Comprendiendo el temperamento difícil en adultos: un estudio de métodos mixtos / Understanding difficult temperament in adults: a mixed methods study

El temperamento difícil es un conjunto de características conductuales asociadas a la salud mental y un predictor significativo de psicopatología. El objetivo de este estudio era investigar qué características temperamentales pueden considerarse atributos del temperamento difícil en adultos lituanos. La muestra consistió en 429 adultos de entre 18 y 79 años de edad. Se utilizó el “Cuestionario de temperamento adulto” para evaluar las características temperamentales y el temperamento difícil percibido. Los datos se analizaron mediante un enfoque de métodos mixtos. Los resultados mostraron que el conjunto de atributos percibidos como constitutivos del temperamento difícil incluye características como el estado de ánimo negativo, la intensidad de las reacciones emocionales, la baja adaptabilidad, el retraimiento y la baja regularidad. El análisis de los datos cuantitativos reveló una inesperada relación negativa entre el temperamento difícil percibido y la característica de ritmicidad, mientras que en los datos cualitativos surgió una nueva categoría de terquedad. Estos hallazgos aportan nuevos conocimientos tanto sobre las especificidades culturales del temperamento difícil como sobre el contenido del constructo temperamento en general. Estos resultados también pueden ayudar en el desarrollo de nuevas investigaciones sobre el temperamento difícil, así como en la planificación de intervenciones de salud mental y asesoramiento psicológico.(AU)

Difficult temperament is a set of behavioral characteristics that areassociated with mental health and a significant predictor of psychopathology.This study aims to investigate which temperamental characteristics can beconsidered attributes of difficult temperament in Lithuanian adults. The sampleconsisted of 429 adults between 18 and 79 years of age. The Adult TemperamentQuestionnaire was used to assess temperamental characteristics and perceiveddifficult temperament. Data were analyzed using a mixed-methods approach. Theresults revealed that the set of attributes perceived as constituting difficulttemperament includes characteristics such as negative mood, intensity ofemotional reactions, low adaptability, withdrawal, and low regularity.Quantitative data analysis uncovered an unexpected negative relationshipbetween perceived difficult temperament and the rhythmicity characteristic, whilea new category of stubbornness emerged in the qualitative data. The findingsprovide new knowledge about both the cultural specifics of difficult temperamentand the content of the temperament construct in general. These results can alsoaid in the development of further research on difficult temperament, as well as inthe planning of mental health interventions and psychological counseling.(AU)

Spanish validation of the Barcelona TEMPS-A questionnaire in patients with bipolar disorder and general population.

BACKGROUND: The Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego (TEMPS-A) is a self-administered questionnaire intended to assess five affective temperaments: depressive, cyclothymic, hyperthymic, irritable and anxious. Our objective was to examine the psychometric properties of the TEMPS-A using a sample comprised by patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy controls (HC) and to determine cut-off scores for each temperament. METHODS: Five hundred and ninety-eight individuals (327 BD and 271 HC) completed the TEMPS-A. Cronbach's alpha was used to examine internal consistency reliability. Test-retest reliability and association between different temperamental scales were assessed using Spearman correlation. To confirm factor structure a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out. Cut-off scores indicating the presence of dominant temperament were also calculated. RESULTS: Internal consistency was optimal for all temperament subscales (α: 0.682- 0.893). The questionnaire demonstrated good test-retest reliability (ρ: 0.594-0.754). The strongest positive associations were found between cyclothymic and anxious and between depressive and anxious temperaments. Hyperthymic and depressive as well as hyperthymic and anxious temperaments showed a strong negative correlation. LIMITATIONS: The HC sample was not matched with the BD group. There were some sociodemographic and clinical differences between groups that may impact on the obtained results. A portion of patients with BD was recruited from tertiary centers. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the Barcelona TEMPS-A questionnaire presents a good internal consistency and their results are stable in clinical population. The performance of the Barcelona TEMPS-A is as good as the original scale.

