PERSONALITY DOMAINS AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS IN FIRST-EPISODE PSYCHOSIS
Authors: Serretti *Alessandro , Rodríguez-Jiménez Roberto , Romero-Ferreiro Veronica , Nuñez-Doyle Aggie , Fabbri Chiara , Fanelli Giuseppe , Scala Mauro 
Published: February 2025

Background

Personality traits in patients with schizophrenia influence various aspects of psychosis, including treatment response, cognitive functioning and the symptomatological profile (1). Negative symptoms in particular may represent an intensification of premorbid personality traits (2). However, the relationship between personality domains and negative symptoms in patients with a recent onset of psychosis is not well-explored.

Aims & Objectives

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between personality dimensions and negative symptoms in a sample of patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) who received a diagnosis of schizophrenia after six months.

Method

34 outpatients (26.3, SD 6.7 years old; 60% male) took part in this cross-sectional study. The Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS) (3) was used to assess the negative symptoms and the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) (4), a 240-item questionnaire, was used to measure the five-factor model of personality (FFM) traits, including neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis were performed to identify the association between personality scores and the dimensions of motivation/pleasure (MAP) and expression (EXP) provided by the CAINS (3).

Results

The linear regression suggested a negative association between the standardized score of the neuroticism domain with the EXP CAINS dimension (Pearson’ s r= -0.397, regression coefficient= -0.216, p=0.020). No other significant correlations were found.

Discussion & Conclusion

Most of personality domains did not correlate with negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Only neuroticism (i.e., the tendency to experience psychological distress symptoms, exhibit irrational thinking, display limited impulse control, and be susceptible to stress) showed a significant negative correlation with the expression CAINS domain (vocal expression, gestures, facial expressions, and speech) (3)(5). Schizophrenia is notoriously associated with a high level of neuroticism, that is also linked to the severity of delusions and cognitive functions (6). Our preliminary findings point to an influence of neuroticism on negative symptoms in schizophrenia, suggesting that patients with higher neuroticism scores tend to exhibit reduced expression in their behaviors and non-verbal communication. No correlation was found between neuroticism and the motivation/pleasure CAINS domain, suggesting that factors beyond personality may influence motivation and pleasure in patients with FEP. This study highlights the importance of examining the relationship between personality domains and clinical symptoms at the onset of schizophrenia. The understanding of this relationship may improve therapeutic approaches by addressing not only negative symptoms but also personality traits.

Patients with higher scores of neuroticisms may benefit from specific interventions to enhance their non-verbal communication and expressive abilities.

References

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