Influence of personality and neuropsychological ability on social functioning and self-management in bipolar disorder

• Verbal memory abilities predict psychosocial function in bipolar disorder.
• Self-directedness predicts psychosocial functioning in bipolar disorder.
• Executive functions were unrelated to psychosocial functioning in bipolar disorder.
• Harm avoidance predicts the use of self-management techniques in bipolar disorder.

A majority of bipolar patients (BD) show functional difficulties even in remission. In recent years cognitive functions and personality characteristics have been associated with occupational and psychosocial outcomes, but findings are not consistent. We assessed personality and cognitive functioning through a range of tests in BD and control participants. Three cognitive domains-verbal memory, facial-executive, and spatial memory-were extracted by principal component analysis. These factors and selected personality dimensions were included in hierarchical regression analysis to predict psychosocial functioning and the use of self-management strategies while controlling for mood status. The best determinants of good psychosocial functioning were good verbal memory and high self-directedness. The use of self-management techniques was associated with a low level of harm-avoidance. Our findings indicate that strategies to improve memory and self-directedness may be useful for increasing functioning in individuals with bipolar disorder.