Are Personality Characteristics as Measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) Associated with Obesity Treatment Outcomes? A Systematic Review (original) (raw)

Personality and attrition from behavioral weight-loss treatment for obesity

General Hospital Psychiatry, 2008

Objective: Some personality features, as measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), have recently been found to be related to successful weight outcome after both behavioral and surgical therapies for obesity. However, personality features could possibly influence attendance in obesity treatments as well. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore whether personality variables assessed by the TCI predict attrition from a behavioral weight-loss program for obesity. Method: The TCI was administered to 92 obese patients [body mass index (BMI) N30 kg/m 2 ] applying for a 6-month behavioral weight-loss program. Logistic stepwise regression analysis was performed to evaluate whether TCI scores predicted 6-month treatment attrition, after controlling for baseline psychiatric comorbidity, current age, gender, age at onset of obesity and initial BMI. Results: Sixty-two subjects (67.4%) completed the 6-month program, while 30 (32.6%) dropped out. Treatment attrition was predicted only by low reward dependence (P=.03) and the presence of mental disorders (P=.004). Conclusion: Personality features denoting difficulty relying on others' support (low reward dependence) are associated with treatment noncompletion in obese patients attending a behavioral weight-loss program. These data may possibly serve to inform clinicians how to proceed in order to reduce dropout risk.

Personality characteristics in obesity and relationship with successful weight loss

International journal of obesity (2005), 2007

Personality influences lifestyle behaviors. Therefore, certain personality traits could contribute to obesity and the response to behaviorally based weight loss therapy. The aims of this study were to test the hypothesis that personality characteristics differ between lean and obese persons in the community, obese persons in the community and obese persons seeking weight loss therapy by enrolling in a comprehensive weight loss program, and in obese persons who were successful and unsuccessful in achieving behavioral therapy-induced weight loss. The Temperament and Character Inventory was administered to 264 lean (body mass index (BMI) <25 kg/m(2)) and 56 obese (BMI> or =35 kg/m(2)) subjects from the St Louis community and 183 obese patients (BMI=44+/-10 kg/m(2)) enrolled in the Washington University Weight Management Program (WUWMP), which involved weekly group behavioral therapy and diet education sessions for 22 weeks. Compared with lean subjects, obese subjects in the commu...

Personality, attrition and weight loss in treatment seeking women with obesity

Clinical obesity, 2015

Studies on small samples or in single units applying specific treatment programmes found an association between some personality traits and attrition and weight loss in individuals treated for obesity. We aimed to investigate whether pre-treatment personality traits were associated with weight loss outcomes in the general population of women with obesity. Attrition and weight loss outcomes after 12 months were measured in 634 women with obesity (mean age, 48; body mass index (BMI), 37.8 kg m −2) seeking treatment at eight Italian medical centres, applying different medical/cognitive behavioural programmes. Personality traits were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), eating disorder features with the Binge Eating Scale (BES) and Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ). Within the 12-month observation period, 32.3% of cases were lost to follow-up. After adjustment for demographic confounders and the severity of eating disorders, no TCI personality traits were significantly associated with attrition, while low scores of the novelty seeking temperament scale remained significantly associated with weight loss ≥10% (odds ratio, 0.983; 95% confidence interval, 0.975-0.992). Additional adjustment for education and job did not change the results. We conclude that personality does not systematically influence attrition in women with obesity enrolled into weight loss programmes in the community, whereas an association is maintained between novelty seeking and weight loss outcome. Studies adapting obesity interventions on the basis of individual novelty seeking scores might be warranted to maximize the results on body weight.

Personality Features in Obesity

Frontiers in Psychology, 2021

Obesity is a widespread and broadly consequential health condition associated with numerous medical complications that could increase mortality rates. As personality concerned individual’s patterns of feeling, behavior, and thinking, it may help in understanding how people with obesity differ from people with normal-weight status in their typical weight-relevant behavior. So far, studies about personality and BMI associations have mainly focused on broad personality traits. The main purpose of this study was to explore the personality and health associations among a clinical group composed of 46 outpatients with overweight/obesity (mean age = 55.83; SD = 12.84) in comparison to a healthy control group that included 46 subjects (mean age = 54.96; SD = 12.60). Both the clinical and control groups were composed of 14 males and 32 females. Several personality and psychopathological aspects were assessed with the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). The results of the analysis of vari...