Health-related quality of life, temperament, and eating behavior among formula-fed infants in the Philippines: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The rising prevalence of childhood obesity in Asia has led to interest in potential risk factors such as infant health-related quality of life (HRQoL), temperament and eating behaviors. This pilot study evaluated the utility of administering parent-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to explore these factors in Filipino infants and examined the relationships between these factors and infant sex, formula intake and weight, over time. METHODS: Forty healthy, 4-week-old, formula-fed infants (n = 20 males) were enrolled in this 6-week, prospective, uncontrolled study during which infants were exclusively fed a standard term infant formula enriched with alpha-lactalbumin. On Day-1 and 42, anthropometrics were measured and mothers completed a 97-item measure of HRQoL [Infant Toddler Quality of Life Questionnaire (ITQOL)] covering 6 infant-focused and 3 parent-focused concepts and a 24-item measure of infant temperament [Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (ICQ)]. At Day-42, mothers also completed an 18-item measure of infant appetite [Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (BEBQ)]. A 3-day formula intake diary was completed before Day-42. Nonparametric statistics were used to evaluate correlations among outcomes and compare outcomes by visit and sex. RESULTS: Thirty-nine infants completed the study; similar results were observed in males and females. Completion of PROMs was 100% with no missing responses, but Cronbach's α was low for many concept scales scores. ITQOL scores [range 0 (worst)-100 (best)] were generally high (median ≥ 80) except for Day-1 and Day-42 Temperament and Mood and Day-1 General Health Perceptions scores. ITQOL but not ICQ temperament scores improved significantly between Day-1 and Day-42 (P < 0.01). Mean ± standard deviation BEBQ scores (range 1-5) were high for Enjoyment of Food (4.59 ± 0.60) and Food Responsiveness (3.53 ± 0.81), and low for Satiety Responsiveness (2.50 ± 0.73) and Slowness in Eating (1.71 ± 0.60). Better HRQoL scores were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with high General Appetite scores (3 ITQOL concepts, r = 0.32 to 0.54), greater Enjoyment of Food (4 ITQOL concepts, r = 0.35 to 0.42) and low levels of Slowness in Eating (7 ITQOL concepts, r = - 0.32 to - 0.47). CONCLUSION: Findings demonstrated the utility of the ITQOL, ICQ and BEBQ for measuring HRQoL, temperament and eating behavior, and the need for further adaptations for use in Filipino infants. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02431377; Registered May 1, 2015.

Predictors of childhood trajectories of overt and indirect aggression: An interdisciplinary approach.

The aim of this study was to advance our understanding of the development of aggression in boys and girls by testing a model combining insights from both evolutionary theory and developmental psychology. A sample of 744 children (348 girls) between six and 13 years old was recruited in schools with high deprivation indices. Half of the sample (N = 372; 40.1% girls) had received special educational services for behavioral and/or socio-emotional problems. Two trajectories for overt aggression and two trajectories for indirect aggression were identified and binomial logistic regressions were used to identify environmental predictors and sex-specific patterns of these trajectories. Results indicated that peer rejection predicted overt aggression and indirect aggression and that extraversion and male sex predicted overt aggression. The results also showed that interaction between parental practices and some child temperament traits predicted overt aggression (coercion and lack of supervision associated with extraversion or low effortful control) or indirect aggression (coercion and neglect associated with negative affect or low effortful control), and the absence of a father figure predicted high indirect aggression in girls.

Challenging predictions between affective temperaments, depression and anxiety in a Kosovo student community sample.

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between temperament and mental health problems is seen very important as we hope to explain the trajectory of this interaction. The aim of this study was to test the validity of affective temperaments for predicting psychiatric morbidity, by explaining the relationships between temperament, anxiety and depression in a community sample. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. The present sample consisted of 960 participants (347 male, 622 female) with a mean age of M = 28.4 (SD = 10) randomly recruited. Affective temperaments were measured by the brief version of TEMPS-A, depression and anxiety measured with Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory. RESULTS: The Cronbach alpha reliability coefficients for affective temperaments were between .72 and .81, for BDI and BAI, were .88 and .90. The study found significant gender differences on depressive [t(959) = -4.2, p<.001], cyclothymic [t(957) = -4.6, p < .001] and anxious temperament [t(957) = -8.2, p < .001], females having higher scores than males, and reverse results on hyperthermic temperament [t(958) = 2.1, p < .045], males having higher scores than females. No gender difference is found in irritable temperament [t(955) = -.581, p < .561]. Affective temperaments were found significant predictors for depression and anxiety. The combination of the depressive temperament and cyclothymic temperament explained the 32% variance of depression and the 25% variance of anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings are consistent with some other studies and stress the importance of screening for effective temperament in order to early identify depression and anxiety. Further investigation is needed to understand what are other factors that influence the relationship between affective temperaments with depression and anxiety.

