The impact of ADHD and autism spectrum disorders on temperament, character, and personality development.

• OBJECTIVE: The authors describe personality development and disorders in relation to symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders. METHOD: Consecutive adults referred for neuropsychiatric investigation (N=240) were assessed for current and lifetime ADHD and autism spectrum disorders and completed the Temperament and Character Inventory. In a subgroup of subjects (N=174), presence of axis II personality disorders was also assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders (SCID-II). RESULTS: Patients with ADHD reported high novelty seeking and high harm avoidance. Patients with autism spectrum disorders reported low novelty seeking, low reward dependence, and high harm avoidance. Character scores (self-directedness and cooperativeness) were extremely low among subjects with neuropsychiatric disorders, indicating a high overall prevalence of personality disorders, which was confirmed with the SCID-II. Cluster B personality disorders were more common in subjects with ADHD, while cluster A and C disorders were more common in those with autism spectrum disorders. The overlap between DSM-IV personality disorder categories was high, and they seem less clinically useful in this context. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD and autism spectrum disorders are associated with specific temperament configurations and an increased risk of personality disorders and deficits in character maturation.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Psykiatri (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Psychiatry (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Adult

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

Diagnosis

Epidemiology

Psychology

Autistic Disorder

Diagnosis

Epidemiology

Psychology

Character

Cohort Studies

Comorbidity

Cooperative Behavior

Cross-Sectional Studies

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Exploratory Behavior

Female

Humans

Male

Middle Aged

Personality Development

Personality Disorders

Diagnosis

Epidemiology

Psychology

Personality Inventory

Statistics & numerical data

Prevalence

Psychiatric Status Rating Scales

Retrospective Studies

Temperament

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)