1. The impact of ADHD and autism spectrum disorders on temperament, character, and personality development
- Author
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Anckarsater, Henrik, Stahlberg, Ola, Larson, Tomas, Hakansson, Catrin, Jutblad, Sig-Britt, Niklasson, Lena, Nyden, Agneta, Wentz, Elisabet, Westergren, Stefan, Cloninger, C. Robert, Gillberg, Christopher, and Rastam, Maria
- Subjects
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder -- Research ,Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder -- Influence ,Autism -- Research ,Autism -- Influence ,Personality development -- Research ,Temperament -- Research ,Health ,Psychology and mental health - Abstract
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 SCIDII. 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.
- Published
- 2006