Exuberant and inhibited children: Person-centered profiles and links to social adjustment.

The current study aimed to substantiate and extend our understanding regarding the existence and developmental pathways of 3 distinct temperament profiles-exuberant, inhibited, and average approach-in a sample of 3.5-year-old children (n = 121). The interactions between temperamental styles and specific types of effortful control, inhibitory control and attentional control, were also examined in predicting kindergarten peer acceptance. Latent profile analysis identified 3 temperamental styles: exuberant, inhibited, and average approach. Support was found for the adaptive role of inhibitory control for exuberant children and attentional control for inhibited children in promoting peer acceptance in kindergarten. These findings add to our current understanding of temperamental profiles by using sophisticated methodology in a slightly older, community sample, as well as the importance of examining specific types of self-regulation to identify which skills lower risk for children of different temperamental styles. (PsycINFO Database Record

Affective temperaments in anorexia nervosa: The relevance of depressive and anxious traits.

BACKGROUND: Affective temperaments have been so far understudied in anorexia nervosa (AN) despite the relevance of personality and both affective and anxious comorbidity with regard to vulnerability, course, and outcome of this deadly disorder. METHODS: Ninety-eight female inpatients diagnosed with AN and 131 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this study and completed the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) in addition to assessments of eating psychopathology, depression, and anxiety. RESULTS: AN patients and HCs differed in all affective temperaments. The diagnostic subtypes of AN differed as well with binge-purging individuals being more cyclothymic and anxious than those with restricting-type AN. TEMPS-A scores correlated with body mass index and eating psychopathology but not with duration of illness. Concerning comorbidity, grater scores on the depressive and lower scores on the hyperthymic temperaments were found in depressed patients. Those who had either an anxious or irritable temperament were significantly more diagnosed with an anxious disorder than those who did not show this temperament. When logistic regression was performed, high depressive/low hyperthymic and high irritable/anxious traits resulted to be associated with depressive and anxious comorbidity, respectively, independently of confounding factors. LIMITATIONS: Cross-sectional design, some patients on medications, few baseline clinical differences between diagnostic subtypes, no other personality assessments. CONCLUSIONS: An affective continuum strongly associated with mood and anxious comorbidity emerged in AN. Such an evaluation could have several research and clinical implications given the need of improving treatment individualization and early interventions for such a complex disorder.

The Association Between Temperament and Microbiota in Healthy Individuals: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether enterotypes in the gut microbiome could be determined by clustering validity indexes and whether these enterotypes were associated with individual differences in temperament traits. METHODS: Sixty healthy Korean participants (21 men; 27.5 [8.1] years, 39 women; 34.5 [14.3] years) were asked to answer 60 temperament questions (novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and persistence) from the Korean version of the Temperament and Character Inventory-125. The participants' stool samples were submitted, and relative operational taxonomic units were calculated using 16S rRNA gene-based microarrays. Differences between sexes and age-related effects on the temperament and operational taxonomic unit abundances were determined, and optimal clustering numbers related to enterotypes were examined using connectivity and silhouette width (SW) indexes. Finally, the differences in temperament between enterotypes were examined. RESULTS: There was no significant effect of sex or age on gut microbiota and temperament scores. The hierarchical dendrogram, connectivity, and SW analysis indicated bimodal enterotypes. Bacteroidaceae were more abundant in enterotype 1 (46.24%, N = 45), whereas Prevotellaceae were more abundant in enterotype 2 (43.83%, n = 15). Among the four temperament dimensions, novelty seeking and reward dependence scores were higher in enterotype 1 (10.82 [2.99] and 8.07 [2.51] points) than in enterotype 2 (8.87 [2.42] and 5.73 [1.03] points). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest an association between temperament and enterotypes in healthy Korean adults. It is conceivable that this association may develop early in life as a result of biological processes catalyzed by the gut microbiota during infancy.

