Reliability and validity of TEMPS-A in a Japanese non-clinical population: application to unipolar and bipolar depressives

BACKGROUND: In Japan, TEMPS-A has gathered much attention, because Kraepelin's concepts on "fundamental states" of mood disorder and temperaments have been widely respected. METHOD: TEMPS-A was translated into Japanese (and after the approval of the English back translation by H.S.A.), it was administered to 1391 non-clinical subjects, and 29 unipolar and 30 bipolar patients in remission. Of the non-clinical sample, 426 were readministered the instrument again in 1 month. A control group matched for gender and age was drawn from the non-clinical sample. RESULTS: Regarding test-retest reliability, Spearman's coefficients for depressive, cyclothymic, hyperthymic, irritable and anxious temperaments were 0.79, 0.84, 0.87, 0.81 and 0.87, respectively; regarding internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.69, 0.84, 0.79, 0.83 and 0.87, respectively. The unipolar and bipolar groups showed significantly higher depressive, cyclothymic and anxious temperament scores than the control group. Curiously, the bipolar group showed significantly lower hyperthymic score than the control group; irritable temperament scores showed no significant differences. Depressive, cyclothymic, irritable and anxious temperament scores showed significant correlations with each other. Between the unipolar and bipolar groups, there was little difference regarding the temperament scores. Also the inter-temperament correlations showed the same pattern in the unipolar and bipolar groups. LIMITATION: The clinically well cohort was 70% male. CONCLUSION: TEMPS-A showed a high reliability and validity (internal consistency) in a Japanese non-clinical sample. By and large, the hypothesized five temperament structure was upheld. Depressive, cyclothymic and anxious temperaments showed concurrent validity with mood disorder. Irritable temperament may represent a subtype of depressive, cyclothymic or anxious temperaments. There may be a temperamental commonality between unipolar and bipolar disorders. TEMPS-A will open new possibilities for international research on mood disorder and personality traits.     

Affective temperaments as measured by TEMPS-A in patients with bipolar I disorder and their first-degree relatives: a controlled study

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to identify the dominant affective temperamental characteristics of patients with bipolar disorder (BP) and their clinically well first-degree relatives and to compare the prevalence rates of these temperaments with those in healthy control subjects. METHODS: One hundred bipolar I probands and their 219 unaffected first-degree relatives were enrolled in the study. The control group consisted of healthy subjects without any personal or family history of bipolar disorder, matched with the age and gender of the probands and first-degree relatives. To identify the dominant affective temperaments, the Turkish version of TEMPS-A scale was used. RESULTS: At least one dominant temperament was found in 26% of the proband group, in 21.9% of the relative group, and 6.0% and 10.0% of the control groups, respectively. The most noteworthy finding was that both the probands and their relatives had significantly higher frequency of hyperthymic temperament than the controls. LIMITATIONS: Temperament had not been assessed premorbidly in the probands with bipolar disorder. CONCLUSIONS: The study supports the familial, possibly genetic, basis for the hyperthymic temperament in the genesis of bipolar I dosorder. That the cyclothymic temperament was not similarly represented, may be due to the higher specificity of the cyclothymic temperament to the bipolar II sybtype (which we did not study). More research is needed on the relevance of cyclothymic and other temperaments to the genetics of bipolar disorders selected by rigorous subtyping along the clinical spectrum of bipolarity.     

Psychometric properties of the Lebanese-Arabic TEMPS-A: a national epidemiologic study

BACKGROUND: Several measures have been proposed to evaluate temperament traits and their connection to psychopathology. One recent development in this area is the TEMPS-A (Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Auto-questionnaire). The purpose of this study is to psychometrically validate the Lebanese-Arabic version of TEMPS-A. METHODS: The TEMPS-A was adapted to Lebanese-Arabic and administered to 1320 Lebanese (593 males, 727 females, mean age of 43+/-16 years) representing the adult population of Lebanon (total population: 4.2 million). This section was added by the Institute for Development Research and Applied Care (IDRAC) to the cross-national World Mental Health (WMH) initiative Lebanese chapter. Chronbach-alpha and Pearson's correlation were used to test the internal consistency and correlation among the subscales. Factor loadings were calculated using the principal component analysis with varimax rotation. RESULTS: Internal consistency varied between 0.66 (depressive) and 0.88 (anxious). As formulated by the originators of the instrument, five main factors emerged from the factor analysis, with some overlap between the depressive, the cyclothymic and the anxious temperaments, but almost none for the hyperthymic and irritable temperaments. The strongest correlation was observed between the anxious and the cyclothymic temperament subscales. Women had higher mean scores on the depressive, cyclothymic, and anxious subscales, whereas men scored higher on the hyperthymic subscale. There was a trend of increase by age in scores of the depressive subscale, and a trend of decrease in the cyclothymic and irritable subscales. CONCLUSION: The Lebanese-Arabic TEMPS-A has a good internal consistency, is easy to use, and opens new and interesting research avenues in large epidemiologic national studies on temperament.     

TEMPS-A: validation of a short version of a self-rated instrument designed to measure variations in temperament

OBJECTIVE: To validate a short English-language version of the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-autoquestionnaire version (TEMPS-A), a self-report questionnaire designed to measure temperamental variations in psychiatric patients and healthy volunteers. Its constituent subscales and items were formulated on the basis of the diagnostic criteria for affective temperaments (cyclothymic, dysthymic, irritable, hyperthymic, and anxious), originally developed by the first author and his former collaborators. Further item wording and selection were achieved at a later stage through an iterative process that incorporated feedback from clinicians, researchers, and research volunteers. METHOD: A total of 510 volunteers (284 patients with mood disorders, 131 relatives of bipolar probands, and 95 normal controls) were recruited by advertisement in the newspapers, announcements on radio and television, flyers and newsletters, and word of mouth. All participants were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, and completed the 110-item TEMPS-A and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125). The factorial structure, the alpha coefficients, and the item-total correlations coefficients of the TEMPS-A and the correlation coefficients between the dimensions of the TCI and the TEMPS-A subscales were then determined. RESULTS: A principal components analysis with a Varimax rotation found that 39 out of the 110 original items of the TEMPS-A loaded on five factors that were interpreted as representing the cyclothymic, depressive, irritable, hyperthymic, and anxious factors. Coefficients alpha for internal consistency were 0.91 (cyclothymic), 0.81 (depressive), 0.77 (irritable), 0.76 (hyperthymic), and 0.67 (anxious) subscales. We found statistically significant positive correlations between all-but the hyperthymic-subscales and harm avoidance. Positive correlations with the hyperthymic and cyclothymic, and novelty seeking and negative correlations with the remaining subscales were also recorded. Other major findings included positive correlations between the hyperthymic and reward dependence, persistence and self-directedness; positive correlation between the self-transcendence and the cyclothymic, hyperthymic and the anxious; and negative correlations between the depressive, cyclothymic, irritable, anxious and cooperativeness. LIMITATION: As the full-scale anxious temperament was added after the four scales of the TEMPS-A were developed, it has only been evaluated in 345 subjects. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that the TEMPS-A in its shortened version is a psychometrically valid scale with good internal consistency. The proposed five subscale structure is upheld. Concurrent validity against the TCI is shown. Most importantly, for each of the temperaments, we were able to show positive attributes which are meaningful in an evolutionary context, along with traits which make a person vulnerable to mood shifts. This hypothesized dual nature of temperament, which is upheld by our data, is a desirable characteristic for a putative behavioral endophenotype in an oligogenic model of inheritance for bipolar disorder.     

