Correlations between trait anxiety, personality and fatigue: study based on the Temperament and Character Inventory.
OBJECTIVE
In our study, we explored the associations among anxiety, the dimensions of Cloninger's theoretically based and empirically validated psychobiological model of personality (Temperament and Character Inventory, TCI) and fatigue in order to clarify the personality risk factors for fatigue.


METHODS
Fifth-year students (n=89) and freshmen (n=162) at Saga Medical School and psychiatric outpatients of Saga Medical School Hospital (n=101) were investigated with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI, Japanese version), the TCI (Japanese version), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) and the self-rating Fatigue Symptom Checklist (FSC), which describe fatigue along three subscales (general, physical and psychological fatigue). Correlation and ANOVA analyses were performed in this study.


RESULTS
The analysis identified a significant relation (P<.0005) between trait anxiety and fatigue. The TCI dimension of harm avoidance (HA) is positively correlated with both trait anxiety and fatigue (general fatigue, psychological fatigue and physical fatigue). The character dimension of self-directedness is negatively correlated with both trait anxiety and fatigue.


CONCLUSIONS
There is an inherent relationship among trait anxiety, the temperament dimension of harm avoidance, character dimension of self-directedness and fatigue. The TCI dimensions, harm avoidance and self-directedness, might be considered as predictors for fatigue-related disorders.
Jiang
Nan
N
Department of Psychiatry, Saga Medical School, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, 849-8501, Saga, Japan.
Sato
Takeshi
T
Hara
Tomihide
T
Takedomi
Yaeko
Y
Ozaki
Iwata
I
Yamada
Shigeto
S
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D002605:Character; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005221:Fatigue / Q000523:psychology*; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D005222:Mental Fatigue / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology; D013694:Temperament