Profiles of Temperament among Youth with Specific Phobias: Implications for CBT Outcomes.

Specific phobias (SPs) are characterized by excessive fear or anxiety regarding an object or situation. SPs often result in a host of negative outcomes in childhood and beyond. Children with SPs are broadly assumed to show dispositional over-regulation and fearfulness relative to children without SPs, but there are few attempts to distinguish dispositional patterns among children with SPs. In the present study, we examined trajectories of differing temperamental profiles for youth receiving a CBT-based treatment for their SP. Participants were 117 treatment seeking youth (M Age = 8.77 years, Age Range = 6-15 years; 54.7% girls) who met criteria for a SP and their mothers. Three temperament profiles emerged and were conceptually similar to previously supported profiles: well-adjusted; inhibited; and under-controlled. While all groups showed similarly robust reductions in SP severity following treatment, differences among the three groups emerged in terms of broader internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and global outlook. The well-adjusted group was higher in functioning initially than the other two groups. The inhibited group had initial disadvantages in initial internalizing symptoms. The under-controlled group showed greatest comorbidity risks and had initial disadvantages in both internalizing and externalizing symptoms. These distinct clusters represent considerable heterogeneity within a clinical sample of youth with SP who are often assumed to have homogenous behavior tendencies of inhibition and fearfulness. Findings suggest that considering patterns of temperament among children with phobias could assist treatment planning and inform ongoing refinements to improve treatment response.

A Twin Factor Mixture Modeling Approach to Childhood Temperament: Differential Heritability.

Twin factor mixture modeling was used to identify temperament profiles while simultaneously estimating a latent factor model for each profile with a sample of 787 twin pairs (Mage  = 7.4 years, SD = .84; 49% female; 88.3% Caucasian), using mother- and father-reported temperament. A four-profile, one-factor model fit the data well. Profiles included "regulated, typical reactive," "well-regulated, positive reactive," "regulated, surgent," and "dysregulated, negative reactive." All profiles were heritable, with lower heritability and shared environment also contributing to membership in the "regulated, typical reactive" and "dysregulated, negative reactive" profiles.

Categorization of Functional Constipation in Traditional Persian Medicine: A Descriptive Study.

Functional constipation (FC) is a common clinical condition without any specific physiological causes with economic cost and adverse effects on patients' quality of life. The present study aimed to evaluate the causes of nonobstructive constipation in traditional Persian medicine and its prevalence in patients with functional constipation by content analysis of patients' interviews and clinical exams. In this study, almost two thirds of the patients with functional constipation had mild to severe cold distemperament of the gastrointestinal system, and in almost half of them the signs and symptoms were compatible with dry distemperament of the gastrointestinal. This observational study reports high prevalence of gastrointestinal system distemperaments in patients with functional constipation. According to the results, we can consider the proposed management of distemperaments in traditional Persian medicine for functional constipation treatment and pathophysiology explanation. This project is a novel study that provides the opportunity for investigating the epidemiological aspects of these distemperaments and their relationship with functional constipation.

How many infants are temperamentally difficult? Comparing norms from the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire to a population sample of UK infants.

The original norms for the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire (RITQ) were published in 1978 and were based on a small sample from the US. The aim of this study is to compare temperament scores from the original RITQ against scores from a large population-based cohort of infants from the UK. This study consists of 10,937 infants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) born between April 1991 and December 1992 in the southwest of England. Infant temperament at 6 months of age was reported by parents using the adapted RITQ. Responses were scored according to the RITQ manual and then categorized into temperament groups (easy, intermediate low, intermediate high, and difficult) using either the RITQ norms or norms derived from the data. The scores for each temperament subscale and the proportion of children in each temperament group were compared across the two methods. Subscale scores for the ALSPAC sample were higher (more "difficult") than the RITQ norms for rhythmicity, approach, adaptability, intensity, and distractibility. When RITQ norms were applied, 24% infants were categorized as difficult and 25% as easy, compared with 15% difficult and 38% easy when ALSPAC norms were used. There are discrepancies between RITQ norms and the ALSPAC norms which resulted in differences in the distribution of temperament groups. There is a need to re-examine RITQ norms and categorization for use in primary care practice and contemporary population-based studies.

