Personality and treatment response in agoraphobia with panic attacks

The present study investigated the association of specific personality characteristics with agoraphobia, and whether they predicted long-term outcome following a group cognitive behavior therapy program. Thirty-three patients with agoraphobia with panic attacks, 18 with social phobia, and 26 "normals" were used in the study. Personality factors were measured with the Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI), the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire (HDHQ), and the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior Scale (FIRO-B). The results showed that (1) agoraphobics are more extroverted and more likely to include others in their activities than are social phobics; however, they are less extroverted, more neurotic, more hostile and intropunitive, and less likely to include others in their activities than are normals; (2) social phobics are similarly less extroverted, more neurotic, and more hostile and intropunitive than normals, but, in addition, are less likely to exert control over others, more likely to want to be controlled, and less expressive of affection than normals; and (3) personality characteristics did not predict treatment outcome.