TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of ADHD and autism spectrum disorders on temperament, character, and personality development
AU - Anckarsäter, Henrik
AU - Stahlberg, Ola
AU - Larson, Tomas
AU - Hakansson, Catrin
AU - Jutblad, Sig Britt
AU - Niklasson, Lena
AU - Nydén, Agneta
AU - Wentz, Elisabet
AU - Westergren, Stefan
AU - Cloninger, C. Robert
AU - Gillberg, Christopher
AU - Rastam, Maria
PY - 2006/7
Y1 - 2006/7
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85047700326&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1176/ajp.2006.163.7.1239
DO - 10.1176/ajp.2006.163.7.1239
M3 - Article
C2 - 16816230
AN - SCOPUS:85047700326
SN - 0002-953X
VL - 163
SP - 1239
EP - 1244
JO - American Journal of Psychiatry
JF - American Journal of Psychiatry
IS - 7
ER -