Personality traits in schizophrenia: comparison with a community sample

The objective of this study was to compare personality trait profiles in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Male outpatients with schizophrenia (N = 24) and a male nonpsychiatric community sample (N = 46) completed the NEO-FFI personality questionnaire. Multivariate analyses were used to compare mean scale scores and scale profiles for each group. The overall personality profile of clinically stable patients with schizophrenia differed significantly from that of a community sample. On individual scales, patients scored significantly higher on neuroticism and significantly lower on conscientiousness. These results confirm and extend those of previous studies that used normative data for comparison and a much longer version of the same personality questionnaire. Prospective studies of populations at risk are needed to determine whether group differences reflect a premorbid diathesis for schizophrenia or a secondary effect of serious mental illness.