Are personality traits associated with cognitive disturbance in psychosis?

Personality and cognition are often considered as disparate constructs, both in normal individuals and in those with a psychosis. The goal of the present study was to analyze the relationship between dimensions of personality and cognitive performance in individuals with psychosis.

Sixty-one consecutively admitted patients with an acute psychotic episode were recruited for this study. Personality was assessed through a semistructured interview with a close relative using the Personality Assessment Schedule. A wide neuropsychological battery was applied, including attentional, executive, memory tasks and global cognition. Assessments took place when symptomatology was in remission.

Higher scores on a passive-dependent dimension were significantly associated with poorer memory performance. Similarly, higher levels for a schizoid dimension were significantly associated with poorer executive performance. The results remained significant after partialling out the effect of gender, psychopathological dimensions and drug status.

It is hypothesized that personality traits and cognitive performance are interrelated domains in psychosis.