Familiality of temperament in bipolar disorder: support for a genetic spectrum

BACKGROUND: The array of different diagnoses and clinical presentations seen in the family members of bipolar probands suggests a quantitative or spectrum phenotype. Consistent with this idea, it has been proposed that an underlying quantitative variation in temperament may be the primary phenotype that is genetically transmitted and that it in turn predisposes to bipolar disorder (BP). Choosing the appropriate phenotypic model for BP is crucial for success in genetic mapping studies. To test this theory, various measures of temperament were examined in the family members of bipolar probands. We predicted that a gradient of scores would be observed from those with BP to those with major depression to unaffected relatives to controls. METHODS: Members of 85 bipolar families and 63 control subjects were administered clinical interviews for diagnosis (SCID) and two temperament assessments, the TEMPS-A and TCI-125. Subjects with BP, major depressive disorder, unaffected relatives, and controls were compared on each temperament scale and on eight factors extracted from a joint factor analysis of the TEMPS-A and TCI-125. RESULTS: The four groups were found to be significantly different and with the expected order of average group scores for four of the TEMPS-A scales, three of the TCI-125 scales, and one of the extracted factors. On the fifth TEMPS-A scale, hyperthymic, controls scored higher than the other three subject groups contrary to expectations. Significant differences were seen between unaffected relatives and controls on the hyperthymic scale and on the first extracted factor, anxious/reactive. LIMITATIONS: Controls were mainly recruited through advertisements, which may have introduced an ascertainment bias. It is also possible that mood state at the time of completing the questionnaire influenced subject's rating of their temperament. Additionally, bipolar I and bipolar II subjects were placed in the same group even though they had some differing clinical features. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the theory that some dimensions of temperament are transmitted in families as quantitative traits that are part of a broader bipolar spectrum. In particular, the hyperthymic scale of the TEMPS-A and the anxious/reactive extracted factor distinguished unaffected relatives from controls. The hyperthymic scale yielded results opposite to expectation with controls higher than any family group. This may be an artifact of the self-rated form of the questionnaire, a consequence of our grouping bipolar I and II subjects together, or the result of a "protective" factor and bears further study. Nevertheless, both of these scales may be useful quantitative traits for genetic mapping studies.     

Bipolar disorders and affective temperaments: a national family study testing the "endophenotype" and "subaffective" theses using the TEMPS-A Buenos Aires

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of affective temperaments between clinically unaffected relatives of bipolar patients and secondarily to investigate the impact of these "subaffective" forms on their quality of life (QoL). METHODS: The study was performed in seven sites across Argentina. We administered the scales TEMPS-A and Quality of Life Index to a sample of 114 non-ill first degree relatives of bipolar disorder patients ("cases") and 115 comparison subjects without family history of affective illness ("controls"). We used The Mood Disorder Questionnaire to rule out clinical bipolarity. RESULTS: Mean scores on all TEMPS-A subscales were significantly higher in cases, except for hyperthymia. The prevalence of affective temperaments, according to Argentinean cut-off points, was also higher, with statistical significance for cyclothymic and anxious temperaments. Regarding QoL, we found no significant differences between both groups, except for interpersonal functioning, which was better in controls. A detailed subanalysis showed significant effects of QoL domains for all temperaments, except for the hyperthymic. LIMITATIONS: We used self-report measures. A larger sample size would have provided us greater statistical power for certain analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the concept of a spectrum of subthreshold affective traits or temperaments - especially for the cyclothymic and anxious - in bipolar pedigrees. We further demonstrated that, except for the hyperthymic, quality of life was affected by these temperaments in "clinically well" relatives. Overall, our data are compatible with the "endophenotype" and "subaffective" theses for affective temperaments.     

Factorial structure and internal consistency of the German TEMPS-A scale: validation against the NEO-FFI questionnaire

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the German version of the TEMPS-A questionnaire. Besides the reliability of the temperament scales, validity was the focus of interest. Therefore, the relationship between the TEMPS-A and the well-established personality questionnaire NEO-FFI, whose factors show theoretical overlap with temperaments, was investigated. METHOD: A total of 227 students aged between 20 and 42 years were asked to fill in both instruments. Reliability coefficients for the five temperament scales and correlations among the scales of both questionnaires were calculated, as well as multiple linear regression analysis with the five personality factors and gender as independent, and the five temperaments as dependent variables. RESULTS: Reliability indices for the five temperament scales were satisfactory, with values ranging between 0.63 (depressive) and 0.76 (anxious). Women scored higher on depressive and anxious scales, whereas men had higher scores on hyperthymic temperament. Correlations within the temperament scales showed close relationships between depressive, anxious and cyclothymic temperaments; cyclothymic and irritable temperament were also related. The personality factors of the NEO-FFI predicted temperaments fairly well and explained between 41% and 58% of the variance; the main effects were exerted by neuroticism and extraversion, while the irritable temperament was primarily explained by low agreeableness. LIMITATION: The study sample was relatively small and selected. CONCLUSION: The TEMPS-A scale has sufficient reliability and good validity in a non-clinical sample. It opens new possibilities for clinical research at the interface of mental disorders, temperament and personality. Such research is in progress.     

