Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
Laboratori d'Estadística Aplicada, Departament de Psicobiologia i Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
Psychol Med. 2014 Jan;44(2):337-48. doi: 10.1017/S0033291713000822. Epub 2013 Apr 22.
Cross-sectional studies show that neuroticism is strongly associated with affective disorders. We investigated whether neuroticism and affective disorders mutually reinforce each other over time, setting off a potential downward spiral.
A total of 2981 adults aged 18-65 years, consisting of healthy controls, persons with a prior history of affective disorders and persons with a current affective disorder were assessed at baseline (T1) and 2 (T2) and 4 years (T3) later. At each wave, affective disorders according to DSM-IV criteria were assessed with the Composite Interview Diagnostic Instrument (CIDI) version 2.1 and neuroticism with the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI).
Using structural equation models the association of distress disorders (i.e. dysthymia, depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder) and fear disorders (i.e. social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia without panic) with neuroticism could be attributed to three components: (a) a strong correlation of the stable components of distress and fear disorders with the stable trait component of neuroticism; (b) a modest contemporaneous association of change in distress and fear disorders with change in neuroticism; (c) a small to modest delayed effect of change in distress and fear disorders on change in neuroticism. Moreover, neuroticism scores in participants newly affected at T2 but remitted at T3 did not differ from their pre-morbid scores at T1.
Our results do not support a positive feedback cycle of changes in psychopathology and changes in neuroticism. In the context of a relative stability of neuroticism and affective disorders, only modest contemporaneous and small to modest delayed effects of psychopathology on neuroticism were observed.
横断面研究表明，神经质与情感障碍密切相关。我们研究了神经质和情感障碍是否会随着时间的推移相互加强，从而引发潜在的恶性循环。
共纳入 2981 名年龄在 18-65 岁的成年人，包括健康对照者、有既往情感障碍史者和当前有情感障碍者。在基线（T1）和 2 年（T2）及 4 年（T3）后对他们进行评估。在每个时间点，使用 DSM-IV 标准的复合访谈诊断工具（CIDI）版本 2.1 评估情感障碍，使用神经质-外向性-开放性五因素问卷（NEO-FFI）评估神经质。
使用结构方程模型，将困扰障碍（即心境恶劣障碍、抑郁障碍、广泛性焦虑障碍）和恐惧障碍（即社交焦虑障碍、惊恐障碍、广场恐怖症无惊恐发作）与神经质的关联归因于三个因素：（a）困扰和恐惧障碍的稳定成分与神经质的稳定特质成分之间存在很强的相关性；（b）困扰和恐惧障碍的变化与神经质的变化之间存在适度的同期关联；（c）困扰和恐惧障碍的变化对神经质的变化有小到适度的延迟效应。此外，在 T2 时新发病但在 T3 时缓解的参与者的神经质评分与 T1 时的前病评分无差异。
我们的结果不支持精神病理学变化和神经质变化之间的正反馈循环。在神经质和情感障碍相对稳定的情况下，仅观察到精神病理学对神经质的同期适度和小到适度的延迟效应。
