Temperament and Character in Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis (UHR) compared to non-UHR helpseeking adolescents

Introduction. The psychobiological model of temperament and character indicates that personality traits are heritable and, during development, constantly influence one’s susceptibility to psychotic disorders. Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate temperament and character in ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis helpseeking adolescents compared non-UHR ones. Methods. A sample of 75 help seeking adolescents, including 12 UHR and 63 non-UHR subjects, aged 14-19 years, with anxiety, mood and bipolar spectrum disorders were included in the study. All were recruited at the first visit and evaluated with the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R) and the Structured Interview for Prodromal Symptoms (SIPS). Results. UHR patients showed significantly lower temperament traits of Novelty Seeking (NS) and Self Directedness (SD) with respect to non-UHR adolescents (NS: 95,9 ± 12 and 106,2 ± 12 respectively, U = 157, p = 0.02; SD NS: 106,1 ± 21 and 120,5 ± 17 respectively, U = 157, p = 0.02). Conversely, UHR adolescents showed a higher temperament trait of Harm Avoidance (HA) (125,1 ± 14 and 110 ± 19 respectively, U = 145, p = 0.01). Conclusions. UHR adolescents show reduced novelty seeking and self directedness temperament traits and increased harm avoidance with respect to non-UHR patients with mood and anxiety disorders.