How Much Is Enough? The Relationship Between Prosocial Effort and Moral Character Judgments

The amount of effort required to bring about a prosocial outcome can vary from low-handing a stranger the wallet she just dropped-to high-spending days tracking down the owner of a lost wallet. The goal of the current research is to characterize the relationship between prosocial effort and moral character judgments. Does more prosocial effort always lead to rosier moral character judgments? Across four studies (N = 1,658), we find that moral character judgments increase with prosocial effort to a point and then plateau. We find evidence that this pattern is produced, in part, by descriptive and prescriptive norms: exceeding descriptive norms increases moral character judgments, but exceeding prescriptive norms has the opposite effect, which leads to a tapering off of moral character judgments at higher levels of effort.

The Impact of Negative Moral Character on Health and the Role of Spirituality: A Narrative Literature Review

Although negative moral character is highly prevalent, it is not included in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Along with the modification of WHO ICD-11, spirituality should be acknowledged for its potetnial role in the prevention of negative moral traits. This study aimed to explore the effects of negative moral character on health and determine the role of spirituality in improving negative moral traits. This narrative literature review was conducted from 2020 to 2023 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The articles were obtained from the Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. As demonstrated in this narrative literature review, most of the relevant experimental and observational studies have found that negative moral character can have significant negative impact on overall health and well-being. Many studies have established the positive role of spirituality in improving negative moral character. These studies concluded that facilities must be available within schools, universities, and communities for everyone to gain knowledge of spirituality and improve their negative moral character. Considering the adverse impacts of negative moral character on health, the current study proposes the addition of moral disorder to the WHO International Classification of Diseases. According to this literature review, spirituality will improve negative moral character and strengthen excellent moral traits.

Problematic Internet Use Among Adolescent Male and Female Psychiatric Inpatients: A Gender Perspective

Problematic internet use (PIU) is of treatment interest in adolescent clinical samples. Gender specific differences in terms of personality traits and psychopathological symptoms remain unclear. In an adolescent clinical sample (n = 104; 69 girls) PIU, psychopathology, temperament and character traits as well as emotional and behavioral problems were assessed. 62% of the sample showed subthreshold PIU and 34% full PIU (fPIU). Boys reported more gaming whereas girls social networking. Sex specific analyses revealed gender differences: Girls with fPIU scored significantly higher on internalizing/externalizing problems/behavior, novelty seeking and transcendence, and lower on persistence, self-directedness, and cooperativeness than girls without fPIU. Boys with fPIU scored significantly higher on internalizing problems and self-transcendence and lower on harm avoidance than boys without fPIU. Gender plays an important role in PIU. Gender specific differences in both application use as well as symptomatic, temperament and character traits call for a gender specific approach in prevention and treatment integration.

Polygenic risk for depression predicting temperament trajectories over 15 years - A general population study

BACKGROUND

A great number of case-control and population-based studies have shown that depression patients differ from healthy controls in their temperament traits. We investigated whether polygenic risk for depression predicts trajectories of temperament traits from early adulthood to middle age.

METHODS

Participants came from the population-based Young Finns Study (n = 2212). The calculation for Polygenic risk for depression (PRS) was based on the most recent genome-wide association study. Temperament traits of Harm Avoidance, Novelty Seeking, Reward Dependence, and Persistence were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory in 1997, 2001, 2007, and 2012 (participants being 24-50-year-olds). As covariates, we used depressive symptoms as assessed by a modified version of the Beck Depression Inventory, psychosocial family environment from parent-filled questionnaires, and socioeconomic factors from adulthood.

RESULTS

High PRS predicted higher Persistence from early adulthood to middle age (p = 0.003) when controlling for depressive symptoms, psychosocial family environment, and socioeconomic factors. PRS did not predict trajectories of Novelty Seeking (p = 0.063-0.416 in different models) or Reward Dependence (p = 0.531-0.736). The results remained unaffected when participants with diagnosed affective disorders were excluded. Additionally, we found an interaction between PRS and depressive symptoms when predicting the Harm Avoidance subscale Anticipatory Worry, indicating that the association of Anticipatory Worry with depressive symptoms is stronger in individuals with higher (vs. lower) PRS.

LIMITATIONS

There was some attrition due to the long follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

High polygenic risk for major depression may predict differences in temperament trajectories among those who have not developed any severe affective disorders.

Temperamental and Neuropsychological Predictors for Major League Pro-Baseball Success

BACKGROUND

Securing a professional baseball career is a formidable task, and only a unique few can overcome the obstacles necessary to become a Major League player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). When achieving a spot in a KBO Major League team, a player's technical aspect may be influenced by their initial neuropsychological status.

HYPOTHESIS

Personality and neurocognitive functions influence long-term pro-baseball league success.

STUDY DESIGN

Cohort observational study.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 3.

METHODS

From the start of each player's career, we monitored the status and course of 153 baseball players in the KBO from 2009 to 2019 who agreed to participate in this study. The Korean versions of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y (STAI-KY) analyzed traits and estimated state and trait anxiety levels, respectively. The Trail Making Test (TMT) (parts A and B) assessed attention shifting, and, in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), perseverative errors determined cognitive flexibility. Hierarchical logistic regression models were used to predict player status variables, with TCI and neurocognitive function variables as covariates.

RESULTS

High novelty-seeking scores, low state anxiety, and short TMT A results reliably predict KBO Major League participation in a player's third year. Similarly, low state anxiety scores and high harm avoidance, reward dependence, and self-transcendence scores accurately predict KBO Major League participation in a player's fifth year. Lastly, short TMT A results, low perseverative error scores, and high novelty-seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and self-transcendence efficiently predict KBO Major League participation in a player's seventh year.

CONCLUSION

Draft ranking, personality, and neurocognitive function are associated with pro-baseball league achievement. In particular, personality and neuropsychological functions are associated with long-term success.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Clinically, sound personality and neuropsychological functions determine KBO Major League success.

Emotional Dysregulation and Temperament-Character Traits in Adolescents With Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder (Conversion Disorder)

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to evaluate emotion dysregulation and temperament-character traits in adolescents with functional neurological symptom disorder (FNSD). Forty adolescents with FNSD and 40 healthy adolescents were evaluated by a semiconstructed diagnosis interview, Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Regulation of Emotions Questionnaire (REQ), and Children's Somatization Inventory-24 (CSI-24). The external and internal dysfunctional emotion regulation scores of REQ, all subscales of DERS, except the awareness subscale, and CSI-24 scores were significantly higher in FNSD patients compared with healthy controls. There were significant differences between the groups in terms of harm avoidance and reward dependence subscale scores of TCI. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the external dysfunctional emotion regulation strategy, somatization, and reward dependence are significant predictors of FNSD. Our results provide evidence that adolescents with FNSD experience emotional dysregulation and that the differential value of some temperament-character traits in the diagnosis of FNSD.

Character Strengths of Czech Army Excellent Officers as Perceived by Cadets and Soldiers Serving in Reconnaissance Units

INTRODUCTION

A deeper understanding of personality specifics in military personnel may increase the efficacy of health care professionals in this field. Changes in modern warfare require army officers to make decisions in complicated situations with increasing levels of autonomy. Character is traditionally regarded as a key quality in these dynamics. However, it remains unclear which character strengths are conducive to effective leadership in the military. The present study aims at mapping Czech Army cadets' and professional soldiers' perceptions of the character strengths of those officers, who they consider the best they served under. The study also examined how these perceptions vary across soldiers at different stages of their careers and how much they overlap with the same soldiers' ratings of their own strengths. In addition, a regression analysis, to outline combinations of strengths for various aspects of character-based leadership, was performed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Respondents (N = 199) were recruited from three different subpopulations of the Czech Army-serving members of two reconnaissance units (N = 38), and 1st (N = 81) and 5th (N = 80) year cadets at the University of Defense. They rated the character strengths of chosen officers and themselves on the Character Strengths Leadership Inventory and the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths Revised. This study was approved by the units' commanding officer and the representatives of the University of Defense.

RESULTS

Subordinates rated honesty, leadership, perspective, teamwork, fairness, creativity, love of learning, and zest highest in their chosen officers. These officers' mean profiles strongly correlated in all the three groups (rs = .82-.86). The mean correlation between officers' and respondents' self-reported strengths was not strong (rs = .18). Multiple regression models of the perception of an officer's success, success of their team, them as a leadership example, and them as having a good character, most frequently, involved fairness, honesty, kindness, and social intelligence, while forgiveness was negatively associated with these parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study achieved its aims. First, it suggests the officers' character strengths that tend to be most valued by their subordinates among Czech Army cadets and soldiers serving in reconnaissance units. Second, the strong overlap of best officers' character profiles in all groups suggests that this perception may remain stable throughout a soldier's career. Third, the relationship between chosen officers' and respondents' self-reported strengths was negligible, suggesting that the perception of officer's strengths may not be an individual's projection. Fourth, regression models of character-based leadership proposed a combination of character strengths that may contribute to the officer's perceived efficacy. Compared to other studies, the sample included both cadets and military professionals with a proportional number of females being included. These results imply that health care practitioners working with military clients may benefit from the acknowledgment of their specific character strengths, most notably honesty and fairness, while providing care to this population.

Moral conformity in a digital world: Human and nonhuman agents as a source of social pressure for judgments of moral character

Could judgments about others' moral character be changed under group pressure produced by human and virtual agents? In Study 1 (N = 103), participants first judged targets' moral character privately and two weeks later in the presence of real humans. Analysis of how many times participants changed their private moral judgments under group pressure showed that moral conformity occurred, on average, 43% of the time. In Study 2 (N = 138), we extended this using Virtual Reality, where group pressure was produced either by avatars allegedly controlled by humans or AI. While replicating the effect of moral conformity (at 28% of the time), we find that the moral conformity for the human and AI-controlled avatars did not differ. Our results suggest that human and nonhuman groups shape moral character judgments in both the physical and virtual worlds, shedding new light on the potential social consequences of moral conformity in the modern digital world.

Association of temperament and character traits with ADHD and its comorbidities

BACKGROUND

Increasing evidence suggests that personality traits may be associated with ADHD and comorbid concerns. We investigated temperament and character traits associated with internalizing and externalizing comorbidities in adolescents with or without ADHD.

METHODS

The population consisted of a subsample (n = 457) of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (NFBC1986) that comprised 16-year-old adolescents with and without symptoms of ADHD. ADHD and psychiatric comorbidities were assessed using the Kiddie-SADS-PL and temperament and character profiles were determined with TCI-125. Outcomes were examined using Pearson's chi-square test, Analyses of Covariance and Cohen's d.

RESULTS

The adolescents with ADHD endorsed more novelty seeking and less persistence, self-directedness, and cooperativeness than those without. Comparison of the personality traits and psychiatric comorbidities with the ADHD cases showed that comorbidities did not particularly affect the temperament and character profiles, but rather ADHD accounted for the differences between the personality traits. However, the temperament and character traits predicted externalizing and internalizing psychiatric disorders in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reveal unique comorbidity-related temperament factors, which may have implications for adaptive and personalizing intervention efforts.

Character Traits Predict Health and Well-Being beyond Personality

We examined the incremental validity of character in predicting health outcomes and well-being beyond personality traits and investigated the extent to which health-related behaviors mediate the relationship between character and well-being. Findings indicate that several character cores (e.g., transcendence, fortitude) predict well-being, health behaviors, and health outcomes beyond different measures of personality traits, indicating that character is discriminable from personality as indicated by incremental prediction. In particular, fortitude, temperance, transcendence, and sincerity appear to be key players. Implications for character research are discussed.

Effect of Care Burden and Personality Traits of Caregivers on Treatment Compliance and Functionality of Patients With Schizophrenia

Objective: To evaluate the effects of care burden and personality traits of caregivers on treatment compliance and social functionality of patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 50 patients aged 18-65 years diagnosed with schizophrenia (DSM-5 criteria) who were followed up in the hospital between December 2020 and June 2021. Fifty caregivers (ie, spouses, parents, siblings, and children) were also included in the study. All study participants completed a sociodemographic data form. Caregivers completed the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and the Zarit Care Burden Scale (ZCBS). Patients completed the Social Functioning Scale (SFS), the Morisky Treatment Adherence Scale (MTAS), and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).

Results: There was a positive correlation between MTAS and PANSS scores (r = 0.293, P < .05) of patients with schizophrenia and a negative correlation between MTAS and SFS total scores (r = -0.468, P < .01). There was a positive correlation between MTAS and ZCBS-dependency subgroup scores (P < .05). A positive correlation was found between caregivers' TCI subdimensions, especially self-directedness total score and SFS total score (P < .01), as well as between self-transcendence total score and total ZCBS score (P < .05).

Conclusions: Based on the study results, temperament and character characteristics of caregivers affect both the care burden of caregivers and the social functionality of patients; however, larger samples are required to measure the effects of caregivers' personality traits and care burden on patients' functioning and adherence to treatment.

Prim Care Companion CNS Disord 2023;25(6):23m03522.

Author affiliations are listed at the end of this article.

One strike and you're a lout: Cherished values increase the stringency of moral character attributions

Moral dilemmas are inescapable in daily life, and people must often choose between two desirable character traits, like being a diligent employee or being a devoted parent. These moral dilemmas arise because people hold competing moral values that sometimes conflict. Furthermore, people differ in which values they prioritize, so we do not always approve of how others resolve moral dilemmas. How are we to think of people who sacrifice one of our most cherished moral values for a value that we consider less important? The "Good True Self Hypothesis" predicts that we will reliably project our most strongly held moral values onto others, even after these people lapse. In other words, people who highly value generosity should consistently expect others to be generous, even after they act frugally in a particular instance. However, reasoning from an error-management perspective instead suggests the "Moral Stringency Hypothesis," which predicts that we should be especially prone to discredit the moral character of people who deviate from our most deeply cherished moral ideals, given the potential costs of affiliating with people who do not reliably adhere to our core moral values. In other words, people who most highly value generosity should be quickest to stop considering others to be generous if they act frugally in a particular instance. Across two studies conducted on Prolific (N = 966), we found consistent evidence that people weight moral lapses more heavily when rating others' membership in highly cherished moral categories, supporting the Moral Stringency Hypothesis. In Study 2, we examined a possible mechanism underlying this phenomenon. Although perceptions of hypocrisy played a role in moral updating, personal moral values and subsequent judgments of a person's potential as a good cooperative partner provided the clearest explanation for changes in moral character attributions. Overall, the robust tendency toward moral stringency carries significant practical and theoretical implications.

Character Strengths and Resilience in Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the pandemic, older adults were perceived as a vulnerable group without considering their various strengths. This study explored the associations between character strengths and resilience, and verified if some of these could predict resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 92 participants (women = 79.1%), ≥ 70 years of age (mean = 75.6 years), completed an online version of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths - Positively keyed (VIA-IS-P) to assess 24 character strengths (grouped under six virtues) and the Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale. Results showed that 20 of the 24 strengths correlated positively and significantly with resilience. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the virtues of courage and transcendence, as well as attitudes toward aging, uniquely predicted the level of resilience. Interventions should be developed to improve certain strengths (e.g., creativity, zest, hope, humor, and curiosity), while reducing ageism, in order to promote resilience.

The moderating and mediating effects of personality on the association between morningness and well-being

Background

Morningness (morning-eveningness preference or chronotypes) and personality can be both associated with well-being, but few studies have directly compared these two constructs as correlates of well-being. Thus, the first purpose of this study was to test the effects of interactions between stable personality traits (temperaments) and morningness on well-being. Furthermore, personality factors are often composed of both stable biological factors (temperament) and socio-cultural factors (character), and little is known about personality interplay of temperament and character factors with respect to morningness and well-being. The second purpose of this study was therefore to examine the sequential mediating effects of temperament and character factors on the relationship between morningness and well-being.

Methods

The Composite Scale of Morningness, the Korean version of the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised Short Version (TCI-RS), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were used to measure morningness, personality dimensions, and well-being, respectively, in 287 Korean university students. Moderating and sequentially mediating effects of temperament and character traits were determined using Hayes' PROCESS macro in SPSS after controlling for sex and age.

Results

First, novelty-seeking (NS) and persistence (PS) temperaments have demonstrated the moderating effect in the association between morningness and well-being. The positive effects of morningness on life satisfaction increased with lower NS and PS, respectively. However, other temperaments such as harm avoidance (HA) and reward dependence (RD) have not shown the moderation in the relationship between morningness on well-being. Second, HA temperament and self-directedness (SD) character sequentially mediated the relationship between morningness and well-being. The combination of low scores of HA and high scores of SD have shown the positive effect on the relationship between morningness and well-being.

Discussion

This study demonstrated that both the interactions between temperaments and morningness, and combination of specific TCI-RS temperament and character traits play important roles in influencing the association between morningness and well-being. The significance of the mature SD character and its implications for well-being are discussed with limitation of the present study.

psychopathology on mood, hope, perceived stigma and cognitive performance in individuals with psychosis

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the present study was to investigate whether assessments of psychopathology vs. character strengths were associated with systematic differences concerning transient psychological states (i.e., cognitive performance, state mood, optimism, therapy motivation, perceived stigma) in individuals with psychotic disorders. An additional goal was to evaluate the acceptance and appraisal of a subsequent online character-strength intervention, consisting of top-two strengths feedback, and to explore associations between character strengths and psychotic symptoms. The study thus aimed to contribute to the discussion on the extension of current treatment approaches for schizophrenia through positive psychological interventions.

METHODS

The study was implemented online applying a randomized within-subject cross-over design in N = 39 patients with self-reported psychosis. After a baseline assessment, briefly capturing psychological states (including cognition: TMT A/B, positive and negative affect, motivation for change/ therapy, optimism, and self-stigma) participants were randomly assigned to a first questionnaire block, which addressed either individual character strengths (VIA-IS) or psychopathology (CAPE & BSI). This was followed by a second, brief assessment of transient psychological states, whereafter the second questionnaire block was conducted, this time with the respective opposite (strengths or psychopathology) assessment. A final psychological states assessment was conducted. Afterwards, participants received feedback on their top-two strengths and a brief psycho-education, followed by a qualitative assessment.

RESULTS

Contrary to expectations, there were no differences between the psychological states after the pathology vs. character strengths assessment blocks. Character strengths mainly correlated negatively with negative symptoms, with medium to large effect sizes. Participants were generally satisfied with the intervention and rated a focus on personal strengths in psychotherapy as highly important.

CONCLUSION

Our main hypothesis stating that the assessment of character strengths (vs. psychopathology) is associated with differences in subsequent psychological states could not be confirmed. Qualitative findings indicate that the emphasis on individual character strengths interventions is well accepted and viewed as important. The associations of character strengths with negative symptoms are important from the background of the cognitive model or defeatist beliefs (e.g., amotivation due to perceiving the self as 'incapable'), which could be addressed in experimental or intervention studies targeting character strengths.

Is it good to feel bad about littering? Conflict between moral beliefs and behaviors for everyday transgressions

People sometimes do things that they think are morally wrong. We investigate how actors' perceptions of the morality of their own behaviors affects observer evaluations. In Study 1 (n = 302), we presented participants with six different descriptions of actors who routinely engaged in a morally questionable behavior and varied whether the actors thought the behavior was morally wrong. Actors who believed their behavior was wrong were seen as having better moral character, but their behavior was rated as more wrong. In Study 2 (n = 391) we investigated whether perceptions of actor metadesires were responsible for the effects of actor beliefs on character judgments. We used the same stimuli and measures as in Study 1 but added a measure of the actor's perceived desires to engage in the behaviors. As predicted, the effect of actors' moral beliefs on judgments of their moral character was mediated by perceived metadesires. In Study 3 (n = 1092) we replicated these findings in a between-participants design and further found that the effect of actor beliefs on act and character judgments was moderated by participant beliefs about the general acceptability of the behavior.

What makes Voldemort tick? Children's and adults' reasoning about the nature of villains

How do children make sense of antisocial acts committed by evil-doers? We addressed this question in three studies with 434 children (4-12 years) and 277 adults, focused on participants' judgments of both familiar and novel fictional villains and heroes. Study 1 established that children viewed villains' actions and emotions as overwhelmingly negative, suggesting that children's well-documented positivity bias does not prevent their appreciation of extreme forms of villainy. Studies 2 and 3 assessed children's and adults' beliefs regarding heroes' and villains' moral character and true selves, using an array of converging evidence, including: how a character felt inside, whether a character's actions reflected their true self, whether a character's true self could change over time, and how an omniscient machine would judge a character's true self. Across these measures, both children and adults consistently evaluated villains' true selves to be more negative than heroes'. Importantly, at the same time, we also detected an asymmetry in the judgments, wherein villains were more likely than heroes to have a true self that differed from their outward behavior. More specifically, across the ages studied participants more often reported that villains were inwardly good, than that heroes were inwardly bad. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed in light of our expanding understanding of the development of true self beliefs.

Dimensions of temperament and character as predictors of antidepressant discontinuation, response and adverse reactions during treatment with nortriptyline and escitalopram

BACKGROUND

Personality traits may predict antidepressant discontinuation and response. However, previous studies were rather small, only explored a few personality traits and did not include adverse drug effects nor the interdependency between antidepressant discontinuation patterns and response.

METHODS

GENDEP included 589 patients with unipolar moderate-severe depression treated with escitalopram or nortriptyline for 12 weeks. Seven personality dimensions were measured using the self-reported 240-item Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R). We applied Cox proportional models to study discontinuation patterns, logistic and linear regression to investigate response and remission after 8 and 12 weeks, and mixed-effects linear models regarding time-varying treatment response and adverse drug reactions.

RESULTS

Low harm avoidance, low cooperativeness, high self-transcendence and high novelty seeking were associated with higher risks for antidepressant discontinuation, independent of depressed mood, adverse drug reactions, drug, sex and age. Regression analyses showed that higher novelty seeking and cooperativeness scores were associated with a greater likelihood of response and remission after 8 and 12 weeks, respectively, but we found no correlations with response in the mixed-effects models. Only high harm avoidance was associated with more self-reported adverse effects.

CONCLUSIONS

This study, representing the largest investigation between several personality traits and response to two different antidepressants, suggests that correlations between personality traits and antidepressant treatment response may be confounded by differential rates of discontinuation. Future trials on personality in the treatment of depression need to consider this interdependency and study whether interventions aiming at improving compliance for some personality types may improve response to antidepressants.

Personality traits in psychotic illness and their clinical correlates: A systematic review

This systematic review focuses on personality traits according to both the Five Factor Model and Cloninger Psychobiological Model in relation to treatment related outcome variables across all stages of clinical psychotic illness. Search of Pubmed and Psychinfo databases led to final inclusion of 65 studies, which were ranked on quality and analyzed according to the associations between personality and outcome. Main findings are that higher levels of Harm Avoidance and Neuroticism are associated with higher symptom levels, tendency towards passive coping, greater self-stigma, lower quality of life, and Harm Avoidance to higher suicidality. Higher levels of Extraversion and higher levels of Self-Directedness are associated with more preference for active coping, more intrinsic motivation and higher self-esteem. Higher Novelty Seeking is related to more substance use and aggression, in men specifically. On outcome of trauma, care consumption and duration of untreated illness no consistent associations with personality traits were found. Combined evidence from both personality models however reveals a consistent pattern of personality traits related to clinical outcome in psychotic disorder, which is discussed in a dimensional manner.

Mediating role of self-concept on character strengths and well-being among adolescents with specific learning disorder in India

BACKGROUND

Adolescents with Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) are at higher risk of academic underachievement, stigmatization, and mental health issues. However, the complete elimination of disorder-related deficits and external challenges is an impracticable solution for enhancing their well-being.

AIM

The study adopts a strength-based approach to understand the role of an innate factor, i.e., self-concept, in the association between character strengths and well-being of adolescents with SLD.

METHODS

A correlational research design following a mediation analysis was adopted to examine the association between the study variables on a sample of 115 adolescents with SLD from India.

RESULTS

Self-concept functioned as a partial mediator between the life-satisfaction construct of well-being and six character strengths: Appreciation of beauty and excellence, Perseverance, Judgment, Leadership, Perspective, and Zest. Gender differences were identified with regard to the study variables.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Self-concept of adolescents with SLD could partly contribute to enhanced character strengths awareness to protect well-being. Further, the crucial role of internal factors like self-concept and character strengths in improving the well-being of this population was highlighted. Thereby encouraging future research on SLD to adopt approaches that focus on innate strengths rather than deficits and external sources of well-being.

Life Satisfaction and Character Strengths in Women With Breast Cancer: Zest and Hope as Predictors

BACKGROUND

Empirical evidence shows that life satisfaction is positively related to character strengths, and although this association has been observed in different populations, it is scarce in breast cancer patients. This study analyzes the relationship between character strengths and life satisfaction in Spanish women diagnosed with breast cancer.

METHODS

A sample of 117 women completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Spanish version of the VIA Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS). Correlation analysis and regression modeling were performed to determine which strengths predict life satisfaction.

RESULTS

The results of the correlation analysis showed that 15 strengths were positively and significantly associated with life satisfaction, with the highest correlations corresponding to zest, hope, curiosity, social intelligence, love, gratitude, and judgment. Regression modeling indicated that of these, zest and hope were key strengths for predicting life satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that intervention programs based on the development of zest and hope could help to improve life satisfaction and, therefore, the psychological well-being of women with breast cancer.

The Relationship of Temperament and Character, Parental Stress, and Mental Health Problems with Attachment Disorders among Children

According to Cloninger's model, personality is conceptualized in temperament and character traits contributing to a child's psychosocial development. Additionally, parent-child interaction is important for the child's socio-emotional development. To date, the relationship between attachment and temperament and character for child mental health development and its effects on parents remains mostly unclear. The aim of the present study was thus to examine the relationship of attachment, temperament and character, parental stress, and mental health problems among 125 children (mean age = 7.14 years) in Switzerland. Temperament and character, attachment disorder (symptoms), parental stress, and mental health problems were assessed with psychometric questionnaires; attachment was assessed with an additional observational measure. Descriptive characters of the sample were presented, and group differences and correlations were computed. For temperament traits, results revealed significant group differences for novelty seeking and persistence and attachment disorder types. For character traits, the findings showed significant group differences for self-directedness and cooperativeness and attachment disorder types. Moderate effect sizes for groups differences were found. Further, the mixed-type (inhibited and disinhibited) and inhibited attachment disorder type were the most burdened groups. The present findings suggest that temperament and character traits, as well as parental stress and mental health problems are associated with the occurrence of attachment disorders among children. Future longitudinal studies with larger samples are needed to examine the causal relationships of temperament and character with attachment, including person-related and environmental factors among children.

Experiences and perception of character strengths among patients with breast cancer in China: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

To explore the patients' experiences on character strengths that Chinese patients experience after the diagnosis of breast cancer.

DESIGN

A qualitative, exploratory study using semistructured interviews based on the patients' lived experience after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Ethics approval was granted. Interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. Values in Action Classification of Strengths provided conceptual framework for analysing strengths. Directed content analysis based on the classification of strengths and framework analysis were used to analyse transcribed data. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research guideline was followed.

SETTING

The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Provincial Cancer Hospital in China.

PARTICIPANTS

Adult patients over 18 years, diagnosed with breast cancer between October 2019 and December 2020 were recruited. We used purposive sample method to collected data from 24 participants diagnosed with breast cancer.

RESULTS

Six themes (virtues) emerged from our analysis. In addition, two new subthemes (character strengths) emerged in this study, selflessness and pragmatism, respectively. Patients with breast cancer described a large repertoire of character strengths they used or wished for during survivorship, including gratitude, hope, humility, kindness, humour, honesty and forgiveness. Cultural values (eg, collectivism, familyism, Confucianism and Buddhist beliefs) helped structure the experiences of Chinese patients' character strengths. Patients wanted their character strengths to be more noticed, appreciated and encouraged by others and reported their psychological trajectory of using personal strengths.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicated that patients with breast cancer believing character strengths are important to them. Medical staff should pay more attention to motivating and cultivating character strengths of patients with breast cancer. Attention to make strength-based practices workable in clinical health promotion programmes is necessary. The healthcare system should develop tailored individualised psychological services that specifically address patients' needs for the application of personalised character strengths.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT04219267, Pre-results.

