Affective temperament in stroke patients.
OBJECTIVE
The aims of this study were to determine the dominant affective temperament changes in stroke survivors and whether temperament affects the disability.


METHODS
A total of 63 stroke patients were included in this study. Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire was used to determine the dominant affective temperament (depressive, hyperthymic, cyclothymic, irritable or anxious). The disability level was measured with the Barthel index (BI).


RESULTS
Depressive temperament (17.5%) and anxious temperament (12.7%) were the most common dominant affective temperaments. The frequencies of irritable, cyclothymic and hyperthymic temperaments were 4.8, 3.2 and 0%, respectively. The mean BI score was 78.1 ± 18.3 in patients with depressive temperament and 67.4 ± 28.4 in patients without depressive temperament (p = 0.403). The mean BI score was 78.1 ± 15.3 in patients with anxious temperament and 68.0 ± 28.3 in patients without anxious temperament (p = 0.541). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that BI score was not associated with affective temperament changes.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the current study suggest that depressive and anxious temperaments are the most common affective temperaments and that there appears to be no association between disability level and dominant affective temperament in stroke survivors.
1Department of Psychiatry, Bakirkoy Training and Research Hospital for Psychiatry and Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey.
Erhan
E
Kurt
2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vakif Gureba Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Ilhan
I
Karacan
2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vakif Gureba Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Nihal
N
Ozaras
1Department of Psychiatry, Bakirkoy Training and Research Hospital for Psychiatry and Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey.
Gazi
G
Alatas