Temperament and risky behaviors: a pathway to HIV?

Moore, David J.; Atkinson, J.Hampton; Akiskal, Hagop; Gonzalez, Raul; Wolfson, Tanya; Grant, Igor; the HNRC Group,

doi:10.1016/S0165-0327(03)00193-9

« Previous Next »Journal of Affective Disorders
Volume 85, Issue 1 , Pages 191-200, March 2005

Temperament and risky behaviors: a pathway to HIV?

David J. Moore
- San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA
- HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
J.Hampton Atkinson
- San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA
- HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- V.A. San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
Hagop Akiskal
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- V.A. San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
Raul Gonzalez
- San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA
- HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
Tanya Wolfson
- HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
Igor Grant
- Corresponding author. HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center (HNRC), University of California, San Diego, 150 West Washington Street, 2nd Floor, San Diego, CA 92103, USA. Tel.: +1-619-543-5000; fax: +1-619-543-1235.
- San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA
- HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- V.A. San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
the HNRC Group
- The San Diego HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center (HNRC) group is affiliated with the University of California, San Diego, the Naval Hospital, San Diego, and the San Diego Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, and includes: Director: Igor Grant, MD; Co-Directors: J. Hampton Atkinson, MD and J. Allen McCutchan, MD; Center Manager: Thomas D. Marcotte, PhD; Naval Hospital San Diego: Mark R. Wallace, MD (P.I.); Neuromedical Component: J. Allen McCutchan, MD (P.I.), Ronald J. Ellis, MD, PhD, Scott Letendre, MD, Rachel Schrier, PhD; Neurobehavioral Component: Robert K. Heaton, PhD (P.I.), Mariana Cherner, PhD, Julie Rippeth, PhD; Imaging Component: Terry Jernigan, PhD (P.I.), John Hesselink, MD; Neuropathology Component: Eliezer Masliah, MD (P.I.); Clinical Trials Component: J. Allen McCutchan, MD, Ronald J. Ellis, MD, PhD, Scott Letendre, MD, J. Hampton Atkinson, MD; Data Management Unit: Daniel R. Masys, MD (P.I.), Michelle Frybarger, B.A. (Data Systems Manager); Statistics Unit: Ian Abramson, PhD (P.I.), Reena Deutsch, PhD, Tanya Wolfson, MA.The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, nor the United States Government.

Accepted 24 April 2003.

Abstract

Background: Certain sexual behaviors and abuse of substances contribute to the risk of becoming HIV-infected. Because dispositional characteristics are likely to influence this process, we examined the association between temperament and HIV serostatus in subjects with heavy use of drugs and various sexual risk behaviors. Methods: Two hundred and thirty individuals (81% of whom were HIV-infected) were assessed for underlying temperamental characteristics, substance use, and risky sexual behaviors. Toward this goal, a factor analysis was conducted on a new self-rated Temperament Autoquestionnaire (Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A)). MANOVA was used to examine overall associations between risky behaviors and temperament. Additionally, directed MANOVAs were conducted for each of six drugs of abuse (alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, opioids, other stimulants, and sedative hypnotics). Results: Factor analysis confirmed the hypothesized temperament structure of five distinct factors: Cyclothymic, hyperthymic, anxious, irritable-explosive, and depressive. Heavy users of cocaine, other stimulants, and alcohol were more likely to have an irritable-explosive temperament. Interestingly, heavy users of opioids were more likely to show depressive and hyperthymic traits. The inclusion of HIV status as a predictor of temperament did not alter the results. Unlike a previous study, no direct significant relationships were found between risky sexual behaviors and specific temperaments. Limitations: Relatively small sample size for a factor analytic study, and cross-sectional design, which cannot determine a cause and effect relationship. Conclusions: We succeeded in studying and validating five distinct affective temperaments in a substance abuse population. Irritable-explosive, and to a lesser extent, depressive and hyperthymic traits, were associated with substance use, and may place individuals at risk for HIV infection via that mechanism. That current risky sexual practices were not directly linked to temperament may reflect modification in sexual behavior following the acquisition of HIV disease.

Keywords: HIV, Temperament, TEMPS-A, Substance abuse, Public health