1. The impact of ADHD and autism spectrum disorders on temperament, character, and personality development.
- Author
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Anckarsäter H, Stahlberg O, Larson T, Hakansson C, Jutblad SB, Niklasson L, Nydén A, Wentz E, Westergren S, Cloninger CR, Gillberg C, and Rastam M
- Subjects
- Adult, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity epidemiology, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity psychology, Autistic Disorder epidemiology, Autistic Disorder psychology, Cohort Studies, Comorbidity, Cooperative Behavior, Cross-Sectional Studies, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Exploratory Behavior, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Personality Disorders diagnosis, Personality Disorders epidemiology, Personality Disorders psychology, Prevalence, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Retrospective Studies, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity diagnosis, Autistic Disorder diagnosis, Character, Personality Development, Personality Inventory statistics & numerical data, Temperament
- 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 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.
- Published
- 2006
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