Factorial structure, validity, and reliability of the Turkish temperament and character inventory

Amaç: Cloninger, kişiliğin yapısını ve gelişimini tanımlamak için, genel bir psikobiyolojik kuram geliştirmiştir. Bu model, dört mizaç boyutu (yenilik arayışı, zarardan kaçınma, ödül bağımlılığı ve sebat etme) ve üç karakter boyutunu (kendini yönetme, iş birliği yapma ve kendini aşma) içermektedir. Kişinin kendi doldurduğu bir ölçek olan TCI (Temperament and Character Inventory) mizaç ve karakter boyutlarını ve bunların 25 altboyutunu ölçmek üzere geliştirilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, TCI’nin psikometrik özelliklerini bir Türk örnekleminde sınamaktı. Yöntem: Çalışmanın örneklemi, hayatlarının hiç bir döneminde herhangi bir psikolojik/psikiyatrik tedavi almamış 470 sağlıklı gönüllü ve 544 psikiyatri hastasından oluştu. Bulgular: Ayrı ayrı olarak araştırılan, mizaç ve karakter boyutlarının faktör yapıları, keşfetmekten heyecan duyma (NS1), sebat etme ve kendini kabullenme (SD4) hariç, öngörülen kuramsal yapı ile uyuşmaktaydı. Ölçeklerin iç tutarlılığı genel olarak kabul edilebilir düzeydeydi, ancak, ödül bağımlılığı (0.55) ve sebat etme’de (0.56) zayıftı. Korelasyonlar ve grup karşılaştırmaları TCI’nin yapı geçerliğine katkıda bulunmaktadır. Sonuç: Bu çalışmanın bulguları, TCI’nin Türkçe versiyonunun tatmin edici psikometrik özelliklere sahip olduğunu doğrulamaktadır. TCI, hem klinik uygulamalarda hem de araştırmalarda kişiliği değerlendirmek için kullanılabilecek yararlı bir araç olarak görünmektedir.Objective: To assess the factorial structure, reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), a 240-item, self-report, paper-and-pencil test, and true-false format inventory based on Cloninger’s psychobiological model of personality. It measures the four higher-order temperament dimensions and three character dimensions. Method: Using samples consisting of 470 healthy volunteers and 544 psychiatric patients, psychometric features were explored. Results: The internal consistency of the scales was good (Cronbach alpha coefficients between 0.68 and 0.84), but weak for Reward dependence (0.55) and Persistence (0.56). The factor structures of the temperament and character dimensions, explored separately, were in agreement with the hypothesized constructs, except for the scales NS1 (Novelty Seeking 1 = exploratory excitability) and SD4 (Self-directedness 4 - self-acceptance). The present study also confirmed that the TCI scales were weakly related among themselves. On the whole, psychiatric patients had higher harm avoidance and lower self-directedness, persistence, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence scores than the normal subjects. Gender differences were also found for different dimensions. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the TCI can be applied in the investigation of psychiatric and normal populations

Does tobacco use cause psychosis?:Systematic review and meta-analysis

SummaryBackgroundAlthough the association between psychotic illness and cigarette smoking is well known, the reasons are unclear why people with psychosis are more likely to smoke than are the general population. We aimed to test several hypotheses. First, that daily tobacco use is associated with an increased risk of psychotic illness in both case-control and prospective studies. Second, that smoking is associated with an earlier age at onset of psychotic illness. Finally, that an earlier age at initiation of smoking is associated with an increased risk of psychosis. We also aimed to derive an estimate of the prevalence of smoking in patients presenting with their first episode of psychosis.MethodsWe searched Embase, Medline, and PsycINFO and selected observational studies in which rates of smoking were reported in people with psychotic disorders, compared with controls. We calculated the weighted mean difference for age at onset of psychosis and age at initiation of smoking. For categorical outcomes, we calculated odds ratios from cross-sectional studies and risk ratios from prospective studies.FindingsOf 3717 citations retrieved, 61 studies comprising 72 samples met inclusion criteria. The overall sample included 14 555 tobacco users and 273 162 non-users. The prevalence of smoking in patients presenting with their first episode of psychosis was 0·57 (95% CI 0·52–0·62; p<0·0001). In case-control studies, the overall odds ratio for the first episode of psychosis in smokers versus non-smokers was 3·22 (95% CI 1·63–6·33), with some evidence of publication bias (Egger's test p=0·018, Begg's test p=0·007). For prospective studies, we calculated an overall relative risk of new psychotic disorders in daily smokers versus non-smokers of 2·18 (95% CI 1·23–3·85). Daily smokers developed psychotic illness at an earlier age than did non-smokers (weighted mean difference −1·04 years, 95% CI −1·82 to −0·26). Those with psychosis started smoking at a non-significantly earlier age than did healthy controls (−0·44 years, 95% CI −1·21 to 0·34).InterpretationDaily tobacco use is associated with increased risk of psychosis and an earlier age at onset of psychotic illness. The possibility of a causal link between tobacco use and psychosis merits further examination.FundingNIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre