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Temperament features in adolescents with ego-syntonic or ego-dystonic obsessive-compulsive symptoms

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Abstract

The present study evaluated whether different patterns of temperament may predict a different threshold of acceptability of obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms in adolescents. OC symptomatology was detected with the Leyton Obsessional Inventory-Child Version (LOI-CV) and temperament was assessed using the tridimensional personality questionnaire in 2,775 high-school students. According to the LOI-CV scores, the adolescents were classified as high interference (interfering, ego-dystonic symptoms) (HI), supernormal (noninterfering, ego-syntonic symptoms) (Sn) and controls (C) HI were 119 (4.3%), Sn 85 (3.1%) and C 2,571 (92.6%). The best predictor of belonging to HI or Sn groups was the temperament configuration of high Harm Avoidance (HA) and high Persistence (P). The feature that mainly distinguishes the two symptomatic groups were Novelty Seeking (NS) levels. Our data suggest that people characterized by pessimistic worry in anticipation of future problems, passive avoidant behaviour, rapid fatigability (high HA) and irresoluteness, ambitiousness, perseverance, perfectionism, enduring feelings of frustration (high P) might develop OC symptoms. Whether OC symptoms become ego-syntonic or ego-dystonic seems to mainly depend on NS levels: low NS might protect people (with the prevention of “exploratory and active behaviours” that may elicit loss of control on symptoms) from the development of interfering OC symptoms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatric Division, University of Parma, Parma, Italy

    Carlo Marchesi MD, Chiara DePanfilis MD & Carlo Maggini MD

  2. Mental Health Department, AUSL Parma, Parma, Italy

    Paolo Ampollini MD

  3. Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Sezione di Psichiatria, Università degli Studi di Parma, Str del Quartiere 2, 43100, Parma, Italy

    Carlo Marchesi MD

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  1. Carlo Marchesi MD
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  2. Paolo Ampollini MD
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  3. Chiara DePanfilis MD
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  4. Carlo Maggini MD
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Correspondence to Carlo Marchesi MD.

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Marchesi, C., Ampollini, P., DePanfilis, C. et al. Temperament features in adolescents with ego-syntonic or ego-dystonic obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 17, 392–396 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-008-0681-0

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