title: [Are there Associations between Embitterment and Clinical as well as Personality Variables by Psychosomatically Ill Inpatients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Understanding of bitterness ranges from a negative general human emotion to a destructive complex affekt due to a non adequate processed affront or resentment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Relevant associations between kinds of bitterness and clinical as well as personality-related variables in hospitalized psychosomatic patients were examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective naturalistic study over 14 months of consecutive admitted psychosomatic patients without exclusion criteria (N=166). General bitterness and 4 subscales were investigated on the basis of the Berner Verbitterungs-Inventar (BVI), personality traits on the basis of BFI-10, and clinical variables mainly on the basis of validated instruments (HoNOS, BDI, HADS, GAF, CGI, IIP-D, BSCL, comorbidity, duration of illness and structure as well as conflict-load according to OPD-2). Differences among levels of bitterness were examined with ANOVA tests, relationships between bitterness and clinical as well as personality-related variables using multivariate linear and multinomial regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The general bitterness falls within the average range. ANOVA models show higher scores for neuroticism, IIP, BDI, HADS, and BSCL when bitterness is above-average. In multivariate regression analyses, BDI, BSCL and neuroticism are positively associated with bitterness, whereas GAF, illness duration, and conscientiousness are negatively associated with bitterness. Diagnoses, severity of disease and burden of conflicts as well as level of organization of personality are not associated with bitterness. Models explain 11-39% of variance of bitterness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bitterness in psychosomatic patients is hardly associated with personality variables, diagnoses, and psychopathological burden with the exception of depressiveness and neuroticism. Burden of interpersonal concerns may better explain bitterness than psychopathology or personality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bitterness could be interpreted as a theoretical construct widely independent from severity of disease, personality, and diagnosis, showing importance in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum für Psychiatrie Südwürttemberg, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie I, Universität Ulm.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valdes-Stauber
authors.affiliation: Fakultät für angewandte Psychologie, SRH Hochschule Heidelberg.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kämmerle
authors.affiliation: Zentrum für Psychiatrie Südwürttemberg, Abteilung Psychosomatische Medizin Ravensburg.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bachthaler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*