Affective temperaments in subjects with female-to-male gender dysphoria.

BACKGROUND: Males and females have different temperaments. In individuals with gender dysphoria (GD) there is marked incongruence between a person׳s expressed/experienced gender and their biological sex. The present study aimed to investigate the most common affective temperaments in individuals with female-to-male (FtM) GD. METHODS: We performed a prospective and comparative study investigating affective temperaments in subjects with FtM GD. Eighty subjects with FtM GD and 68 female controls were enrolled. The Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) was completed by all participants. RESULTS: TEMPS-A scores were significantly higher in subjects with FtM GD for hyperthymic temperament (p≤0.001), whereas depressive (p≤0.001), anxious (p≤0.001), and cyclothymic (p=0.028) temperament scores were significantly higher in female controls. LIMITATIONS: The study was limited by the lack of male-to-female subjects and male controls. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study indicate that individuals with FtM GD have significantly higher scores of hyperthymic temperament, measured by TEMPS-A. Biological basis underlying the development of gender identity independent from the biological sex might be related with affective temperaments.

[Temperament and character traits measured by temperament and character inventory (TCI) by Cloninger in patients with ischemic heart disease]. / Cechy temperamentu i charakteru mierzone kwestionariuszem TCI cloningera u chorych na chorobe niedokrwienna serca.

UNLABELLED: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is one of the main causes of death and disability worldwide. This situation stimulates research of its ethiopathogenesis. The role of psychosocial factors like depression, stress is underlined. Also personality traits play an important role in this process. The aim of study was to assess temperament and character traits in a group of patients with IHD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was used to determine temperament and character dimensions. Temperament traits: harm avoidance (HA), reward dependence (RD), novelty seeking (NS), persistence (P), character traits: cooperativeness (C), self-directedness (SD), self-transcendence (ST). Each of these traits has a varying number of subscales. The dimensions are determined from a 240-item questionnaire. RESULTS: Patients with IHD obtained higher scores in HA dimension of the TCI questionnaire. The study group achieved lower score in a subscale of NS called extravagance (NS3), and higher score of C dimension called compassion (C4). CONCLUSION: The intensity of temperament and character traits are different in a group of patients with IHD in comparison with the control group especially in dimensions of HA, NS3 and C4. Variables that differentiated the study group were also sex, age and years of education.

[The Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A)--an important tool to study affective temperaments]. / Skala TEMPS-A (Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa and San Diego Autoquestionnaire)--wazne narzedzie do badania temperamentów afektywnych.

The aim of the paper is to describe the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) constructed by prominent researchers of affective disorders, under the direction of Hagop Akiskal, and functioning in full version since 2005. The article refers to the definitions of temperament, including the concept of affective temperament, related to the area of emotionality and conceptualized as the endophenotype of affective disorders. Based on clinical observations, initially four types of temperament had been delineated: hiperthymic, depressed, irritable and cyclothymic, and, subsequently, the anxious temperament was added. Full version of the scale contains 110 items for the five types of temperament, which were discussed in detail. The TEMPS-A has been translated into 32 languages and its verification was performed in many countries, including Poland. The scale has been widely used in epidemiological and clinical studies in general population, in patients with affective disorders, and in other diseases. In affective disorders, different types of temperament show, among others, a relationship to the type and symptomatology of bipolar disorder as well as to a predisposition to suicidal behavior. In Poznan centre, an association between several dimensions of temperament of the TEMPS-A, and prophylacic efficacy of lithium has been shown. Different types of temperament also play a role in other mental disorders and somatic diseases. In the final section of the article, the studies performed so far on the molecular-genetic determinants of temperament dimensions, measured by the TEMPS-A are presented.

Psychological but not vasomotor symptoms are associated with temperament and character traits.

