Personality Traits and Psychotic Disorders
Summary
Personality traits, encompassing both normative dimensions and maladaptive profiles, have emerged as key factors in the onset, course and outcome of psychotic disorders. Stable individual differences in temperament and character may predate illness manifestation, shaping vulnerability to psychosis and influencing social, cognitive and functional trajectories. Models such as the Five‐Factor framework capture broad dispositional patterns – for example, elevated neuroticism and reduced conscientiousness – that correlate with symptom severity and recovery potential. Complementary approaches, including dimensional trait systems exemplified by the Personality Inventory for DSM-5, further delineate maladaptive domains such as detachment and psychoticism that align closely with prodromal and overt psychotic phenomena. Interaction between genetic liability, environmental adversities and evolving personality profiles suggests a dynamic interplay, whereby early temperamental markers can mediate gene–environment correlations and impact resilience or risk. Understanding these interconnections has practical implications for early identification, personalised intervention strategies and the optimisation of psychosocial rehabilitation efforts worldwide.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Personality Traits and Psychotic Disorders publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in personality traits and psychotic disorders across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Big Five personality traits: A model of personality organisation comprising Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness.
Polygenic risk score: A quantitative measure of genetic susceptibility to a disorder based on the cumulative effect of multiple genetic variants.
Prodromal stage: Early phase characterised by subclinical signs and symptoms that precede the onset of a full-blown psychotic disorder.
Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5): A structured self-report instrument assessing maladaptive personality traits relevant to psychopathology.
References
- Personality changes during adolescence predict young adult psychosis proneness and mediate gene–environment interplays of schizophrenia risk. Psychological Medicine (2024).
- The Relationship Between Big Five Personality Traits and Psychotic Experience in a Large Non-clinical Youth Sample: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation. Frontiers in Psychiatry (2018).
- The Relationship between PID-5 Personality Traits and Mental States. A Study on a Group of Young Adults at Risk of Psychotic Onset. Medicina (2021).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.