Temperament and character dimensions of the relatives of schizophrenia patients and controls: the relationship between schizotypal features and personality.
OBJECTIVE
Previous findings indicated that schizophrenia patients might have a different personality structure from the general population on several dimensions of temperament and character. Some authors proposed that HA might be a marker of underlying genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia. Studies on high-risk subjects and first degree relatives of patients is essential to test the value of a measure as a marker of genetic vulnerability to a disease. Few studies tested the biopsychosocial model of personality on unaffected relatives of schizophrenia.


METHODS
We compared the Temperament and Character (TCI) profiles of 94 first degree relatives of schizophrenia and 75 controls. We also investigated the relationship between schizotypy and TCI dimensions in the study sample.


RESULTS
The harm avoidance scores of the relatives of schizophrenia patients with schizotypal features were significantly higher. Self transcendence scores were also significantly higher among relatives with schizotypal features. In contrast, the relatives of the patients with schizophrenia who did not have schizotypal features had higher SD and C scores than the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
This finding is consistent with the previous findings which suggested harm avoidance as a vulnerability indicator of schizophrenia. Some character features like self transcendence might be also associated with schizotypal features.
Bora
Emre
E
Medical School of Ege University, Psychiatry Department, 35100 Izmir, Turkey. emrebora@hotmail.com
Veznedaroglu
Baybars
B
D000328:Adult; D002605:Character; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012016:Reference Values; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D013694:Temperament