This study proposes a psychometric approach to assess the General Factor of Personality (GFP) to explain the whole personality. This approach defends the existence of one basic factor that represents the overall personality. The General Factor of Personality Questionnaire (GFPQ) is presented to measure the basic, combined trait of the complete personality. The questionnaire includes 20 items and is constituted by two scales with 10 items each one: the Extraversion Scale (ES) and the Introversion Scale (IS). The GFPQ shows adequate internal consistency and construct validity, while the relationships with the personality factors of other models and with psychopathology are as expected. It correlates positively and significantly with Extraversion (E) and Psychoticism (P), and negatively with Neuroticism (N) of Eysenck's EPQ (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire); it correlates positively and significantly with the Sensation Seeking Scaled (SSS) of Zuckerman, and is inside the expected direction with Sensitivity to Reward (SR) and Sensitivity to Punishment (SP) of the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ), which represent the approach and avoidance trends of behavior, respectively. It not only relates negatively with the personality disorders of the anxiety spectrum, but also with the emotional disorders in relation to anxiety and depression, and it relates positively with the antisocial personality disorder.

The aims of the present study were: a) to examine associations between pre-treatment BMI, body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, alexithymia, and restraint, emotional and external eating behaviour in obese patients; b) to analyze the impact of the pre-treatment measures in psychological variables on the outcome of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program; c) to test the effectiveness of rhythmic movement therapy (RMT) in the treatment of disordered eating behaviors and obesity with the CBT non-responders. At the first stage of treatment a total of 104 patients (32 males and 72 females, mean age was 37.6±6.7 years) self-referred or referred by professionals to CBT weight management program were selected at random. At the second stage 58 obese CBT-non-responders were randomly divided among the continuing CBT individual treatment group and RMT group. Control group was included. Results revealed that: a) significant associations existed between pre-treatment BMI, external eating and two dimensions of perfectionism, as well as between emotional and external eating and all dimensions of perfectionism, alexithymia and body image dissatisfaction; b) pre-treatment means of psychological variables significantly impacted the CBT program outcome; c). the efficacy of RMT approach for weight reduction as well as for the improvement of psychological status for CBT-non-responders was confirmed.

In the present study, an attempt has been made to investigate the complete ‘pattern’ of a suicide attempter (SA) within the set of Big Five traits. Two models were used: M1, which includes the five main dimensions of Big Five in the analysis; and M2, which includes facets of those dimensions which were identified as important in M1. The study consisted of a group of SA (men – 326, women – 299) and a group of healthy volunteers (HV) (men – 143, women – 190) with a similar age range. Discriminant analysis (DA) showed that the factors most significant in discriminating the personality pattern of a male SA are (in decreasing order): (E) Extraversion, (N) Neuroticism, (C) Conscientiousness and (O) Openness; and for a female SA these factors were (E) Extraversion, (C) Conscientiousness and (A) Agreeableness. In M2 for men, the largest contribution to pattern recognition is (N3) Depression. Moreover, in M2 for men significant characteristics were (in descending order): (E6) Positive Emotions, (O1) Fantasy, (E4) Activity, and also (N2) Angry Hostility, (C3) Dutifulness, (C4) Achievement Striving, (C2) Order and (O6) Values; and for women: (E4) Activity, (C6) Deliberation, (C2) Order, (A6) Tender-Mindedness, (E5) Excitement Seeking, (E6) Positive Emotions, (C4) Achievement Striving, (A2) Straightforwardness, (C5) Self-Discipline and (E1) Warmth. Analysis of the obtained data demonstrates that suicide attempts amongst males, can largely be associated with personality variables reflecting negative emotions; while female suicide attempts are primarily associated with variables regarding activity and self-regulation.

El propósito era evaluar los rasgos de la personalidad en sujetos con un diagnóstico del DSM-IV de fobia social. Se administró a 32 sujetos la Entrevista Clínica Estructurada para el DSM-IV para los trastornos de los Ejes I y II (SCID I y II). Los rasgos de la personalidad se evaluaron por medio de las Escalas Karolinska de la Personalidad (KSP). Se diagnosticó comorbilidad actual y vital del Eje I en el 28% y el 53% de los sujetos, respectivamente. En total, el 59% tuvo al menos un trastorno de la personalidad y se diagnosticó trastorno de la personalidad por evitación al 47%. Las personas con fobia social puntuaron significativamente más alto que una muestra normativa sueca en las KSP que medían propensión a la ansiedad, irritabilidad, despego y agresión indirecta, pero más bajo en las escalas para socialización y deseabilidad social. La presencia de trastorno de la personalidad por evitación en las personas con fobia social, comparado con su ausencia, se asociaba significativamente con ansiedad psíquica más alta e inhibición de la agresión. Además, la gravedad de los síntomas era mayor en las personas con fobia social y trastorno de la personalidad por evitación. En general, los resultados apoyan la idea de que la fobia social y el trastorno de la personalidad por evitación reflejan aspectos diferentes de un espectro de ansiedad social.

Se ha encontrado que el alelo A1 del polimorfismo de longitud de fragmentos de restricción (RFLP) Taql A del gen del receptor D2 de dopamina está asociado con el abuso de sustancias y el alcoholismo. El rasgo de personalidad búsqueda de la novedad (BN) se asocia también con el abuso y la dependencia de sustancias. Sobre la base de la implicación de mecanismos dopaminérgicos en el abuso de sustancias, formamos la hipótesis de que la presencia del alelo A1 del gen del receptor D2 de dopamina puede representar una predisposición genérica para el rasgo de personalidad BN. Por tanto, investigamos si el alelo A1 del RFLP Tagí A del gen del receptor D2 de dopamina se asocia con la dimensión de BN del Cuestionario Tridimensional de la Personalidad (TPQ) en sujetos caucasianos sanos sin historia de abuso o dependencia de alcohol o sustancias. Determinamos el genotipo de 204 sujetos de 18 a 30 años edad. No hubo asociación entre ninguno de los alelos de los genes del receptor D2 y ninguna de las puntuaciones del TPQ (BN, Evitación del daño, Dependencia de la recompensa). Concluimos que el alelo A1 del RFLP Taql A del receptor D2 de dopamina no se asocia con el rasgo de personalidad BN en los sujetos caucasianos sanos.