title: The relevance of personality assessment in patients with hyperventilation symptoms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Relatively few data are available concerning the relations between hyperventilation symptoms and general personality traits in clinical populations. A clear picture of the personality traits associated with hyperventilation symptoms could enhance early detection of those individuals who are at risk for developing hyperventilation. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of general personality in hyperventilation syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients (N = 364) with symptoms not explained by an organic disease and supposedly caused by hyperventilation completed the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, the General Health Questionnaire--12, and the Nijmegen Questionnaire. Patients were also subjected to a hyperventilation provocation test and transcutaneous carbon dioxide (TcPCO(2)) values were registered.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that patients with hyperventilation obtained mean Neuroticism scores above the normative mean. Moreover, only Neuroticism was positively linked with self-reported hyperventilation symptoms, and personality traits were more strongly related to self-reported complaints than to objective physical information. Neuroticism clearly differentiated between different diagnostic groups on the basis of Nijmegen Questionnaire and TcPCO(2) values, and an additional small effect of Agreeableness was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study contributes to the evidence that Neuroticism is strongly associated with self-reported hyperventilation symptoms, and provides substantial evidence that Neuroticism is a vulnerability factor in the development of hyperventilation. Therefore, personality assessment may be helpful in advancing the understanding and the early detection of hyperventilation symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental, Personality, and Social Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Mieke.Decuyper@Ugent.be
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Decuyper
authors.forename: Marleen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Bolle
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Boone
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Fruyt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006985:Hyperventilation / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D010551:Personality; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010554:Personality Disorders; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013577:Syndrome; D055815:Young Adult