Open AccessThe role of anxious and hyperthymic temperaments in mental disorders: a national epidemiologic study
Author(s) -
KARAM ELIE G.,
SALAMOUN MARIANA M.,
YERETZIAN JOUMANA S.,
MNEIMNEH ZEI.,
KARAM AIMEE N.,
FAYYAD JOHN,
HANTOUCHE ELIE,
AKISKAL KAREEN,
AKISKAL HAGOP S.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
world psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 15.51
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 2051-5545
pISSN - 1723-8617
DOI - 10.1002/j.2051-5545.2010.tb00287.x
Subject(s) - temperament , psychology , anxiety , clinical psychology , mood disorders , psychiatry , impulse (physics) , personality , social psychology , physics , quantum mechanics
Temperament has been demonstrated clinically to be linked to mental disorders. We aimed to determine the possible role of temperament in mental disorders in a national epidemiologic study. A nationally representative sample of adults (n=1320) was administered the Lebanese-Arabic version of the Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), and the Arabic CIDI 3.0, as part of the LEBANON study. The association among temperaments and DSM-IV mood, anxiety, and impulse control disorders was assessed. The anxious temperament was shown to be a robust predictor of most disorders, especially within the anxiety and depressive clusters. The hyperthymic temperament had a uniquely protective effect on most mental disorders, with the exception of separation anxiety, bipolar, substance abuse and impulse control disorders. These effects were moderated by age and education. Temperaments, previously largely neglected in epidemiologic studies, could play a major role in the origin of mental disorders.