title: Cognitive task performance and symptoms contribute to personality abnormalities in first hospitalized schizophrenia.
abstract: Chronic schizophrenia patients have personality abnormalities and cognitive deficits that are associated with poor clinical, social, and vocational outcomes. Very few studies have examined relationships between personality and cognitive function, and chronic illness effects may have confounded those studies. In this study personality traits in clinically stable first episode schizophrenia patients (21M, 9F) and psychiatrically healthy controls (38M, 24F) were measured with the NEO-FFI, a self-report measure of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. All subjects completed the Information, Digit Span, Vocabulary, and Digit Symbol subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale; and Trails A and B. Standard statistical techniques were used to quantify relationships between personality and symptom levels and/or task performance, and relative contributions of diagnosis and task performance to personality variance. Patients showed elevated mean neuroticism and openness, and reduced mean extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness. Task performance and negative symptoms contributed significantly and uniquely to most personality dimensions in patients. Task performance accounted for significant amounts of personality variance even after accounting for diagnosis, and it also contributed to personality variance in controls. These results suggest that cognitive deficits and negative symptoms contribute to consistently observed personality abnormalities in this disorder, and that the contribution of neuropsychological performance to personality variance may be independent of diagnostic classification. Personality abnormalities in schizophrenia may stem from the neurocognitive deficits associated with this disorder, and add to their adverse effects on social and vocational functioning.
authors.affiliation: VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: ronald.gurrera@va.gov.
authors.forename: Ronald J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Gurrera
authors.affiliation: VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: McCarley
authors.affiliation: McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Salisbury
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Neurocognition; Personality; Schizophrenia; Social cognition
references.citation: Am J Psychiatry. 2005 Jan;162(1):102-9
references.pmid: 15625207
references.citation: Schizophr Res. 2004 Dec 15;72(1):29-39
references.pmid: 15531405
references.citation: Schizophr Res. 1992 Jul;7(2):149-58
references.pmid: 1515376
references.citation: Schizophr Res. 2002 Jul 1;56(1-2):137-47
references.pmid: 12084428
references.citation: Neuropsychology. 2009 May;23(3):315-36
references.pmid: 19413446
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 2001 Feb;80(2):294-310
references.pmid: 11220447
references.citation: Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2012 Jun 1;37(2):270-5
references.pmid: 22406509
references.citation: J Abnorm Psychol. 2009 May;118(2):418-23
references.pmid: 19413416
references.citation: J Clin Psychiatry. 2006;67 Suppl 9:3-8; discussion 36-42
references.pmid: 16965182
references.citation: J Nerv Ment Dis. 1997 Sep;185(9):549-55
references.pmid: 9307616
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 1997 May 5;70(2):83-94
references.pmid: 9194202
references.citation: J Abnorm Psychol. 1994 Feb;103(1):148-58
references.pmid: 8040476
references.citation: Psychol Med. 2001 Aug;31(6):1129-34
references.pmid: 11513380
references.citation: Can J Psychiatry. 2009 Jul;54(7):477-86
references.pmid: 19660170
references.citation: Am J Psychiatry. 2011 Aug;168(8):806-13
references.pmid: 21536691
references.citation: Schizophr Res. 2007 Feb;90(1-3):316-24
references.pmid: 17141477
references.citation: Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2006 Oct;60(5):538-45
references.pmid: 16958935
references.citation: Schizophr Res. 2012 Nov;141(2-3):251-6
references.pmid: 23017825
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 2009 Oct;195(4):286-93
references.pmid: 19794194
references.citation: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1998 Feb;55(2):173-80
references.pmid: 9477932
references.citation: Psychiatry. 1995 May;58(2):99-112
references.pmid: 7568541
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 2009 Oct;195(4):336-45
references.pmid: 19794203
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 1998 Jul 27;80(1):61-8
references.pmid: 9727964
references.citation: J Nerv Ment Dis. 2000 Jan;188(1):31-5
references.pmid: 10665458
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 1998 Apr;172:308-13; discussion 314-5
references.pmid: 9715332
references.citation: Schizophr Bull. 2000;26(1):119-36
references.pmid: 10755673
references.citation: Psychiatry. 1999 Spring;62(1):36-48
references.pmid: 10224622
references.citation: Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2004 Mar 16;2:15
references.pmid: 15025789
references.citation: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007 Oct;64(10):1204-12
references.pmid: 17909133
references.citation: Schizophr Bull. 1987;13(2):261-76
references.pmid: 3616518
references.citation: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1993 Dec;50(12):975-90
references.pmid: 8250684
references.citation: Psychiatr Q. 1996 Spring;67(1):51-64
references.pmid: 8623039
references.citation: J Appl Psychol. 2011 Jan;96(1):113-33
references.pmid: 20939656
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 2012 Jun 30;198(1):7-11
references.pmid: 22397918
references.citation: Schizophr Res. 2001 Sep 1;51(2-3):109-17
references.pmid: 11518631
references.citation: J Nerv Ment Dis. 2005 Nov;193(11):714-21
references.pmid: 16260924
references.citation: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007 May;64(5):521-9
references.pmid: 17485604
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 2008 Aug 15;160(2):175-83
references.pmid: 18602163
references.citation: J Psychiatr Res. 2012 Mar;46(3):353-9
references.pmid: 22169347
references.citation: J Nerv Ment Dis. 1997 May;185(5):283-8
references.pmid: 9171804
references.citation: J Abnorm Psychol. 1995 Aug;104(3):490-9
references.pmid: 7673572
references.citation: Schizophr Res. 2008 Jul;102(1-3):303-11
references.pmid: 18495433
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 2005 Jan 30;133(1):23-33
references.pmid: 15698674
references.citation: Cereb Cortex. 2006 Dec;16(12):1809-19
references.pmid: 16421327
references.citation: J Appl Psychol. 2003 Oct;88(5):809-21
references.pmid: 14516246
references.citation: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1989 Oct;46(10):935-44
references.pmid: 2552952