Temperament and personality in bipolar I patients with and without mixed episodes

BACKGROUND: Personality and temperament are supposed to have an impact on the clinical expression and course of an affective disorder. There is some indication, that mixed episodes result from an admixture of inverse temperamental factors to a manic syndrome. In a preliminary report [Brieger, P., Roettig, S., Ehrt, U., Wenzel, A., Bloink, R., Marneros, A., 2003. TEMPS-a scale in 'mixed' and 'pure' manic episodes: new data and methodological considerations on the relevance of joint anxious-depressive temperament traits. J. Affect. Disord. 73, 99-104] we reported support for this assumption. The present study completes the preliminary results and compares patients with and without mixed episodes with respect to personality and personality disorders in addition. METHODS: Patients who had been hospitalized for bipolar I disorder were reassessed after 4.8 years. We examined temperament (TEMPS-A), personality (NEO-FFI) and frequency of personality disorders (SCID-II). Furthermore, illness-related parameters like age at first treatment, depressive and manic symptomatology, frequency and type of episodes and level of functioning were obtained and patients with and without mixed episodes were compared. RESULTS: Patients with (n=49) and without mixed episodes (n=86) did not differ significantly with regard to the illness-related parameters and personality dimensions. The frequency of personality disorders was significantly higher in patients with prior mixed episodes. With respect to temperament, scores of the depressive, cyclothymic, irritable and anxious temperament were significantly higher in patients with mixed episodes. LIMITATIONS: We were not able to assess premorbid temperament and premorbid personality. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study support the assumption of Akiskal [Akiskal, H.S., 1992b. The distinctive mixed states of bipolar I, II, and III. Clin. Neuropharmacol. 15 Suppl 1 Pt A, 632-633.] that mixed episodes are more frequent in subjects with inverse temperament.     

TEMPS-A: progress towards validation of a self-rated clinical version of the Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to validate the Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) in a clinical population. METHODS: The study was conducted in two Memphis mood clinics involving 398 affectively ill patients with young to middle index age (42 years+/-13 S.D.), who were 95% white, 62% female, and 51% bipolar spectrum. A subset of 157 of the entire sample were retested in 6-12 months, and the entire sample was then subjected to factor analysis (PCA extraction method with varimax rotation). RESULTS: We obtained high test-retest reliability ranging from 0.58 for the irritable, to 0.68, 0.69 and 0.70, respectively, for the cyclothymic, dysthymic and hyperthymic. The hypothesized four-factor structure of the TEMPS-A was upheld, with the cyclothymic explaining 14% of the variance, followed by the irritable, hyperthymic, and dysthymic together accounting for another 14%. Internal consistency was excellent, with Chronbach alphas ranging from 0.76 for the dysthymic to 0.88 for the cyclothymic. Exploratory factor analysis revealed 2 super factors, Factor I loading on cyclothymic, irritable, and dysthymic temperaments, and Factor II loading heavily on the hyperthymic. The 50-item TEMPS-A-Clinical Version was constructed by using a cutoff of alpha > or =0.4 for traits loading exclusively on their original temperaments. We also proposed a longer 69-item version for future study, in which we permitted a greater number of traits based on clinical considerations (alpha cutoff 0.30). LIMITATION: The sample was preponderantly white, and may not generalize to other U.S. ethnic groups. This earlier version of TEMPS-A did not include the anxious temperament. CONCLUSIONS: We psychometrically validated the TEMPS-A in affectively ill outpatients, leading to an instrument suitable for use in psychiatric, especially affectively ill, populations. It is noteworthy that in this clinically ill population we succeeded in measuring traits which could make subjects vulnerable to affective episodes, as well as those of adaptive nature. For instance, the dysthymic emerged as bound to routine, self-blaming, shy-nonassertive, sensitive to criticism, yet self-denying, dependable, and preferring to work for someone else rather than be the boss. The hyperthymic had the highest number of "positive" traits: upbeat, fun-loving, outgoing, jocular, optimistic, confident, full of ideas, eloquent, on the go, short-sleeper, tireless, who likes to be the boss, but single-minded, risk-taker, and unlikely to admit to his/her meddlesome nature. The cyclothymic emerged as labile with rapid shifts in mood; unstable in energy, self-esteem and socialization; unevenly gifted and dilettante; yet keen in perception, intense in emotions, and romantic. The irritable emerged as skeptical and critical (which might be considered intellectual virtues), but otherwise having the "darkest" nature of all temperaments: grouchy, complaining, dissatisfied; anger- and violence-prone, and sexually jealous. The foregoing temperament attributes, observed in a moderately severe group of patients with affective disorders, nonetheless testify to the evolutionary context of these disorders-"submissive" behavior, territoriality, romantic charm, and last, but not least, sexually jealous with its associated specter of violence. We hypothesize that the putative social and limbic mechanisms underlying mood disorders appear to have archaic origins on an evolutionary scale. We finally submit that the traits underlying affective disorders are very much part of human nature.     

Temperament in the clinical differentiation of depressed bipolar and unipolar major depressive patients

OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in temperament profiles between patients with recurrent unipolar and bipolar depression. METHOD: Depressed individuals with recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 94) and those with bipolar (n = 59) disorders (about equally divided between types I and II) were recruited by newspaper advertisement, radio and television announcements, flyers and newsletters, and word of mouth. All patients were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM III-R (SCID) and had the severity of their depressive episode assessed by means of the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. All patients filled out the TEMPS-A, a validated instrument. RESULTS: Temperament differences between bipolar and MDD patients were examined using MANCOVA. Overall significant effect of the fixed factor (bipolar vs. unipolar) was noted for the temperament scores [Hotelling's F((5,142)) = 2.47, p < 0.05]. Overall effects were found for age [F((5,142)) = 2.40, p < 0.05], but not for gender and severity of depression [F((5,142)) = 1.65, p = 0.15 and F((5,142)) = 0.66, p = 0.66, respectively]. Dependent variables included the five subscales of the TEMPS-A, but only the cyclothymic temperament scores showed significant between-group differences. LIMITATION: Small bipolar subsample cell sizes did not permit to test the specificity of the findings for bipolar II vs. bipolar I patients. CONCLUSION: The finding that the clyclothymic subscale is significantly elevated in the bipolar vs. the unipolar depressive group supports the theoretical assumptions upon which the scale is based, and suggests that it might become a useful tool for clinical and research purposes.     

Towards a genetically validated new affective temperament scale: a delineation of the temperament phenotype of 5-HTTLPR using the TEMPS-A

BackgroundAlthough it has been described that affective temperaments are associated with the 5-HTTLPR, less attention was paid to the association between this polymorphism and subscales and items related to each affective temperament. The aim of our study was to investigate the association of affective temperament subscales and individual items with the s allele of the 5-HTTLPR.Method138 psychiatrically healthy women completed the TEMPS-A questionnaire and were genotyped for 5-HTTLPR. Scores of subjects on the temperament scales, subscales and items in the three genotype and the two phenotype groups were compared using ANOVA. We selected items with significantly different mean scores between the three genotype groups and the two phenotype groups separately and performed item analysis.ResultsSubjects in the different 5-HTTLPR genotype and phenotype groups have significantly different score on scales measuring depressive, cyclothymic, irritable and anxious temperaments, and several subscales composing these temperamental scales. Subjects in the three genotype groups scored significantly different on 11 items, 8 of these remained in a derived genotype scale after item analysis. Subjects in the two phenotype groups had significantly different scores on 12 items, 9 of them were retained in a derived phenotype scale after item analysis.LimitationsOur sample was relatively small and included only women.ConclusionsOur data provide support for the association of affective temperaments with the s allele. Although the cyclothymic temperament shows the strongest association, all temperaments within the depressive superfactor have a similar share in this association. The newly derived 5-HTTLPR Phenotype Scale shows strong association with 5-HTTLPR genotype and phenotype, therefore this scale should be further investigated in relation to psychiatric disorders, as well as psychological traits and temperaments.     

Dysthymic and anxiety-related personality traits in bipolar spectrum illness

Anxious and dysthymic personality traits were measured in a euthymic, familial sample of bipolar (BPD) individuals and their affectively ill and unaffected relatives. According to the quantitative genetic model of bipolar spectrum illness [Evans, L., Akiskal, H.S., Keck, Jr., P.E., McElroy, S.L., Sadovnick, A.D., Remick, R.A., Kelsoe, J.R., 2005. Familiality of temperament in bipolar disorder: support for a genetic spectrum. J. Affect. Disord. 85, 153-168], these traits should be normally distributed with the bipolar disorder I (BPD I) group showing the highest and the unaffected relatives the least "pathological" scores. Three hundred individuals from 47 bipolar disorder families were administered a battery of personality questionnaires (Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego; Temperament and Character Inventory; Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale) as well as a self-rating depression (Beck Depression Inventory) and mania (Altman Self-Rating Mania) scale. Out of the 300 participants, 58 were diagnosed with BPD I, 27 with bipolar disorder II (BPD II), 58 with recurrent major depression (MDE-R), 45 had one previous depressive episode (MDE-S), and 88 were unaffected. The BPD I group scored significantly higher than their unaffected relatives on the Harm Avoidance and Sadness scales of the TCI and ANPS, respectively, while the MDE-R but not the BPD samples scored significantly higher than unaffected relatives on the Anxious Temperament (AT) subscale of the TEMPS-A. In general, the mean dysthymic personality scores were highest in the BPD sample, followed by the MDE-R, MDE-S, and unaffected relative groups. Nevertheless, no significant personality differences were found between the psychiatrically-ill groups. While dysthymic temperament traits conform relatively well to the quantitative genetic model of affective illness, anxious traits as defined by the AT scale, are equally salient in BPD and unipolar depression.     

