[Affective temperaments and psychopathological dimensions of personality in Bipolar Disorder]

The first objective of our study is the evaluation of correlation between affective temperaments and psychopathological dimensions in a clinical sample of patients with Bipolar Disorder and the individualization of possible differences within the three diagnostic subtypes (bipolar I, II and cyclothymia). The second one is to observe whether any specific temperament may influence the number of hospitalizations or the age of the bipolar depression onset.

At the Bipolar Disorder Unit of Policlinico Gemelli (Rome, Italy) a group of 60 patients with Bipolar Disorder (BD) has been enrolled. All patients have been submitted to the TEMPS-A for the evaluation of affective temperament and TCI-R for the evaluation of psychopathological dimensions of personality.

BD I group showed 5 significant correlations from moderate (r=0.40) to high degree (r=0.60). SD dimension of TCI shows 3 significant correlations with TEMPS-A dimensions: it is inversely correlated with Cyclothymia (r= -0.57; p<0.01), Irritability (r=0.60; p<0.01) and Anxiety (r=-.45; p<0.05). BDII group showed 5 significant correlations. Irritability dimension of TEMPS-A presented the highest number of correlations with TCI dimensions: it was inversely correlated to SD (r= -.65; p<0.01) and directly correlated with HA (r=0.48; p<0.05) and ST (r=-0.49; p<0.05). In the comparison of diagnostic groups with regards to temperamental dimensions, only Hyperthymia and Irritability dimensions were significative.

Many works have evaluated temperament through the use of these two tools (TEMPS-A and TCI-R) but few have analysed correlation between them and none has focused attention on patients with bipolar disorder diagnosis only.