An investigation of Temperament and Character Inventory items for predicting the response to paroxetine treatment in patients with major depressive disorder

BackgroundPrevious studies have reported associations between Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) dimension scores and the response to treatment in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). We aimed to determine which TCI items could predict the response to treatment with paroxetine in patients with MDD.MethodsSeventy-three patients were enrolled in this study. The participants were treated with 10–40 mg/day of paroxetine for six weeks; they then completed the TCI. The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) was used to evaluate the patients. The participants were divided into two groups (responders and non-responders). We used a chi-squared test to identify the 10 items with the strongest association with treatment response from among all 240 items on the TCI, and we used a multiple logistic regression analysis to confirm the validity of these 10 items.ResultsAmong the TCI dimension scores, only the C score differed significantly between the two groups. We analyzed 10 models using each of the 10 best items. All the models significantly predicted treatment response. The TCI dimensions model also significantly predicted treatment response, but its predictive value was lower than those of the other 10 models.LimitationsThe responders included the early responders. The results lacked information about responders whose responses were not predicted by the logistic regression models and TCI items.ConclusionsSome TCI items showed significant associations with the response to paroxetine treatment in the patients with MDD. Treatment response in patients with MDD may be predicted using only 10 items from the TCI.