title: Family study of schizophrenia and personality.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the abnormal characteristics observed in relatives of schizophrenics represent variations in normal personality. Relatives (N = 340) of patients with schizophrenia, affective disorder, and medical or surgical conditions were personally interviewed about psychiatric symptoms and completed the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire. Relatives who were themselves ill had elevated scores on some scales. Relatives of schizophrenics had normal scores on all personality scales, but relatives of affectively ill probands differed from other relatives on Well-Being and measures of Negative Emotionality. When schizophrenic probands were subtyped by symptoms, relatives of emotionally blunted schizophrenics were found to have slightly lower scores on Social Closeness than did relatives of controls. Overall, these results suggest that schizophrenia is unrelated to normal personality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School, Illinois 60064-3095.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Berenbaum
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Cloninger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology