggressive behavior were mainly positive. The patients' opinions suggest a need for the implementation of more specific guidelines in the area of forensic psychiatry.

Temperament trait Harm Avoidance associates with μ-opioid receptor availability in frontal cortex: a PET study using [(11)C]carfentanil

Harm Avoidance is a temperament trait that associates with sensitivity to aversive and non-rewarding stimuli, higher anticipated threat and negative emotions during stress as well as a higher risk for affective disorders. The neurobiological correlates of interindividual differences in Harm Avoidance are largely unknown. We hypothesized that variability in Harm Avoidance trait would be explained by differences in the activity of μ-opioid system as the opioid system is known to regulate affective states and stress sensitivity. Brain μ-opioid receptor availability was measured in 22 healthy subjects using positron emission tomography and [(11)C]carfentanil, a selective μ-opioid receptor agonist. The subjects were selected from a large Finish population-based cohort (N=2075) on the basis of their pre-existing Temperament and Character Scores. Subjects scoring consistently in the upper (10) and lower (12) quartiles for the Harm Avoidance trait were studied. High Harm Avoidance score associated with high μ-opioid receptor availability (i.e. lower endogenous μ-opioid drive) in anterior cingulate cortex, ventromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices and anterior insular cortex. These associations were driven by two subscales of Harm Avoidance; Shyness with Strangers and Fatigability and Asthenia. In conclusion, higher Harm Avoidance score in healthy subjects is associated with higher μ-opioid availability in regions involved in the regulation of anxiety as well as in the control of emotions, affective component of pain and interoceptive awareness. The results have relevance in the research of vulnerability factors for affective disorders.

Psychobiological correlates of allostatic overload in a healthy population

The concept of allostatic load (AL) represents the cost of the continual adjustment of the internal milieu required by an organism to adapt to different challenges. The majority of studies concerning AL have focused mainly on identifying its biological components. Recently, new criteria for a clinimetric evaluation of AL have been introduced, adding a new definition of allostatic overload (AO). This study aims to identify psychological and biological correlates of AO in a population of blood donors, according to this new definition of AO. Participants included 240 blood donors recruited from May 2007 to December 2009 in 4 different blood Centers. Blood samples from each participant were collected for laboratory analysis and self-rating instruments were administered on the same day. Biological parameters included those usually assessed during blood donation. Individuals were selected based on the criteria for the clinimetric evaluation of AO. Differences in biomarkers between subjects with and without allostatic overload were performed using the GLM with biological measures as dependent variables, AO groups as the fixed factor and specific confounders as covariates. Based on the selection criteria for allostatic overload, 98 subjects have been identified as presenting with AO. Results showed that individuals with allostatic overload presented lower levels of serum proteins, erythrocytes and immune differential count than donors without allostatic overload. Further, greater mean corpuscular volume has been found in persons included in the AO group. The evaluation of the AO correlates, along with a biomarker profile, may help to identify those conditions that, by exceeding individual resources, may constitute a danger to health.

A psychosocial study of male-to-female transgendered and male hustler sex workers in São Paulo, Brazil

This study examined sociodemographic variables, personality characteristics, and alcohol and drug misuse among male sex workers in the city of Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 45 male-to-female transgender sex workers and 41 male hustlers were evaluated in face-to-face interviews at their place of work from 2008 to 2010. A "snowball" sampling procedure was used to access this hard-to-reach population. Male-to-female transgender sex workers reported fewer conventional job opportunities, fewer school problems, and higher harm avoidance and depression levels than male hustlers. Also, transgender sex workers reported earning more money through sex work and more frequently living in hostels with peers than their counterparts. As biological male sex workers are a heterogeneous population, attempts to classify them into distinctive groups should be further carried out as a way to better understand and identify their behavior, design effective health interventions, and consequently minimize the likelihood of unintended adverse outcomes. Our study showed that gender performance can be an important variable to be considered by researchers and policy makers when working with sex workers and developing HIV/AIDS prevention and public health programs, given that transgender and male sex workers not only display distinctive behavior and physical appearance but also reveal differences on specific psychological measures, such as personality traits and depression levels. We recommend that counselors working with this population strike a balance between facilitating self-disclosure and establishing more evidence-based directive interventions.

Cloninger's temperament traits and inherited long QT syndrome

OBJECTIVE

The long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited cardiac disorder which predisposes the mutation carrier to ventricular arrhythmias that can lead to sudden death. The objective of the present study was to examine the association between the symptom status of congenital long QT syndrome mutation carriers and their temperament.

