Temperament and character dimensions in patients with schizophrenia, relatives, and controls

Studies of patients with schizophrenia or schizophrenia spectrum disorders and general population control groups consistently show differences regarding personality dimensions. However, the profile of personality dimensions in first-degree relatives of those patients is not well understood. We used Temperament and Character Inventory to explore personality dimensions in 61 clinically stable patients with schizophrenia or schizophrenia spectrum disorders, 59 of their first-degree relatives, and 64 healthy controls. Patients scored significantly higher than controls in harm avoidance and self-transcendence and lower in self-directedness and cooperativeness. First-degree relatives showed a tendency to lower novelty seeking and self-transcendence than controls. Interpretations of these findings include the possibility that lower novelty seeking and lower self-transcendence provide a protective influence in the relatives. Further studies are needed to go into this issue in greater depth.