title: Psychological but not vasomotor symptoms are associated with temperament and character traits.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent evidence suggests that climacteric symptoms may be intensified by specific temperament and personality traits in postmenopausal women. In this study we investigate Cloninger's model of personality in relation to menopausal symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  One-hundred and seventy peri- and postmenopausal women consecutively recruited from a menopause clinic of an academic hospital completed the Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-140) which measures four dimensions of temperament: Harm avoidance, Novelty seeking, Reward dependence and Persistence, as well as three dimensions of character: Self-directedness, Cooperativeness, and Self-transcendence. Menopausal somatic, vasomotor and psychological symptoms were also assessed using the Greene Climacteric Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In comparison to the norms of the Greek general population, postmenopausal women presented lower scores in Novelty seeking and Reward dependence and higher scores in Persistence, Self-directedness, Cooperativeness and Self-transcendence. Higher harm avoidance (the inclination to avoid potential punishment, be shy and fearful of uncertainty) significantly correlated with anxiety and depressive symptoms while lower Self-directedness (the ability to have the willpower to adapt to or overcome any changes) correlated with depressive symptoms only. By multivariate regression analysis, higher Harm avoidance and lower Self-directedness were independently associated with the presence of depressive symptoms. No significant associations were observed between TCI-140 traits and somatic or vasomotor symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that most temperament and character traits according to Cloninger's model in peri- and postmenopausal women varied significantly as compared to the general population. Among several traits, high Harm avoidance and low Self-directedness were most strongly associated with psychological climacteric distress but not with somatic and vasomotor symptoms.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Psychiatry, University of Athens, Eginition Hospital , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kokras
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Papadopoulos
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Zervas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spyropoulou
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stamatelopoulos
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rizos
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Creatsa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Augoulea
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Papadimitriou
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lambrinoudaki
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D002605:Character; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D010555:Personality Inventory; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013694:Temperament / Q000145:classification*; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: ANXIETY; CHARACTER; DEPRESSION; HARM AVOIDANCE; MENOPAUSE; PERSONALITY; SELF-DIRECTEDNESS; TEMPERAMENT