Possible affective-state dependence of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire in first-episode psychosis

The authors administered the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) to 61 patients with first-episode psychosis. Subjects were classified into affective states according to DSM-III-R diagnoses. TPQ scores were compared among these states and correlated with two affective symptom subscales: "mania" and "depression." Manic subjects demonstrated little variation from normative TPQ scores. Compared with findings in manic subjects, the dimensional score for Harm Avoidance was elevated in all affective groups, "worry and pessimism" was elevated in mixed-state subjects, "shyness with strangers" was elevated in depressed and nonaffective subjects, and "attachment" was lower in depressed and nonaffective subjects. The Harm Avoidance dimensional score and two subdimensional scores were positively correlated with the "depression" subscale. The Harm Avoidance dimensional and subdimensional scores showed possible affective-state dependence that may limit the utility of this instrument as a personality measure in first-episode psychosis.