Publication Cover
Journal of Dual Diagnosis
research and practice in substance abuse comorbidity
Volume 16, 2020 - Issue 3
292
Views
1
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Psychotherapy & Psychosocial Issues

Comparing the Personality Traits of Patients with an Eating Disorder versus a Dual Diagnosis

, MSc, , PhD, , MSc & , PhD
Pages 336-346 | Published online: 03 Jul 2020
 

Abstract

Objectives: This cross-sectional study explored personality traits of individuals receiving treatment in a private clinic for an eating disorder (ED) compared to those receiving treatment for a dual diagnosis (DD; defined as an addiction to illegal drugs and/or alcohol along with a mental illness, in this case an ED). The aims of this study were to: (a) assess the personality profiles and differentiating traits between the ED and DD groups, (b) analyze differences in personality traits of restrictive ED versus bingeing ED profiles, and lastly (c) compare the individuals Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R) results to their personality clusters as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th edition (DSM-5). Methods: The TCI-R is a self-report questionnaire consisting of seven scales, each with their own subscales, which provide a fuller understanding of each temperament and character trait evaluated. This questionnaire was given to patients (n = 67) receiving treatment at a private institute specialized in eating disorders in Barcelona, Spain and the surrounding areas, along with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11). These subsequent questionnaires were given as they are often found to be comorbidities of ED. Results: The ED group (n = 41), regarding the TCI-R scales, showed higher scores in harm avoidance (HA), reward dependence (RD), persistence (P), cooperativeness (C) and self-directedness (SD). Whereas, the DD (n = 26) group, showed higher scores in novelty seeking (NS) and self-transcendence (ST). Also, there was a significant positive correlation between the DD group and the extravagance (NS3) subscale of novelty seeking across models. When comparing the two ED groups, the restrictive profile (RP) to the bingeing profile (BP), there were significant negative correlations in the TCI-R subscales of dependence (RD4) and perfectionism (P4) whereas there were positive correlations in the TCI-R subscale of responsibility (SD1). Conclusions: These results support previous studies and help to appraise differences in personality traits between specific groups in a clinical setting.

Acknowledgement

We thank ITA, Mental Health Specialists for institutional support and guidance in conducting this study. We most importantly thank the patients who volunteered to participate in this study, without them none of this would be possible.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest and no additional income to report.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 273.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.