Studies on a German (Münster) version of the temperament auto-questionnaire TEMPS-A: construction and validation of the briefTEMPS-M

BACKGROUND: Based on classic German concepts of a continuum between depressive, hyperthymic, cyclothymic, and irritable temperaments and affective disorder (and adding an anxious type to the four), Akiskal and co-workers developed the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego both in interview (TEMPS-I) and auto-questionnaire (TEMPS-A) versions. It is the aim of the present analyses to validate a brief German version of TEMPS-A. METHODS: A total of 1056 students of the Westfalische-Wilhelms-Universitat in Munster, Germany, filled out the long 110-item version of the TEMPS-A (Munster translation by Erfurth: TEMPS-M) modified into a five gradation Likert format and with the items randomized. Based on this data we constructed a brief version of the TEMPS-M. In a second study, a sample of 151 students were recruited who filled out the briefTEMPS-M twice, approximately 1 month apart. RESULTS: Our psychometric procedures resulted in the retention of 35 items from the original 110. The proposed five-factor structure of the original TEMPS-A was upheld, with relatively few item reclassification (mainly due to some overlap between depressive and anxious traits). Internal consistency (Cronbach alpha values ranging from 0.69 to 0.84) and test-retest reliability were shown. Most importantly, all temperaments in the briefTEMPS-M correlated quite well (Pearson r values ranging from 0.49 to 0.72) with their respective original versions in the longer TEMPS-M. As for construct validity, significant correlation was shown with the Beck Depression Inventory for all but the hyperthymic temperament; the hyperthymic, cyclothymic and irritable correlated highest with the self-report Manic Inventory. LIMITATIONS: The study sample of university students was selective. CONCLUSIONS: We were able to construct a brief German version of the TEMPS-A auto-questionnaire. We submit this shorter version will be suitable for both clinical (psychiatric and general medical) and neurobiological research, as well as in studies on temperament features in selected populations, e.g., allowing comparisons between regions or different (German-speaking) countries.     

Affective Temperaments,Mood, and Insomnia Symptoms in a Nonclinical Sample

Objective: The aim of the study was to understand the relationship between affective temperaments and insomnia symptoms and to examine mood state as a mediator in this relationship. Participants: The sample consisted of 659 adults (428 women and 231 men), aged 18–77 years old, derived from a nonclinical population. Methods: Affective temperaments were assessed using the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A). Mood was measured using the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL). Insomnia was evaluated by the Athens Insomnia Scale. Results: We found positive correlations among anxious, cyclothymic, depressive, and irritable affective temperaments and insomnia symptoms. Negative correlation with insomnia symptoms was found for hyperthymic temperament. Energetic arousal and tense arousal, as mood dimensions, positively correlated with insomnia symptoms. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that anxious, cyclothymic, and hyperthymic temperaments were significant predictors of insomnia symptoms. Mediation analyses indicated that anxious, cyclothymic, and hyperthymic temperaments affected insomnia symptoms, both directly and indirectly, through energetic arousal as a mediator. Conclusions: The results showed a relationship between affective temperaments and insomnia symptoms and included the role of energetic arousal, a mood state dimension, as a mediator.     

Temperamental traits and results of psychoaptitude tests in applicants to become a cadet officer in the Italian Navy

Background

Consistently with the involvement of affective temperaments in professional choices, our research team is aiming to outline the temperamental profile of subjects who are applying to enter a military career in the Italian Armed Forces. In this study we aim to verify the importance of temperamental traits not only in choosing the military career as a profession, but also in passing or failing the entrance examinations.