The Relationship Between Personality and Obesity Literature Review

2021

Obesity is a worldwide medical condition that has been continuously increasing in scale and has been linked to various life-threatening diseases and conditions. The research aim of this paper is to investigate possible connections between obesity, weight gain, and personality traits as well as to compare different study designs to observe changes over time. It is important for both achieving more accurate findings, and for knowing how to design an ideal obesity treatment program that would make the best possible interventions from a developmental standpoint. Therefore, this literature review summarizes five studies on the relationship between obesity and personality traits that have taken either cross-sectional and/or longitudinal approaches based on different sample sizes with similar objectives, which was to assess the potential association between personality traits and obesity to make a better understanding, therefore, develop new treatment methods and health interventions that are more suited to people with different personality traits who are coping with obesity or who are trying to prevent weight gain. Most cross-sectional studies find links between the Big-Five Personality Traits and obesity while longitudinal studies-which are not as common as the cross-sectional ones-manage to find fewer links. The longitudinal results were only congruent with the associations with the agreeableness trait, which indicates that agreeableness is inversely associated with becoming obese. It is important to note that all the studies reviewed here agree that age and sex are not significant determinants in the relationship between obesity and personality. Nevertheless, personalized health interventions and treatment strategies are advised with divergences between the two study designs in mind.

Personality Traits and Weight Loss Maintenance: A Cross-Sectional Study

Frontiers in Nutrition

Purpose: This cross-sectional study was based on the Cypriot cohort of the MedWeight study and examined differences between maintainers and regainers regarding personality traits.Methods: Participants were men and women who reported being at least overweight and experienced an intentional weight loss of ≥10% of their maximum weight, at least 1 year before participation. Assessment of personality, diet and physical activity was conducted through validated questionnaires and with 24 h recalls.Results: Findings from logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds of maintaining weight loss increased to 50% for agreeableness and decreased to 20 and 7% for perseverance and motor impulsiveness, respectively.Conclusion: Specific aspects of personality and impulsivity are relevant to weight loss maintenance and need to be considered when developing weight management interventions.

The Impact of Personality Traits on the Success of a Multimodal Obesity Treatment

Behavioral Medicine, 2011

This prospective study investigated personality traits as predictors of the outcome in a 52week weight-loss program for obesity. Personality traits were rated with the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP) in 54 consecutive obese outpatients when entering a multimodal weight-reduction program. The value of these variables to predict success was assessed after 12, 26, and 52 weeks of treatment. A stepwise linear regression analysis for all follow-ups was calculated to examine the impact of each IIP subscale on weight reduction. The IIP subscale "intrusive or needy" significantly correlated with weight reduction observed at every follow-up examination and accounts for 13.6% to 29.8% of the variance (p values < .05). Obese patients describing themselves as excessively friendly, outgoing, and sociable improved more from a weight-loss program than those with lower instances of these traits. Accordingly, personality traits deserve more attention at initial assessment and while planning treatment of obese patients.

Using personality as a predictor of diet induced weight loss and weight management

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2011

Background: A major challenge for successful weight management is tailoring weight loss programs to individual needs. The aim of this study was to investigate whether personality traits could be used to match individuals to a compatible weight loss program that would maximize weight loss.

Temperament and character predict body-mass index: A population-based prospective cohort study

Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 2012

Objective: Personality is a potential factor determining individual differences in body-weight change. The current study examines associations between personality traits and change in body-mass index (BMI) over six years. Method: The participants were 762 women and 648 men aged 24-39 years at the base-line. Personality was assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). For calculating BMI, height and weight were assessed at a clinic. Results: Longitudinal analyses conducted with linear regressions showed that in men and women, higher Novelty seeking predicted higher BMI (p b .05), whereas lower Reward dependence predicted higher BMI in women (p b .05) when baseline BMI was taken into account. In addition, cross-sectional associations for several TCI traits were found in age and education adjusted analyses. In women, higher Self transcendence (p b .05) was associated with higher BMI. In men, higher Novelty seeking (p b .001) and Self transcendence (p b .01) and lower Self directedness (p b .01) and Cooperativeness (p b .05) were associated with higher BMI. In addition, analyses of variance were conducted for multidimensional trait profiles (trait combinations). Significant temperament profile related differences in BMI were found in all analyses in women. Associations with character profiles and in men were less consistent. Conclusion: The results give support for personality playing a role in weight gain. Knowledge on personality may be used for motivating weight loss and designing weight management interventions.

Personality assessment in morbid obesity

German J Psychiatry, 2002

Objective: To analyze the personality traits and psychological discomfort, eighteen months after bariatric surgery (vertical banded gastroplasty) in morbidly obese patients. Method: We used the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II) for assessing personality traits in 100 morbidly obese patients. Results: Six basic factor dimensions in the mental state were obtained: (1) Personality traits and Psychological Discomfort, (2) Histrionic-Narcissistic-Antisocial, (3) Neurotic, (4) Paranoid, (5) Alcohol dependence, and (6) Dependent. Conclusions: Our results suggest that people with morbid obesity after bariatric surgery share characteristics of personality disturbances and psychological discomfort, and that subtypes of different personality dimensions are associated with wide groups of psychopathological symptoms (