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Temperament in Adolescents with Anxiety and Depressive Disorders and in Their Families

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Abstract

Aim of this study was to investigate whether specific temperamental features were associated with anxiety and depressive disorders in adolescents, in their siblings and in their parents. Thirty adolescents with Anxiety disorders and 25 with both Anxiety and Depressive disorders were compared to 25 adolescents with learning disorders and to 28 normal subjects. Temperament in subjects and relatives was assessed by their parents with the EAS questionnaire. Subjects with Anxiety and Anxiety-Depression and their siblings showed higher scores on Emotionality and Shyness than Learning Disability and Normal subjects. Mothers and fathers of subjects from the Anxiety-Depression group had the highest Emotionality score. These findings suggest that both Emotionality and Shyness are prominent temperamental features in adolescents with anxiety with or without depression, and in their parents and siblings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Child Neurology and Psychiatry—IRCCS Stella Maris, Via dei Giacinti 2, 56018, Calambrone (Pi), Italy

    Gabriele Masi

  2. Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, IRCCS Stella Maris, Calambrone (Pisa), Italy

    Maria Mucci, Letizia Favilla, Paola Brovedani & Stefania Millepiedi

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Italy

    Giulio Perugi

  4. Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Carrara-Pisa, Italy

    Giulio Perugi

Authors
  1. Gabriele Masi
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  2. Maria Mucci
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  3. Letizia Favilla
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  4. Paola Brovedani
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  5. Stefania Millepiedi
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  6. Giulio Perugi
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Masi, G., Mucci, M., Favilla, L. et al. Temperament in Adolescents with Anxiety and Depressive Disorders and in Their Families. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 33, 245–259 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021408714741

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