Methods

We compared the affective temperaments (evaluated by TEMPS-A[P]) of those applying to become a cadet officer in the Italian Navy, divided into various subgroups depending on whether they passed or failed the entrance examination at various levels (high school final test, medical (physical and psychiatric), mathematical examination and aptitude test). We also tested for correlations between grades received and temperamental scores.

Results

Higher scores for those with a hyperthymic and lower scores for those with a depressive, cyclothymic or irritable temperament characterized applicants taking medical exams and aptitude tests. Higher scores on the high school final test correlated with lower hyperthymic, cyclothymic and irritable temperament scores. No correlations were found between temperamental traits and mathematical examinations. Multivariate analysis stressed the negative impact of a cyclothymic temperament and the poor discriminant power of temperaments regarding medical and mathematical examinations, and aptitude tests. Conversely, temperaments showed good discriminant power as far as psychiatric examinations are concerned.

Conclusions

Hyperthymic temperamental traits appear to be important not only in choosing a profession, but also in passing entrance examinations. Even so, affective temperaments (strong hyperthymic and weak cyclothymic, depressive and irritable traits) are the only successfully predictors of the outcome of psychiatric examinations and, to a lesser extent, medical examinations and aptitude tests. Achieving high school graduation and passing mathematical exams are independent of temperamental traits.     

Affective temperaments: Unique constructs or dimensions of normal personality by another name?

Background

Current models theorize that affective temperaments underlie the development and expression of mood psychopathology. Recent studies support the construct validity of affective temperaments in clinical and non-clinical samples. However, one concern is that affective temperaments may be describing characteristics that are better captured by models of normal personality. We conducted two studies examining: (a) the association of affective temperaments with domains and facets of normal personality, and (b) whether affective temperaments accounted for variance in mood symptoms and disorders, impairment, and daily-life experiences over-and-above variance accounted for by normal personality.

Methods

Study 1 included 522 young adults who completed the TEMPS-A and the NEO-PI-3. Study 2 included 145 participants who were administered the TEMPS-A, NEO-FFI, interviews assessing psychopathology and impairment, and an assessment of daily life experiences.

Results

Study 1 revealed that personality domains and facets accounted for one-third to one-half of the variance in affective temperaments. However, study 2 demonstrated that affective temperaments accounted for unique variance in measures of psychopathology, impairment, and daily-life experiences after partialling variance associated with personality domains. Specifically, cyclothymic/irritable temperament predicted bipolar disorders, impairment, borderline personality traits, urgency, and anger in daily life. Hyperthymic temperament predicted hypomanic episodes, grandiosity, sensation seeking, and increased activity in daily life.

Limitations

The study was limited by the fact that only domain, not facet-level, measures of FFM were available in study 2.

Conclusions

The findings support the validity of hyperthymic and cyclothymic/irritable temperaments as indicators of clinical psychopathology and indicate that they provide information beyond normal personality.     

The 5HTTLPR polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene is associated with affective temperaments as measured by TEMPS-A

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence supports the notion of a continuum between affective temperaments and major mood disorders, suggesting that these temperament types represent the subclinical manifestations of affective disorders and often present an increased vulnerability for these diseases. METHODS: The Hungarian rendition of the full-scale 110-item version of the TEMPS-A questionnaire and 5HTTLPR genotype was investigated in a sample of 139 unrelated Caucasian females with no current or lifetime Axis I psychiatric disorders. RESULTS: A significant association was found between the s allele and the TEMPS scores of the depressive, anxious, irritable, and particularly the cyclothymic temperaments; no such association emerged with respect to the hyperthymic temperament. LIMITATION: The database is entirely female. Given that the hyperthymic type predominates in males, our results could have been different if men were included in our sample. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are in good agreement with earlier studies reporting a strong association between the s allele of the 5HTTLPR and major as well as subthreshold forms of depression, and extend this association to the normative temperament level. Indeed, these temperaments might best be regarded as proximate behavioural endophenotypes. Our data raise the provocative possibility that the genetic potential for mood episodes lies in these temperaments. Further studies are needed to delineate the role of gender in the associations under consideration, as well as to investigate the genetic background of the hyperthymia-mania part of the affective spectrum. Given that affective temperaments are widely distributed in the general population, the strategy employed by us is of potential public health significance in terms of detecting individuals in the community at risk for affective spectrum disorders.