METHODS

The study subjects included 587 LQTS mutation carriers from the Finnish LQTS registry, and 2056 individuals from a database study, the Young Finns Study (YFS), representing general population and serving as control subjects. The LQTS subjects were divided into symptomatic (n=259) and asymptomatic (n=328) groups, according to their history of arrhythmic events. Temperament was assessed using the Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), assessing novelty seeking, harm avoidance and reward dependence.

RESULTS

Congenital long QT syndrome mutation carriers had a higher harm avoidance (HA) than those representing the general population (2.77 vs. 2.61, p<.001, η²=0.011). Symptomatic and asymptomatic LQTS mutation carriers did not differ from one another in any of the three Cloninger's temperament traits. HA was significantly higher in women (2.72 vs. 2.54, p<0.001 η²=0.017).

CONCLUSIONS

LQTS mutation carriers may have higher stress proneness because of their high HA, which in turn may predispose them to the effects of environmental loading and thus increase the risk of arrhythmias.

Early atherosclerosis and cardiac autonomic responses to mental stress: a population-based study of the moderating influence of impaired endothelial function

Background

Acute mental stress may contribute to the cardiovascular disease progression via autonomic nervous system controlled negative effects on the endothelium. The joint effects of stress-induced sympathetic or parasympathetic activity and endothelial function on atherosclerosis development have not been investigated. The present study aims to examine the interactive effect of acute mental stress-induced cardiac reactivity/recovery and endothelial function on the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis.

Methods

Participants were 81 healthy young adults aged 24-39 years. Preclinical atherosclerosis was assessed by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and endothelial function was measured as flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) using ultrasound techniques. We also measured heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and pre-ejection period (PEP) in response to the mental arithmetic and speech tasks.

Results

We found a significant interaction of FMD and cardiac RSA recovery for IMT (p = 0.037), and a significant interaction of FMD and PEP recovery for IMT (p = 0.006). Among participants with low FMD, slower PEP recovery was related to higher IMT. Among individuals with high FMD, slow RSA recovery predicted higher IMT. No significant interactions of FMD and cardiac reactivity for IMT were found.

Conclusions

Cardiac recovery plays a role in atherosclerosis development in persons with high and low FMD. The role of sympathetically mediated cardiac activity seems to be more important in those with impaired FMD, and parasympathetically mediated in those with relatively high FMD. The development of endothelial dysfunction may be one possible mechanism linking slow cardiac recovery and atherosclerosis via autonomic nervous system mediated effect.

Cloninger's temperament traits and preclinical atherosclerosis: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

OBJECTIVE

Cloninger's psychobiological model of temperament has recently raised interest as a risk factor for CHD. However, there are no studies that have examined the associations of Cloninger's temperament traits with atherosclerosis.

METHODS

The subjects were 398 men and 657 women (mean age 31.7 years) participating in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Linear regression analyses were used to examine the cross-sectional associations between temperament traits and preclinical atherosclerosis. Preclinical atherosclerosis was measured with carotid intima-media thickness ultrasound.

RESULTS

Higher novelty seeking (NS) and reward dependence (RD) and lower harm avoidance (HA) were associated with preclinical atherosclerosis. In NS and RD, associations remained significant after adjustments for various risk factors. The effect sizes of these associations were comparable to those of traditional risk factors of coronary heart disease, which is a major finding. No association for persistence (P) was found.

CONCLUSIONS

The present findings imply that examining a wider range of temperament and personality factors may offer new information that can help in explaining the between-individual variation in atherosclerosis and CHD morbidity.

Associations between Cloninger's temperament dimensions and acute tobacco withdrawal

This study examined associations between three temperament dimensions measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory-125 [Cloninger, C.R. (1992). The Temperament and Character Inventory-125 (TCI-125; Version 1.)] and tobacco abstinence effects. Smokers (N=203, >/= 15 cigarettes/day) attended two laboratory sessions, one following 12 h of abstinence and the other following ad libitum smoking (order counterbalanced). Participants completed measures of withdrawal symptoms, cigarette urges, and affect. Smokers high in Novelty Seeking reported greater abstinence-induced increases in several nicotine withdrawal symptoms, negative affect, and cigarette craving. Smokers high in Harm Avoidance reported greater abstinence-induced increases in negative affect and urges to smoke to relieve distress. Reward Dependence was not associated with abstinence effects. Novelty Seeking and Harm Avoidance showed independent predictive associations with negative affect and urges, and their associations with abstinence effects persisted when controlling for FTND scores. Smokers with different temperaments display different patterns of acute tobacco withdrawal, and may benefit from treatments matched to their particular abstinence profile.