OBJECTIVE: Recent evidence suggests that climacteric symptoms may be intensified by specific temperament and personality traits in postmenopausal women. In this study we investigate Cloninger's model of personality in relation to menopausal symptoms. METHODS: One-hundred and seventy peri- and postmenopausal women consecutively recruited from a menopause clinic of an academic hospital completed the Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-140) which measures four dimensions of temperament: Harm avoidance, Novelty seeking, Reward dependence and Persistence, as well as three dimensions of character: Self-directedness, Cooperativeness, and Self-transcendence. Menopausal somatic, vasomotor and psychological symptoms were also assessed using the Greene Climacteric Scale. RESULTS: In comparison to the norms of the Greek general population, postmenopausal women presented lower scores in Novelty seeking and Reward dependence and higher scores in Persistence, Self-directedness, Cooperativeness and Self-transcendence. Higher harm avoidance (the inclination to avoid potential punishment, be shy and fearful of uncertainty) significantly correlated with anxiety and depressive symptoms while lower Self-directedness (the ability to have the willpower to adapt to or overcome any changes) correlated with depressive symptoms only. By multivariate regression analysis, higher Harm avoidance and lower Self-directedness were independently associated with the presence of depressive symptoms. No significant associations were observed between TCI-140 traits and somatic or vasomotor symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that most temperament and character traits according to Cloninger's model in peri- and postmenopausal women varied significantly as compared to the general population. Among several traits, high Harm avoidance and low Self-directedness were most strongly associated with psychological climacteric distress but not with somatic and vasomotor symptoms.

Describing temperament in an ungulate: a multidimensional approach.

Studies on animal temperament have often described temperament using a one-dimensional scale, whereas theoretical framework has recently suggested two or more dimensions using terms like "valence" or "arousal" to describe these dimensions. Yet, the valence or assessment of a situation is highly individual. The aim of this study was to provide support for the multidimensional framework with experimental data originating from an economically important species (Bos taurus). We tested 361 calves at 90 days post natum (dpn) in a novel-object test. Using a principal component analysis (PCA), we condensed numerous behaviours into fewer variables to describe temperament and correlated these variables with simultaneously measured heart rate variability (HRV) data. The PCA resulted in two behavioural dimensions (principal components, PC): novel-object-related (PC 1) and exploration-activity-related (PC 2). These PCs explained 58% of the variability in our data. The animals were distributed evenly within the two behavioural dimensions independent of their sex. Calves with different scores in these PCs differed significantly in HRV, and thus in the autonomous nervous system's activity. Based on these combined behavioural and physiological data we described four distinct temperament types resulting from two behavioural dimensions: "neophobic/fearful--alert", "interested--stressed", "subdued/uninterested--calm", and "neoophilic/outgoing--alert". Additionally, 38 calves were tested at 90 and 197 dpn. Using the same PCA-model, they correlated significantly in PC 1 and tended to correlate in PC 2 between the two test ages. Of these calves, 42% expressed a similar behaviour pattern in both dimensions and 47% in one. No differences in temperament scores were found between sexes or breeds. In conclusion, we described distinct temperament types in calves based on behavioural and physiological measures emphasising the benefits of a multidimensional approach.

[Characteristics of central nervous system activity in patients with complications of arterial hypertension and dependence on psychomotor status and treatment].

Changes in certain CNS characteristics were used as indicators of the efficacy of antihypertensive therapy (AHT) both targeted (T-AHT) and empirical (E-AHT) designed to suppress activity of the sympathetic component of vegetative nervous system (VNS) and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in patients of different psychic status and AH. A group of 835 men (mean age 54.2+-1.8yr) was divided into cholerics, sanguinics, melancholics and phlegmatics with a high and low anxiety level (HA and LA). 416 healthy men served as controls. The following parameters were estimated: mobility of cortical processes, balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activities, blood corrisol and aldosterone levels, oxygen utilization coefficient, resistance to breath holding, severity of dyscirculatory encephalopathy and the fraction of patients with AH complications during 12 month T-AHT for the suppression of sympathetic activity in cholerics and sanguinics by beta-adrenoblockers and PAA C- ACE inhibitors in phlegmatics and melancholics and during E-AHT (ACE inhibitors in cholerics and sanguinics, BAB in phlegmatics and melancholics). The functional activity of CNS in phlegmatics and melancholics before and during AHT was lower and severity of encephalopathy and the number ofAH complications higher than in cholerics and sanguinics. . The changes wiere more pronounced in patients with HA than in those with LA. Unlike E-AHT T-AHT (anxiolytics for cholerics and sanguinics with HA, antidepressants for phlegmatics and melancholics with HA) normalized the study parameters and decreased the frequency of complications by 2-3 times.