Effect of temperaments on quality of life and social adaptation in depressive patients with mood disorder

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of temperament on quality of life and social adaptation in depressive patients with mood disorder. Methods: Forty-six consecutive depressive outpatients were investigated by using the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-Autoquestionnaire version, the Munich Personality Test, the World Health Organization Quality of Life 26 (WHO QOL 26), and the Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale (SASS). The unpaired t-test, Pearson's r and multiple regression analysis were used to assess three variables (age, the number of temperaments and/or personality types, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores) as independent variables with the scores of WHO QOL 26 and SASS as the dependent variables. Results: The number of temperaments and/or personalities and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores were significantly and negatively associated with WHO QOL 26 scores while only the number of temperaments and/or personalities was significantly and negatively associated with SASS scores. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the combination of temperaments and/or personality types assessed with the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-Autoquestionnaire version and the Munich Personality Test may worsen both quality of life and social adaptation and that some temperaments and/or personality types in combination may be subclinical manifestations of mood disorders. © 2011 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.