Abstract

Personality Profiles Associated with Cognitive Functioning after Three Years of Follow-up in People with Schizophrenia

Author(s): Shu Ping Chuang, Jo Yung Wei Wu, Chien Shu Wang, Li Hsiang Pan

Objectives:

Personality abnormalities appear to be related to the cognitive deficits in patients with chronic schizophrenia. However, few studies have explicitly addressed the nature of the association through a longitudinal design.

Method:

Twenty-five patients with schizophrenia and age-matched with 25 healthy individuals were recruited into the study. Each participant received the big five inventory (Mini-Marker), and neuropsychological tests (WCST, go/ no go task). A follow-up was conducted three years later, and participants were asked to complete the same set of neuropsychological tests.

Results:

Correlation analysis showed that neuroticism was positively correlated with total response errors and negatively correlated with total categories completed of WCST in schizophrenia (r=0.41, p<0.05; r=-0.43, p<0.05, respectively). Conscientiousness was positively associated with the median reaction time in the go/ no go task (r=0.44, p<0.05). At baseline, the healthy group scored significantly higher on extraversion and agreeableness, respectively (p<0.001, p<0.05). The patient group showed poor performances on a majority of the WCST and go/ no go task (from p<0.05~p<0.001). The scores in cognitive functioning among people with schizophrenia were significantly lower on a number of errors of go/ no go task in the followup compared to the baseline (p<0.05).

Conclusion:

Our findings suggest that neuroticism and conscientiousness contributed significantly to neuropsychological deficits over time. Comprehensive neuropsychological assessments are needed to investigate the relationship between personality profiles and cognitive performances in schizophrenia over time.