Satisfaction With Quality of Life Varies With Temperament Types of Patients With Schizophrenia

Abstract

We sought to explore the relationships of three temperament factors with domain-specific subjective quality of life (QOL) of patients with schizophrenia. Ninety patients with schizophrenia were evaluated using the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Life Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale, the Distress Scale for Adverse Symptoms, the Insight and Treatment Attitudes Questionnaire, the Insight Self-Report Scale, and standardized questionnaires for self-reported emotional distress and stress process-related variables. Predictors of domain-specific QOL were identified using multiple regression techniques. Temperament factors explain 6% to 16% of variability in QOL domain scores among patients with schizophrenia after controlling for the remaining variables (emotional distress, social support, self-esteem, avoidance coping, age, side effects, and depression). We found that higher levels of novelty seeking are associated with better general QOL, physical health, and more positive subjective feelings, whereas higher levels of reward dependence are related to better satisfaction from social relationships. Higher levels of harm avoidance are associated with poorer satisfaction with general activities, and medication. Thus, temperament factors, as assessed by the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, substantially influence satisfaction with life quality in schizophrenia. Novelty seeking, reward dependence, and harm avoidance are associated with different domains of QOL.

The relationship between dimensional personality models and quality of life in psychiatric outpatients

“…Although similar research involving the TCI is rather scarce, these findings are reasonably comparable with a recent study among people with schizophrenia on the influence of temperament and character (assessed by the TCI) on functioning and aspects of psychological health (Eklund et al, 2004) and a study into the relationship between QOL and personality disorders among heroin abusers (Fassino et al, 2004). Ritsner et al (2003) found that higher levels of novelty seeking were associated with better general QOL, physical health, and more positive subjective feelings. These findings were not confirmed by the present study.…”

“…In the few existing studies (Eklund et al, 2004;Fassino et al, 2004;Hansson et al, 2001;Ritsner et al, 2003) in which the relationship between personality features based on Cloninger's seven-factor model and QOL or QOL-related concepts has been investigated, Novelty Seeking, Reward Dependence, Self-Directedness, and Cooperativeness were positively associated with QOL. Negative correlations were obtained between Harm Avoidance and QOL.…”

“…The remaining correlations between Cloninger's model and QOL were, a priori, unclear because the available data on this subject were scarce or the described correlations were rather weak. It was expected (Ritsner et al, 2003) that personality dimensions would explain a sizeable amount of QOL variance. Which personality dimensions were most prominent in explaining QOL variance was examined in an explorative way.…”

Determinants of functioning and well-being among individuals with schizophrenia: An integrated model

“…The personal system and functioning/well-being Personal system variables, such as cognitive abilities, personality traits, self-efficacy, identity/ self-esteem and psychiatric factors, are hypothesized to exert a moderate direct relationship on social functioning and life satisfaction. Although personality traits have been typically ignored in research among people with schizophrenia, several recent cross-sectional studies have shown that personality traits are related to functioning and well-being (Eklund, Backstrom, & Hannson, 2003;Eklund, Hansson, & Bengtsson-Tops, 2004;Hansson, Eklund, & BengtssonTops, 2001;Kentros, Terkelson, Hull, Smith, & Goodman, 1997;Ritsner, Farkas, & Gibel, 2003). Specifically, traits reflecting a more active and engaging personality, such as selfdirectedness/extraversion, are related to better life satisfaction and social functioning, whereas traits related to less outward engagement, such as neuroticism and harm avoidance, are related to poorer life satisfaction and social functioning.…”

Psychosocial factors and health as determinants of quality of life in community-dwelling older adults

“…Personality traits have relatively high stability over the lifecourse, providing a consistent and stable indication of how an individual might perceive and respond to life's challenges [5,25]. Some studies have found that self-reported quality of life is associated with aspects of personality such as self-efficacy, optimism, goal adjustment and harm avoidance [5,20,24,26]. Many personality theorists argue for the presence of five superordinate factors which are viewed as being fundamental to the description of personality differences: Extraversion, Neuroticism/Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to experience (also called Intellect/Imagination).…”