Beyond Symptoms - A Cross-Sectional Study Exploring Functioning in Psychiatric Outpatients.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore factors influencing functioning in psychiatric outpatients, both separately and in combination. The primary objectives were to determine predictors of functioning, assess their significance in a combined analysis, and quantify their collective predictive power.

METHOD: A sample of 137 psychiatric outpatients diagnosed with bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) participated in this cross-sectional study, undergoing semi-structured diagnostic interviews for psychiatric and personality disorders. Participants also completed assessments of current functioning, personality traits (temperament and character), attachment style, and childhood trauma. Linear regression models were employed to analyse the relationships between these factors and level of functioning.

RESULTS

The majority of temperament and character traits and attachment dimensions, as well as having a personality disorder, predicted impaired functioning, but comorbidity and childhood trauma did not. When all variables were taken into account in a multiple regression analysis, only the temperament and character traits Harm Avoidance and Self-directedness remained significantly predictive (p = .006 and .003, respectively). These two factors explain about one-third of the variance.

CONCLUSIONS

Personality traits-more specifically, the temperament trait Harm Avoidance and the character trait Self-directedness-are strong predictors of functioning among psychiatric outpatients. Interestingly, when accounting for these factors, traditionally associated variables, such as attachment, comorbidity, and childhood trauma, lost their significance as predictors. These findings underscore the pivotal role of specific personality traits in understanding and predicting the functioning of psychiatric patients.