The relationship between novelty-seeking traits and behavior: Establishing construct validity for the human Behavioral Pattern Monitor

Novelty seeking is a tendency to approach new situations, putatively driven by the brain's catecholaminergic system. It is traditionally measured via self-report, but a laboratory-based paradigm, the human Behavioral Pattern Monitor (hBPM), quantifies behavior in a novel environment and has utility in cross-species studies of neuropsychiatric disorders. Our primary aim assessed whether self-reported novelty-seeking traits were associated with novelty-seeking behavior in the hBPM. An existing sample of 106 volunteers were categorized as high vs. low novelty seekers using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Subjects had been randomized to one dose of amphetamine (10 or 20 mg) or modafinil (200 or 400 mg), allowing us to explore whether a pharmacological catecholamine challenge further enhanced novelty-seeking behavior. High TCI novelty-seekers had more hBPM motor activity and novel object interactions. The exploratory analyses, although limited by low power, suggested that amphetamine and modafinil did not markedly moderate novelty-seeking traits. The hBPM demonstrates construct validity as a lab-based measure of novelty seeking and thus useful in translational studies of neuropsychiatric conditions and treatment options. Further research may illuminate whether a biological predisposition towards higher catecholaminergic activity, combined with the novelty-seeking trait, may increase propensity for risky and addictive behaviors.

Brainstem glucose metabolism predicts reward dependence scores in treatment-resistant major depression

BACKGROUND

It has been suggested that individual differences in temperament could be involved in the (non-)response to antidepressant (AD) treatment. However, how neurobiological processes such as brain glucose metabolism may relate to personality features in the treatment-resistant depressed (TRD) state remains largely unclear.

METHODS

To examine how brainstem metabolism in the TRD state may predict Cloninger's temperament dimensions Harm Avoidance (HA), Novelty Seeking (NS), and Reward Dependence (RD), we collected ¹⁸fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (¹⁸FDG PET) scans in 40 AD-free TRD patients. All participants were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). We applied a multiple kernel learning (MKL) regression to predict the HA, NS, and RD from brainstem metabolic activity, the origin of respectively serotonergic, dopaminergic, and noradrenergic neurotransmitter (NT) systems.

RESULTS

The MKL model was able to significantly predict RD but not HA and NS from the brainstem metabolic activity. The MKL pattern regression model identified increased metabolic activity in the pontine nuclei and locus coeruleus, the medial reticular formation, the dorsal/median raphe, and the ventral tegmental area that contributed to the predictions of RD.

CONCLUSIONS

The MKL algorithm identified a likely metabolic marker in the brainstem for RD in major depression. Although ¹⁸FDG PET does not investigate specific NT systems, the predictive value of brainstem glucose metabolism on RD scores however indicates that this temperament dimension in the TRD state could be mediated by different monoaminergic systems, all involved in higher order reward-related behavior.

Temperament and character profiles of adolescent participants in the choking game

OBJECTIVE

The role of personality traits in self-asphyxial behaviors remains largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to explore temperament and character profiles of youth reporting participation in the choking game using Cloninger's biopsychosocial model of personality.

METHODS

Data were collected among French middle-school students (N=1771) aged 9-16 years (mean age=13.0, SD=1.3) and randomly selected from 13 public establishments located in different regions of France. Logistic regression models were run to identify Cloninger's temperamental and character dimensions associated with engagement in the choking game.

RESULTS

Descriptive analysis revealed that participants showed high scores of novelty-seeking (Cohen's d=0.293, p<0.001) and low levels of cooperativeness (Cohen's d=0.182, p<0.01), persistence (Cohen's d=0.182, p<0.05), and reward dependence (Cohen's d=0.241, p<0.01). However, multivariate modeling indicated that only the novelty-seeking dimension tended to slightly differentiate participants from non-participants within the global sample (OR=1.03, 95% CI: 1-1.06). When we compared girls and boys, we found a slight trend in association only in boys (OR=1.04, 95% CI: 1-1.08).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study, which contributes to the growing literature on the psychological correlates of choking activities and is the first to investigate the potential predictive role of personality traits in this risky behavior, suggests to some extent that (a) the choking game could possibly be influenced by some temperamental characteristics, and that (b) it might not have the same function according to the gender considered.

Differences in temperament and character inventory (TCI) profile between suicidal and nonsuicidal psychiatric outpatients

The purpose of this study was to identify personality traits associated with suicide attempt in a clinical sample. Temperament and character inventory (TCI) profiles of 759 patients who met the inclusion criteria among 1000 randomly selected hospital records collected. Of these 759 patients, 103 had a history of at least 1 actual suicide attempt (suicidal group) whereas 656 had no such history (nonsuicidal group). The suicidal group showed higher scores of novelty seeking (mean ± SD: 36.1 ± 1.2 vs 33.3 ± 0.5; P = .026) and harm avoidance (57.1 ± 1.5 vs 53.0 ± 0.6; P = .01) but lower scores of self-directedness (27.5 ± 1.5 vs 34.4 ± 0.6; P < .001) than the nonsuicidal group. Higher novelty seeking (OR [95% CI]: 1.031 [1.008-1.054]; P = .007) and lower self-directedness: 0.955 [0.927-0.983]; P = .002 were also associated with suicide attempts in the analysis of 7 personality scales. These findings suggest that patients who attempt suicide differ from nonattempters in terms of personality traits, especially in novelty seeking (NS), harm avoidance (HA), and self-directedness (SD). It is noteworthy that this study contains data from actual visits to the emergency room to evaluate suicide attempts. Abbreviations: CO = cooperativeness, Ha = harm avoidance, NS = novelty seeking, PS = persistence, RD = reward dependence, SD = self-directedness, ST = self-transcendence, TCI = temperament and character inventory.

Character virtues prospectively predict responses to situational stressors in daily life in clinical and subclinical samples

BACKGROUND

Character strengths and virtues may shape responses to stressors and risk for anxious and depressive distress. However, most studies have relied on cross-sectional designs, and it remains unclear whether virtues directly predict distress in daily life or buffer context-specific stressors. We tested whether higher-order intellectual (inquisitiveness), intrapersonal (self-control), and interpersonal virtues (caring) prospectively predicted coping responses and lower symptoms, and moderated effects of specific stressors on distress.

METHODS

Treatment-seeking individuals diagnosed with anxiety/depression (N = 81; Study 1) and students (N = 112; Study 2) completed the VIA Inventory of Strengths survey at baseline, then experience-sampling of daily symptoms and situational responses (perceptions and/or coping strategies) over seven days (Study 1) or five weeks (Study 2).

RESULTS

Multilevel models generally linked virtues to more adaptive daily responses during individuals' worst and best daily events (Study 1) and worst events (Study 2), but inquisitiveness unexpectedly predicted higher symptoms in both studies. Additionally, virtues buffered against the within-person effects of specific stressor perceptions on distress (Study 2).

CONCLUSIONS

The relevance of character virtues for anxiety, stress, and coping may be complex, predicting higher or lower symptoms depending on both the virtue and the situational context.

The Virtues of Justice: Toward a Moral and Jurisprudential Psychology

Within the theoretical literature on crime control and offender therapy, little has been written about the importance of virtue ethics in the experience of human justice and in the evolution of the common good. As a theory of being, the aretaic tradition extols eudemonic existence (i.e., excellence, flourishing) as a relational habit of developing character that is both practiced and embodied over time. What this implies is that virtue justice depends on a set of assumptions and predispositions-both moral and jurisprudential-whose meanings are essential to comprehending its psychological structure. This article sets out to explore several themes that our integral to our thesis on the virtues (i.e., the being) of justice. We reclaim justice's aretaic significance, critique the common conflation of justice and law, discuss how the dominant legalistic conception of justice is rooted in a particular view of human nature, suggest how justice might be more properly grounded in natural moral sensibilities, and provide a tentative explication of the psychological character of justice as a twofold moral disposition. Given this exploratory commentary, we conclude by reflecting on how individual well-being, system-wide progress, and transformative social change are both possible and practical, in the interest of promoting the virtues of justice within the practice of crime control and offender therapy.

