| 1. |
- Cloninger, Kevin M., et al.
(författare)
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The Health Effects of Anthropedia’s Well-Being Coaching: A 6-Month Pilot Study Among Long-Term Unemployment Swedish Young Adults
- 2019
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Ingår i: 3rd Biennial International Convention of Psychological Science, Paris, France.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In recent years Sweden had an increased number of asylum seekers entering the country. Asylum seeking can affect the physical and mental health of individuals due to prolonged application processes and waiting times which can lead to inactivity. Physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors leading to noncommunicable diseases and overall mortality. The Public Health Report Blekinge 2014 states that groups with low socioeconomic status are less likely to be physically active in comparison with groups with a high socioeconomic status. Physical activity contributes to physical and mental well-being, and increases the possibilities for creating social networks as well as being part of the society. The project “Health for Everybody” (Hälsa för Alla) offers physical and cultural activities to approximately 300 refugees who have been granted asylum in the Blekinge region. The activities are conducted with the help of physical trainers, testing staff and community workers. In its current format each group of 20 to 30 refugees is offered training once a week for a 10-week period. The participants’ physical and psychological health and lifestyle habits are measured before and after the program through bioimpedance, physical conditioning tests and self-reports of psychological aspects related to health and lifestyle. We examined the health effects of cultural activities and Well-Being Coaching among long-term unemployed Swedish young adults. While individuals receiving cultural activities only showed a slight decrease in anxiety, those receiving Well-Being Coaching showed significant increases in subjective well-being and decreases in depression, anxiety, and sense of defeat and entrapment.
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| 2. |
- Garcia, Danilo, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Responsibility and Cooperativeness Are Constrained, Not Determined
- 2014
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-1078. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neurobiological determinism has characterized later decades’ scientific approaches to the notion of free will. Scientists suggest that legal responsibility should be adjusted accordingly. We measured the genetic and environmental effects behind self-reported Self-directedness and Cooperativeness in a nation-wide population-based adolescent twin study. In spite of substantial overall genetic and shared environmental effects on these character scores, individual outcomes in both monozygotic and dizygotic co-twins of probands reporting severe personality problems varied widely into the normal range. Hence, even when constrained by genetic and environmental adversity, self-experienced responsibility and cooperation are not simply genetically determined but, to some extent, malleable.
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| 3. |
- Garcia, Danilo, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Temperament and Character in the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS): Comparison to the General Population, and Genetic Structure Analysis
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 8:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background The Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS) is an on-going, large population-based longitudinal twin study. We aimed (1) to investigate the reliability of two different versions (125-items and 238-items) of Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) used in the CATSS and the validity of extracting the short version from the long version, (2) to compare these personality dimensions between twins and adolescents from the general population, and (3) to investigate the genetic structure of Cloninger's model. Method Reliability and correlation analyses were conducted for both TCI versions, 2,714 CATSS-twins were compared to 631 adolescents from the general population, and the genetic structure was investigated through univariate genetic analyses, using a model-fitting approach with structural equation-modeling techniques based on same-sex twin pairs from the CATSS (423 monozygotic and 408 dizygotic pairs). Results The TCI scores from the short and long versions showed comparable reliability coefficients and were strongly correlated. Twins scored about half a standard deviation higher in the character scales. Three of the four temperament dimensions (Novelty Seeking, Harm Avoidance, and Persistence) had strong genetic and non-shared environmental effects, while Reward Dependence and the three character dimensions had moderate genetic effects, and both shared and non-shared environmental effects. Conclusions Twins showed higher scores in character dimensions compared to adolescents from the general population. At least among adolescents there is a shared environmental influence for all of the character dimensions, but only for one of the temperament dimensions (i.e., Reward Dependence). This specific finding regarding the existence of shared environmental factors behind the character dimensions in adolescence, together with earlier findings showing a small shared environmental effects on character among young adults and no shared environmental effects on character among adults, suggest that there is a shift in type of environmental influence from adolescence to adulthood regarding character.
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| 4. |
- Garcia, Danilo, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Twins’ and Their Mothers’ Personality: Temperament and Character Clusters
- 2019
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Ingår i: 3rd Biennial International Convention of Psychological Science, May 25-28, Boston.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In a sample of twins and their mothers we found, independent of zygosity, two clusters based on differences in the children’s (in)ability to be cooperative and self-directed and her/his level of reward dependence, together with differences in the mother’s levels of cooperativeness, self-directedness, reward dependence, and harm avoidance.
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| 5. |
- Lester, Nigel, et al.
(författare)
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The genetic and environmental structure of the character sub-scales of the temperament and character inventory in adolescence.
- 2016
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Ingår i: Annals of General Psychiatry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1744-859X. ; 15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The character higher order scales (self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence) in the temperament and character inventory are important general measures of health and well-being [Mens Sana Monograph 11:16-24 (2013)]. Recent research has found suggestive evidence of common environmental influence on the development of these character traits during adolescence. The present article expands earlier research by focusing on the internal consistency and the etiology of traits measured by the lower order sub-scales of the character traits in adolescence.METHODS: The twin modeling analysis of 423 monozygotic pairs and 408 same sex dizygotic pairs estimated additive genetics (A), common environmental (C), and non-shared environmental (E) influences on twin resemblance. All twins were part of the on-going longitudinal Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS).RESULTS: The twin modeling analysis suggested a common environmental contribution for two out of five self-directedness sub-scales (0.14 and 0.23), for three out of five cooperativeness sub-scales (0.07-0.17), and for all three self-transcendence sub-scales (0.10-0.12).CONCLUSION: The genetic structure at the level of the character lower order sub-scales in adolescents shows that the proportion of the shared environmental component varies in the trait of self-directedness and in the trait of cooperativeness, while it is relatively stable across the components of self-transcendence. The presence of this unique shared environmental effect in adolescence has implications for understanding the relative importance of interventions and treatment strategies aimed at promoting overall maturation of character, mental health, and well-being during this period of the life span.
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| 6. |
- Mousavi, Fariba, et al.
(författare)
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Agency, Communion, and Intelligence among Twins
- 2014
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Ingår i: 26th Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention. San Francisco, California, USA.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Recent research suggests that agentic (e.g., self-acceptance, self-control, goal-directed behavior) and communal (e.g., social affiliation, social tolerance, empathy and helpfulness) meta-cognitive strategies and principles are connected to higher levels of well-being and lower levels of dysfunction and suffering among adolescents. Using Cloninger’s model of personality, comprising 4 temperament (Harm Avoidance, Novelty Seeking, Reward Dependence, and Persistence) and 3 character (Self-directedness (i.e., agency), Cooperativeness (i.e., communion) and Self-transcendence) dimensions, it has been suggested that interventions targeting Self-directedness and Cooperativeness can lead to alleviation of destructive behaviour patterns, mental disorders and increased positive emotions, life satisfaction, sense of meaning, and well-being as a whole. Moreover, in contrast to the temperament dimensions, shared environmental effects influence Self-directedness and Cooperativeness during adolescence; this may not be the case earlier in childhood or later in adulthood. Hence, as environmental influences shift from adolescence to adulthood, interventions during this period in the life span might be successful. Nevertheless, using other models of personality, personality traits associated to agency have been linked to intelligence and academic performance. If so, interventions aimed to increase agency and communion might be constrained by fluid intelligence. The present study uses twin data from the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS) to test the relationship between personality and cognitive ability. Method: Data was from a normal population sample of 370 15-year-old twins from the CATSS (159 girls and 211 boys), enriched for various types of mental health problems. Personality was measured using the Temperament and Character Inventory and intelligence with the fourth version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC-IV). Correlation analyses were conducted using random-selected twins from each dyad and separately for monozygotic and dizygotic twins, as well as for girls and boys. Results: There were no significant correlations between character and WISC-IV scales. The only significant, if weak, correlations between intelligence and personality dimensions were those between the temperament dimension of Persistence and different WISC-IV scales: Verbal Comprehension (r = .29, p < .01), Perceptual Reasoning (r = .22, p < .01), Working Memory (r = .20, p < .01), and the Full WISC-IV scale (r = .26, p < .01). This relationship could also be discerned between Persistence and the WISC-IV sub-scales: Vocabulary (r = .27, p < .01), Similarities (r = .24, p < .01), Comprehension (r = .22, p < .01), Matrix Reasoning (r = .23, p < .01), Digit Span (r = .16, p < .05) and Letter-Number Sequencing (r = .18, p < .05). The strength of these correlations was not significantly different between monozygotic and dizygotic twins (zobs between -0.19 and 0.13) or between girls and boys (zobs between -0.77 and 0.03). Conclusions: Persistence, a temperament dimension that measures heritable individual differences in eagerness of effort, ambition, perfectionism, and resistance to discouragement despite frustration and fatigue, is weakly linked to measures of cognitive abilities. This link does not seem to be moderated by zygocity or gender. More importantly, no relevant relationships were found for agency nor communion (i.e., Self-directedness or Cooperativeness) and cognitive ability. Hence, interventions aimed at improving Self-directedness and Cooperativeness should not be limited by variations in intelligence.
