®®®® SIIA Público

Título del libro: Personality Assessment: New Research
Título del capítulo: Short communications: The influence of personality and symptoms everity on functioning in patients with schizophrenia

Autores UNAM:
ANA FRESAN ORELLANA; JOSE HUMBERTO NICOLINI SANCHEZ;
Autores externos:

Idioma:
Inglés
Año de publicación:
2009
Palabras clave:

Character; Functioning; Personality; Schizophrenia; Temperament


Resumen:

Introduction Patients with schizophrenia exhibit a broad range of cognitive, emotional and behavioral symptoms that affect their psychosocial functioning. Research findings that link symptom dimensions to functioning in schizophrenia are inconsistent. This suggests that other variables may contribute to patients' functioning. It has been documented that personality differences are detectable among patients with schizophrenia and are stable after illness onset. Thus, personality seems to be a particularly promising form of individual difference that may be related to functioning in schizophrenia. Objective To determine the influence of personality features and symptom severity in the level of functioning of patients with schizophrenia. Method One-hundred patients with schizophrenia were recruited. Diagnoses were based on the SCID-I. Symptom severity was assessed with the Scales for the Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms (SAPS and SANS) while personality was assessed using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) was employed to estimate global psychosocial functioning. Sample was divided in groups, based in a cutoff point of 60 of the GAF score, forming groups of high and low functioning. Results More than half of the patients were classified in the low functioning group (61%). Significant differences were found between groups in terms of symptom severity and temperament and character dimensions. The temperament dimension "Persistence" and the character dimension "Self-directedness" were significant predictors of low functioning as well as the negative symptom "Apathy." Conclusions Motivation and goal directed behaviors are important factors that promote an adequate functioning in patients with schizophrenia. Patients with a combination of low "Persistence" and low "Self-directedness" might be an especially vulnerable group for which efforts should be made to provide supportive and reinforcing treatment interventions. © 2010 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.


Entidades citadas de la UNAM: