Temperament and characteristics related to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms.
Adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibits symptoms, such as attention deficit and impulsivity, that make it difficult for patients to manage social activities. In this study, we investigated the association of adult ADHD symptoms with temperament and character dimensions, taking into account possible sex interactions.



A total of 2917 (1462 males and 1455 females) college students completed the 140 5-point Likert items on the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised Short version (TCI-RS) and the Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Rated Scale (ASRS). According to the ASRS score, subjects were classified into the control group, the inattentive ADHD symptom (IA) group, or the hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptom (HI) group. Additionally, the scores of the four temperament dimensions and the three character dimensions were compared.



In the IA and HI groups, the NS and HA levels of the temperament dimension were high and the PS level was low compared with the control group. In the character dimension, the levels of SD and CO were significantly lower in the ADHD groups than in the control group (P<0.001). Meanwhile, the ST level in the HI group was significantly higher than in the control group. In the regression analysis after age and gender correction, NS and SD in the IA group and NS, CO, and ST in the HI group were associated with adult ADHD symptoms.



The current findings suggest that high novelty seeking may be related to adult ADHD symptoms in the temperament dimension. Furthermore, some character dimensions were associated with adult ADHD symptoms.
Department of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Medicine, Graduate school, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Hwanjin
H
Park
Department of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Byung Seong
BS
Suh
Department of Nursing, College of Nursing and Health, Kongju National University, Gongju, Republic of Korea.
Hye-Kyung
HK
Lee
Department of Medicine, Graduate school, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, St. Andrew's Hospital, Icheon, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: countin@gmail.com.
Kounseok
K
Lee
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D002605:Character; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008297:Male; D012919:Social Behavior; D013694:Temperament; D055815:Young Adult