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| 7. |
- Mousavi, Fariba, et al.
(författare)
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Personality and intelligence: persistence, not self-directedness, cooperativeness or self-transcendence, is related to twins’ cognitive abilities
- 2015
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Ingår i: PeerJ. - : PeerJ. - 2167-8359. ; 3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. A person-centered approach focusing on the interaction of an individual’s temperament-character-life events is essential in the path of individuals’ well-being. In this context, three character traits, Self-directedness (e.g., self-acceptance, self-control, goal-directed behavior), Cooperativeness (e.g., social affiliation, social tolerance, empathy and helpfulness) and Self-transcendence (e.g., spiritual acceptance, transpersonal identification), measured using Cloninger’s model of personality are suggested to help the individual to regulate and resolve the conflicts derived from her/his temperament combinations as a reaction to life events. However, if character is related to the individual’s cognitive ability, then this association might limit any intervention that focuses on character development. We used data from the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS) to investigate the relationship between personality and cognitive ability. Method. The sample consisted of 370 15-year-old twins (159 girls/211 boys), 192 of whom screen-positive with various types of mental health problems. We used the Temperament and Character Inventory to measure personality and the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC-IV) to measure intelligence. The relationship was investigated using correlation analyses using random-selected twins from each dyad and separately for monozygotic and dizygotic twins. Additional analyses investigated the genetic and environmental effects on personality and cognitive ability in this specific sample. Results. There were no significant correlations between the WISC-IV indices and any of the character traits (i.e., Self-directedness, Cooperativeness, and Self-transcendence). Persistence was significantly related, if weak, to four WISC-IV indices: Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and the Full WISC-IV Scale. Post-hoc cross-twin/cross-trait analyses showed that the Persistence-cognitive ability correlation might depend on common genetic effects. The WISC-IV indices showed a relatively large genetic influence, while earlier findings about the etiology of temperament and character traits using the whole CATSS sample were replicated in this sub-sample of twins. Conclusions. The results indicate that what individuals make of themselves intentionally (i.e., their character) was not associated to intelligence. Persistence, a temperament dimension that measures heritable individual differences in eagerness of effort, ambition, perfectionism, and resistance to discouragement despite frustration and fatigue, was weakly linked to intelligence. Suggesting that, at least during adolescence, interventions targeting character development are not limited by the individual’s intelligence.
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| 8. |
- Nilsson, Thomas, 1954, et al.
(författare)
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Temperament and Character in Childhood-Onset Neurodevelopmental Disorders (Autism Spectrum Disorders and ADHD)
- 2019
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Ingår i: Personality and Brain Disorders: Associations and Interventions. - Cham, Switzerland : Springer. - 9783319900650 ; , s. 101-142
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), express aberrant neurocognitive functions in social communication, flexibility, and executive control from an early age, not seldom casting extensive consequences long into adulthood. They exist along a continuum from severe disorders to broader phenotypes or “shadow syndromes”. In recent years, several studies have assessed the relation between these conditions and associated personality traits in terms of Cloningers’ temperament and character model in both children and adults. The aim has been to clarify to what extent neurodevelopmental challenges are associated with adult personality and elucidate the link between symptom severity and specific personality traits. Findings give support for specific temperaments (previously known as constitutions) with high Novelty Seeking in ADHD and low Reward Dependence with high Harm Avoidance in ASD , while low scores on the character dimensions of Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness is a shared feature of both disorders (and more so the more severe the disorder is). This replicates previous findings of the same character deficits across adult mental disorders, forming a common ground for mental health problems. This pattern is proposed to be a window of opportunity for treatment interventions aiming at enhancing agency, communion, resilience and well-being.
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