title: Cloninger's temperament and character dimension of personality in patients with asthma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Psychosocial factors have been implicated as being important in the onset and/or exacerbation of asthma. This study was performed to evaluate the personality profiles of asthma patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-five asthmatic, 98 psoriatic patients, and 96 healthy controls completed the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The relationships between asthma illness duration, asthma severity score, depression, anxiety, and temperament and character personality variables were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Asthmatic patients had significantly higher mean scores on the BAI, Harm Avoidance, Persistence, and Self-transcendence dimensions and lower scores on the BDI, Novelty Seeking, and Reward Dependence dimensions of the TCI than the psoriatic patients. Significant group effect was found for the BDI and BAI scores in between groups. Significant differences in TCI scores were found across groups except for Persistence and Self-transcendence. Post hoc tests revealed significantly lower Novelty Seeking, higher Harm Avoidance, lower Reward Dependence, and higher Self-transcendence scores in patients with asthma. Regression analysis revealed a significant effect between duration of illness and Persistence and Self-transcendence. Illness severity had a significant effect on the Harm Avoidance. Anxiety scores had significant effect on the Harm Avoidance, Self-directedness, and Self-transcendence. Depression scores had no significant effect on any of the TCI dimensions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Asthmatic patients can be distinguished by a specific pattern of temperament (low NS) and character (high ST) dimensions and compared with both psoriatic patients and healthy controls. Illness duration is associated with ST scores, and illness severity is associated with HA.
authors.affiliation: Erenkoy Mental Research and Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Medine Yazici
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Gulec
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gulec
authors.forename: Funda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oztuna
authors.forename: Samet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kose
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013694:Temperament; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult