Relationship between Premorbid Personality and Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in Dementia in Korean Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

OBJECTIVE: We performed a cross-sectional study to examine the relationship between premorbid personality and behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia (BPSD) in Korean patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: We assessed 103 patients diagnosed with AD for the presence of BPSD over the disease course by using the caregiver-rated Korean version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (K-NPI) and for the premorbid personality by using a retrospective version of the NEO-Five Factor Inventory questionnaire completed by informants. RESULTS: Premorbid neuroticism was significantly correlated with delusion, agitation, anxiety, disinhibition, total K-NPI score (p<0.05), and sleep disturbances (p<0.01). Lower premorbid conscientiousness was significantly correlated with symptoms of hallucinations and sleep disturbances in AD patients (p<0.05). However, premorbid neuroticism and low premorbid conscientiousness did not act as independent predictors for "psychosis, hyperactivity," or "moods, apathy, frontal" factors of BPSD. CONCLUSION: Premorbid personality was associated with the K-NPI score, but was not observed to be potential predictors of BPSD.

Rasgos de personalidad en pacientes con esquizofrenia / Personality traits in patients with schizophrenia

In recent years, research on the comorbidity of personality disorders and other clinical conditions has increased. Nevertheless, it is quite surprising that very little research has been done in terms of personality and its disorders in patients with schizophrenia. Most of the studies related to the binomial construct of personality disorders and schizophrenia are limited to the study of premorbid personality, which emphasizes the importance of the interaction between trait-personality disorder-schizophrenia symptoms. The study of personality in patients with schizophrenia suggests several issues that must be considered, including the trait-state interactions and the role of personality in the course of schizophrenia. The conceptual definition of trait emerges from the dimensional classification of models of personality. In this way, knowing that some personality features are present in all individuals, we can assume that their deviation in a quantitative level results in abnormal personality features that constitute personality disorders or even can be expressed as a specific expression of some schizophrenia symptoms. Although there is growing evidence in the knowledge of schizophrenia, there are very few models that include the scientific neurobio-logical evidence of the disease and personality features. An inclusive model may promote our understanding of the relationship between schizophrenia symptoms and the personality features of the patient who suffers the disease. So far, we are still far from reaching scientific consensus to be unanimously shared by all researchers with respect to both issues. Nevertheless, the importance of personality in schizophrenia is undeniable, so future longitudinal that assess personality characteristics since illness onset should be warranted. These studies may be extremely useful to determine personality stability during the course of the illness and may help to determine the prognosis and treatment implications of personality in schizophrenia.

En los últimos años han proliferado las investigaciones y publicaciones sobre la comorbilidad de los trastornos de personalidad con otras entidades clínicas. En este marco sorprende la escasez de estudios que se centren en la personalidad y sus trastornos en los pacientes con esquizofrenia. Las investigaciones llevadas a cabo en el binomio trastorno de personalidad-esquizofrenia se han limitado al estudio de la personalidad premórbida, las cuales se orientan hacia la importancia de la interacción rasgo-trastorno de personalidad-síntomas en la esquizofrenia. El estudio de la personalidad en la esquizofrenia sugiere varias cuestiones que deben ser consideradas, incluyendo las interacciones rasgo-estado y la función de la personalidad en la esquizofrenia. El concepto de rasgo surge en los modelos dimensionales de clasificación de la personalidad. Si consideramos que los rasgos de la personalidad están presentes en todos los individuos, cabría decir que una desviación en el nivel cuantitativo de los mismos caracteriza los rasgos anormales que constituirán los trastornos de personalidad o en una expresión específica de los síntomas de la esquizofrenia. A pesar de los avances crecientes en el conocimiento de la esquizofrenia, existen pocos modelos que integren los avances neurobiológicos con la personalidad, lo cual permitiría un mayor entendimiento de la relación entre los síntomas de la esquizofrenia y la personalidad del individuo que la padece. Hasta el momento, aún nos encontramos lejos de poder alcanzar acuerdos científicos que sean compartidos unánimemente por todos los investigadores con respecto a ambas cuestiones. Sin embargo, la importancia de la personalidad en la esquizofrenia es innegable, lo que hace necesario la realización de estudios longitudinales que evalúen de forma específica las características de la personalidad desde el inicio de la esquizofrenia para poder determinar su estabilidad o variabilidad de acuerdo al curso del padecimiento y sus implicaciones pronósticas y de tratamiento.

Factors related to Disturbing Behaviors, Premorbid Personality and Depression in the Pre-demented Elderly and the Mild Demented Elderly

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify premorbid personality, depression and disturbing behaviors to provide information for developing nursing interventions for the pre-demented and mild demented elderly living as residents of their community. METHOD: The survey was conducted through direct interviews using a structured questionnaire in J city. Among the subjects contacted, 89 made appropriate replies to the survey. RESULT: The subjects' disturbing behaviors were significantly related to premorbid personality and depression. The predictors to disturbing behaviors of the pre-demented elderly were sex, extroversion, neuroticism and conscientiousness. The predictors to disturbing behaviors of the mild demented elderly were agreeableness, depression, sex, conscientiousness, and extroversion. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, disturbing behaviors of pre-demented elderly and mild demented elderly are affected not only by their premorbid personality but also by their depression. Therefore, it is necessary to encourage and respond to them with understanding their disturbing, behaviors in relation to their premorbid personality. In addition. it is important to maintain positive emotion in order to reduce their disturbing behaviors.