"Reflecting on identity change facilitates confession of past misdeeds": Correction

Reports an error in "Reflecting on identity change facilitates confession of past misdeeds" by Beth Anne Helgason and Jonathan Zev Berman (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Advanced Online Publication, Jan 31, 2022, np). In the original article, the statistic 95% CI_d was missing in several places in text, and 95% CI was missing for the confidence interval at the bottom of the Perceived Identity Change section of Study 1 and Study 4. All versions of this article have been corrected (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2022-22513-001). Across four studies (N = 3,351), we demonstrate that reflecting on identity change increases confession and decreases justification of past misdeeds. Moreover, publicly communicating one's identity change to others increases confession above and beyond privately reflecting on identity change. By severing their connection with their past self, individuals can admit to past a misdeed ("I did it") while reducing their fear that doing so will implicate their present moral character ("But that's not who I am anymore"). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Understanding the well-being of dentistry students

INTRODUCTION

The transactional model of stress is a framework describing the process for coping with stressful events as a relationship between the individual person and environment. This study aimed to investigate the associations between personality, learning environment and experiences of mental health for a cohort of Australian dentistry students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Students were invited in 2017 to complete an online questionnaire including the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) and Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCIR-140). Students were followed-up one year later, and generalised estimating equations were used.

RESULTS

A total of 219 (response 73.5%) students participated in the study. Two personality profiles of dentistry students were identified. Group 1 were significantly higher in the traits persistence, self-directedness, cooperativeness and reward dependence, whereas Group 2 were significantly higher in harm avoidance. Students with Group 2 personality had a 3.12 (CI:1.72-5.65) increased odds of depression compared to Group 1 students. Compared to students with positive perceptions of the learning environment, students with negative perceptions had increased odds of stress (3.48, CI: 1.85-6.53), depression (2.71, CI: 1.57- 4.65) and anxiety (2.59, CI: 1.56-4.28).

CONCLUSION

Students with personalities high in levels of self-directedness, cooperativeness and persistence and low in harm avoidance, as found in Group 1, demonstrate high levels of general well-being. Positive perceptions of the dentistry learning environment were found to be an important influence on students stress. This study highlighted a number of factors important to student well-being and provides direction for further investigation of interventions aimed at enhancing student well-being.

Personality traits in acromegalic patients: Comparison with patients with non-functioning adenomas and healthy controls

OBJECTIVES

Pituitary diseases may cause psychiatric and personality alterations. We aimed to compare the personality traits of acromegalic patients with those of patients with non-functioning pituitary adenomas and a healthy control group.

DESIGN

Fifty-eight acromegalic patients, 45 patients with non-functioning adenoma, and 40 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) were used to assess personality, depression, anxiety, and self-esteem.

RESULTS

Depression score was higher in acromegaly and non-functioning adenoma groups than healthy controls. RSES scores were similar among the three groups. Regarding the scales of TCI, only novelty-seeking was significantly reduced in acromegaly and non-functioning adenoma than the control group. Pairwise comparisons revealed that the difference was due to the difference between acromegalic patients and controls. Scales of TCI were correlated with depression and anxiety in patients with acromegaly and non-functioning adenoma but not in healthy controls.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that novelty-seeking was reduced in patients with acromegaly. Both the hormonal lack and excess and structural changes can lead to cognitive and personality changes in acromegaly. More studies are needed to be carried out about personality characteristics in pituitary diseases.

Holistic idealization: An artifactual standpoint

Idealization is commonly understood as distortion: representing things differently than how they actually are. In this paper, we outline an alternative artifactual approach that does not make misrepresentation central for the analysis of idealization. We examine the contrast between the Hodgkin-Huxley (1952a, b, c) and the Heimburg-Jackson (2005, 2006) models of the nerve impulse from the artifactual perspective, and argue that, since the two models draw upon different epistemic resources and research programs, it is often difficult to tell which features of a system the central assumptions involved are supposed to distort. Many idealizations are holistic in nature. They cannot be locally undone without dismantling the model, as they occupy a central position in the entire research program. Nor is their holistic character mainly related to the use of mathematical and statistical modeling techniques as portrayed by Rice (2018, 2019). We suggest that holistic idealizations are implicit theoretical and representational assumptions that can only be understood in relation to the conceptual and representational tools exploited in modeling and experimental practices. Such holistic idealizations play a pivotal role not just in individual models, but also in defining research programs.

Comprehensive meta-analysis of associations between temperament and character traits in Cloninger's psychobiological theory and mental disorders

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationship between temperament and character traits in Cloninger's psychobiological theory and mental disorders.Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted of five international databases for all articles published in English between January 1990 and April 2019 (PROSPERO-CRD42019133214). Owing to heterogeneity, pooled estimates of correlations for personality disorders and standardized mean differences for case-control studies related to other mental disorders were calculated using the random-effects method.

RESULTS

The pooled effect sizes obtained from 149 studies showed that high harm avoidance (related to 22/24 diagnostic categories), low self-directedness (21/23), low cooperativeness (17/23), high self-transcendence (14/23), low reward dependence (11/24), high novelty-seeking (10/24), low novelty-seeking (7/24), high persistence (2/23), low persistence (2/23) and high reward dependence (2/24) were related to psychopathology.

CONCLUSIONS

All traits provided unique psychobiological tools for differential diagnosis of mental disorders. However, high harm avoidance and low self-directedness played a canonical role in psychopathology. Despite the study limitations, additional studies are warranted to evaluate the differential diagnoses suggested by the present model.

Sixty years of gender representation in children's books: Conditions associated with overrepresentation of male versus female protagonists

As a reflection of prominent cultural norms, children's literature plays an integral role in the acquisition and development of societal attitudes. Previous reports of male overrepresentation in books targeted towards children are consistent with a history of gender disparity across media and society. However, it is unknown whether such bias has been attenuated in recent years with increasing emphasis on gender equity and greater accessibility of books. Here, we provide an up-to-date estimate of the relative proportion of males and females featured as single protagonists in 3,280 children's books (0-16 years) published between 1960-2020. We find that although the proportion of female protagonists has increased over this 60-year period, male protagonists remain overrepresented even in recent years. Importantly, we also find persistent effects related to author gender, age of the target audience, character type (human vs. non-human), and book genre (fiction vs. non-fiction) on the male-to-female ratio of protagonists. We suggest that this comprehensive account of the factors influencing the rates of appearance of male and female protagonists can be leveraged to develop specific recommendations for promoting more equitable gender representation in children's literature, with important consequences for child development and society.

Physical Education and Its Importance to Physical Activity, Vegetable Consumption and Thriving in High School Students in Norway

Earlier research indicates that physical education (PE) in school is associated with positive outcomes (e.g., healthy lifestyle, psychological well-being, and academic performance). Research assessing associations with resilience and thriving indicators, such as the 5Cs of Positive Youth Development (PYD; competence, confidence, character, caring, and connection) is limited and more so in the Norwegian context. The aim of the present study was to investigate associations between PE grade (reflecting students’ effort in theoretical and practical aspects of the subject) and the 5Cs as well as healthy behaviors (physical activity (PA), fruit and vegetable consumption), using cross-sectional data collected from 220 high school students in Norway (M_age = 17.30 years old, SD = 1.12; 52% males). Results from structural equation modelling indicated positive associations between PE grade and four of the 5Cs (competence, confidence, caring, and connection; standardized coefficient: 0.22–0.60, p < 0.05) while in logistic regressions, a unit increase in PE grade was associated with higher likelihood of engaging in PA and vegetable consumption (OR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.18–3.18 and OR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.08–2.63, respectively). These significant findings suggest the need for policies and programs that can support effective planning and implementation of PE curriculum. However, further research is needed to probe into the role of PE on youth health and development with representative samples and longitudinal designs.

The assessment of good character in nursing and midwifery pre-registration students: A modified Delphi approach

AIMS

To examine the perspectives of decision-makers when assessing the good character of nursing and midwifery pre-registration students in relation to their continued fitness to practise.

DESIGN

A qualitative iterative survey design in the interpretive paradigm.

METHODS

An expert panel of fitness to practise decision-makers was established to examine their perspectives when assessing the good character of nursing and midwifery pre-registration students. A qualitative modified Delphi approach was used to collect data via an on-line asynchronous questionnaire through a series of three iterative rounds in 2016. Qualitative data from all rounds were analysed using thematic analysis. A final overall analysis and interpretation was undertaken.

RESULTS

The assessment of good character in nursing and midwifery pre-registration students is complex and appears to be heavily influenced by contextual factors including moral beliefs and the student's stage on the course. Determining seriousness and the potential for repetition of behaviour were key components of the decision-making process and were influenced by the student's ability to demonstrate self-awareness through reflection and remorse, and honesty and integrity through a professional duty of candour.

CONCLUSION

Educating students to understand how good character is assessed and the importance of epistemological reflection along with recognition of the student status in Nursing and Midwifery Council fitness to practise documentation is recommended to promote consistency in the assessment of good character between higher education institutions. Consistent decision-making with regard to good character may assist in maintaining public protection, trust and confidence in the nursing and midwifery professions in the future.

Can Temperament and Character Traits Be Used in the Diagnostic Differentiation of Children With ADHD?

ABSTRACT

In this study, it was aimed to determine the contributions of temperament and character traits to the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Thirty-six patients between the ages of 9 and 14 with a diagnosis of combined type ADHD and 39 healthy children were included in the study. The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version-Turkish Version and the Turgay DSM-IV Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale parent form were used to assess hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattentiveness, and comorbid disorders. The Junior Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised form was used to evaluate temperament-character traits. The classification-based association rules (CBARs) method was used for finding rules predicting ADHD accurately. Low persistence and self-directedness scores, and higher disorderliness and fatigability subgroup scores were found in the ADHD group. In CBARs, the separation of children with ADHD from healthy controls could be made with 0.83 accuracy, 0.80 sensitivity, and 0.86 specificity. The results of our study support the view that temperament-character traits can help clinical diagnosis of ADHD.

Temperament and Character Profiles of Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients Compared With Major Depression Patients and Healthy Controls

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE

Depressive disorder is common in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), who exhibit specific brain imaging abnormalities resembling those in major depression (MD). We compared temperament and character profiles between patients with AS and MD.

METHODS

The study involved 36 patients with AS, 40 with MD, and 36 healthy controls (HCs). The participants were age-, sex-, and education-matched. Depression, anxiety, temperament, and character were evaluated using the Temperament and Character Inventory and physician-rated Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Scales. Disease severity was assessed using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity, Radiology, Metrology, and Functionality Indexes; erythrocyte sedimentation rate; and C-reactive protein.

RESULTS

Depression and anxiety scores were highest in MD, lowest in HCs, and intermediate in AS (p < 0.001). Harm avoidance was significantly higher in MD and AS than HCs (p = 0.01). Reward dependency was lower (p = 0.011) and self-transcendence higher in AS only (p = 0.034). Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Radiology Index was negatively correlated with depression (p = 0.020). Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Radiology Index and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index were negatively correlated with harm avoidance (p < 0.05). Disease duration was negatively correlated with self-transcendence (p = 0.027). Harm avoidance was correlated with depression score (p = 0.029). Patients under tumor necrosis factor α inhibitor treatment had lower cooperativeness score (p = 0.022).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with AS had a specific Temperament and Character Inventory pattern. Harm avoidance was common in both AS and MD. In AS, harm avoidance and depression decreased in patients with progression, probably because progressive fusion of the spinal segments causes decrease in pain. Harm avoidance (fear of pain) seemed to be an acting factor for occurrence of depressive symptoms in AS.

To be alive when dying: moral catharsis and hope in patients with limited life prognosis

The Stoics considered that in order to die well, one must previously have lived (well) and not merely existed, an assertion which will not be contested in this paper. The question raised here is whether an individual whose life expectancy is jeopardized by serious illness or whose life has not been lived to the 'full' for whatever reason should have to abandon all hope or, alternately, whether that life could still somehow be saved (in an ethical sense). One clear obstacle to achieving this stems from (bad) moral character, given that moral character is an element which conditions an individual's moral behaviour, as pointed out by Beauchamp and Childress and particularly Pellegrino and Thomasma. The transformation of moral character requires time and effort but the testimonies of patients who have given their lives a radical new direction upon being diagnosed with a serious illness seem to show the existence of a peculiar phenomenon of moral catharsis. In this paper we attempt to illustrate that this alleged phenomenon is not the result of a kind of cataleptic impression but rather the result of a dialectic and narrative process, during which a first hope of healing is dashed, unveiling a new sense in the illness. Its fulfillment provides the patient with a final hope.

School types in adolescence and subsequent health and well-being in young adulthood: An outcome-wide analysis

While past empirical studies have explored associations between types of primary and secondary schools and student academic achievement, outcomes beyond academic performance remain less well-understood. Using longitudinal data from a cohort of children (N = 12,288, mean age = 14.56 years) of nurses, this study examined associations between the types of schools participants attended in adolescence and a wide range of subsequent psychological well-being, social engagement, character strengths, mental health, health behavior and physical health outcomes. Results in this sample suggested little difference between attending private independent schools and public schools across outcomes in young adulthood. There were, however, notable differences in subsequent outcomes comparing homeschooling and public schools, and possibly some evidence comparing religious schools and public schools. Specifically, there was some evidence that attending religious schools versus public schools was associated with a higher likelihood of frequent religious service attendance and becoming registered voters, a lower risk of overweight/obese, fewer lifetime sexual partners, and a higher risk of subsequently being binge drinkers; however, these associations were not robust to correction for multiple testing. Homeschooling compared with public schooling was associated with subsequently more frequent volunteering (ß = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.15, 0.52), greater forgiveness (ß = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.16, 0.46), and more frequent religious service attendance (Risk Ratio [RR] = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.27, 1.80), and possibly also with greater purpose in life, less marijuana use, and fewer lifetime sexual partners, but negatively associated with college degree attainment (RR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.67, 0.88) and possibly with greater risk of posttraumatic stress disorder. These results may encourage education stakeholders to consider a wider range of outcomes beyond academic performance in decision-making.

Resilience and mental health in children and adolescents: an update of the recent literature and future directions

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

In order to promote optimal development of children and adolescents at risk for psychiatric disorders, a better understanding of the concept resilience is crucial. Here, we provide an overview of recent work on clinical and epidemiological correlates of resilience and mental health in children and adolescents.

RECENT FINDINGS

Our systematic literature search revealed 25 studies that unanimously show that higher levels of resilience are related to fewer mental health problems, despite the heterogeneity of study populations and instruments. Correlates of resilience included multisystem factors, such as social, cultural, family and individual aspects, which is in line with the multisystem approach as described by recent resilience theories. Longitudinal studies are scarce but confirm the dynamical character of resilience and mental health. The application of longitudinal studies and innovative measurement techniques will improve our understanding on the cascade effects of stressors on resilience and mental health outcomes.

SUMMARY

Resilience is strongly associated with mental health in children and adolescents and deserves a more prominent role in research, prevention programs and routine clinical care. Including social, cultural and family context in the evaluation of resilience is of great value, as this can identify targets for early and preventive interventions.

Three genetic-environmental networks for human personality

Phylogenetic, developmental, and brain-imaging studies suggest that human personality is the integrated expression of three major systems of learning and memory that regulate (1) associative conditioning, (2) intentionality, and (3) self-awareness. We have uncovered largely disjoint sets of genes regulating these dissociable learning processes in different clusters of people with (1) unregulated temperament profiles (i.e., associatively conditioned habits and emotional reactivity), (2) organized character profiles (i.e., intentional self-control of emotional conflicts and goals), and (3) creative character profiles (i.e., self-aware appraisal of values and theories), respectively. However, little is known about how these temperament and character components of personality are jointly organized and develop in an integrated manner. In three large independent genome-wide association studies from Finland, Germany, and Korea, we used a data-driven machine learning method to uncover joint phenotypic networks of temperament and character and also the genetic networks with which they are associated. We found three clusters of similar numbers of people with distinct combinations of temperament and character profiles. Their associated genetic and environmental networks were largely disjoint, and differentially related to distinct forms of learning and memory. Of the 972 genes that mapped to the three phenotypic networks, 72% were unique to a single network. The findings in the Finnish discovery sample were blindly and independently replicated in samples of Germans and Koreans. We conclude that temperament and character are integrated within three disjoint networks that regulate healthy longevity and dissociable systems of learning and memory by nearly disjoint sets of genetic and environmental influences.

How Narcissism Shapes Responses to Antisocial and Prosocial Behavior: Hypo-Responsiveness or Hyper-Responsiveness?

Narcissists have a relatively higher proclivity for displaying antisocial rather than prosocial behaviors, suggesting a comparatively higher tendency for unfavorably impacting societies. However, maintenance of social order also depends on appropriate responses to others’ social behavior. Once we focus on narcissists as observers rather than actors, their impact on social functioning becomes less clear-cut. Theoretical arguments suggest that narcissists could be either hypo-responsive or hyper-responsive to others’ social behavior. Across four studies, we examined narcissists’ responsiveness to variations in others’ antisocial and prosocial behaviors. Results showed that narcissists differentiated less between others’ antisociality/prosociality, as reflected in their subsequent moral character evaluations (Studies 1–4) and reward and punishment (Studies 3 and 4). These results suggest that narcissists are hypo-responsive to others’ social behaviors. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Self-Transcendence Mediates the Relationship between Early Trauma and Fatal Methods of Suicide Attempts

BACKGROUND

Early trauma is known to be a risk factor of suicide-related behavior. On the other hand, people who attempt suicide using a fatal method are reported to be more likely to complete suicide. In this study, we assumed that early trauma affects an individual's temperament and character and thereby increases the risk of a fatal method of suicide attempts.

METHODS

We analyzed 92 people with a history of previous suicide attempts. We compared the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised scores between the groups with and without early trauma, and between the groups with and without a history of suicide attempt using fatal methods through an analysis of covariance with age, sex, and presence of a psychiatric history as covariates. A mediation analysis was conducted of the relationship between early trauma and fatal methods of suicide attempt with self-transcendence as a mediator.

RESULTS

Higher self-transcendence was reported in the fatal group (27.71 ± 13.78 vs. 20.97 ± 12.27, P = 0.010) and the early trauma group (28.05 ± 14.30 vs. 19.43 ± 10.73, P = 0.001), respectively. The mediation model showed that self-transcendence mediates the relationship between early trauma and fatal methods of suicide attempt. The 95% confidence intervals for the direct and indirect effect were (-0.559, 1.390) and (0.026, 0.947), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Self-transcendence may mediate the relationship between early trauma and fatal methods of suicide attempt. Self-transcendence may be associated with unhealthy defenses and suicidal behavior for self-punishment and may constitute a marker of higher suicide risk.

Temperament and character of patients with alcohol toxicity during COVID - 19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Corona virus epidemic may be acts as a stressor or trauma that affects both physical health and mental health. People exhibited various reactive behaviors to confront with this stressful situation. In Iran, one of the common motives for alcohol consumption is to scape problems and cope with stresses. It has been shown that personality factors influence alcohol consumption, since they are associated with drinking motives. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between temperament and character and alcohol abuse.

METHODS

This cross-section study was conducted on 135 alcohol intoxicated patients admitted to emergency room in March 2020 and 255 participants who were randomly selected from public in Shiraz. A questionnaire consisted of TCI (Temperament and character inventory) and several questions about COVID-19 pandemic. It was completed by a trained interviewer using the matched answer technique. Demographic factors were self-reported.

RESULTS

Among the alcohol intoxicated group, 117 (86.7%) were males and 18(13.3%) were females. The mean age of the participants was 32.43 ± 10.81 years. Among control group, 99 (38.8%) were males and 156 (61.2%) were females. The mean age of control group was 33.12 ± 14.77 years. Alcohol toxicity was mostly observed among the young males (male/female ratio was 6.45). According to temperament and character index, mean scores of novelty seeking, harm avoidant, and self-transcendence were higher in the alcohol toxicity group than normal population (P < 0.01). Mean scores of reward dependent, cooperativeness, and self-directedness were higher in normal population than the alcohol toxicity group (P < 0.001). The mean score of persistence was not significantly different between methanol intoxicated and normal population groups (P = 0.718).

CONCLUSION

Alcohol intoxicated patients had higher scores of novelty-seeking and self-transcendence and lower scores of reward-dependency scores, cooperativeness and self-directedness. These scores are associated with higher likelihood of personality disorders.

Personality dimensions of patients can change during the course of parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND

Studies assessing personality dimensions by the "Temperament and Character Inventory" (TCI) have previously found an association between Parkinson's disease (PD) and lower Novelty Seeking and higher Harm Avoidance scores. Here, we aimed to describe personality dimensions of PD patients with motor fluctuations and compare them to a normative population and other PD populations.

METHODS

All PD patients awaiting Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) answered the TCI before neurosurgery. Their results were compared to those of historical cohorts (a French normative population, a de novo PD population, and a PD population with motor fluctuations).

RESULTS

Most personality dimensions of our 333 included PD patients with motor fluctuations who are candidates for DBS were different from those of the normative population and some were also different from those of the De Novo PD population, whereas they were similar to those of another population of PD patients with motor fluctuations.

CONCLUSIONS

During the course of PD, personality dimensions can change in parallel with the development of motor fluctuations, either due to the evolution of the disease and/or dopaminergic treatments.