TEMPERAMENT AND PERSONALITY TYPOLOGIES IN ADULT OFFSPRING OF ALCOHOLICS

Objective: The primary goal of the present study was to derive tempera ment and personality typologies among adult offspring of alcoholics an d their controls in two separate samples. Additional aims were to exam ine the relation between temperament/personality typologies and drinki ng behaviors, and to explore the effect of antisocial behavior on this relation. Method: The first sample assessed consisted of middle-aged adult men and women (82 offspring of alcoholics and 72 controls), wher eas the second sample included only young adult men who were oversampl ed for antisocial personality disorder (44 offspring of alcoholics and 47 controls). Results: Two distinct temperament ty pologies emerged a cross both samples. One typology (''Cluster 1'') was characterized by high levels of harm avoidance and pessimism, and low levels of sensati on seeking and self-esteem, whereas the other typology (''Cluster 2'') was characterized by the reverse of these characteristics. Cluster 1 individuals also tended to exhibit many characteristics of the ''diffi cult temperament,'' whereas Cluster 2 individuals did not. In addition , Cluster I individuals were found to consume more alcohol and to have higher MAST scores than Cluster 2 individuals. However, when antisoci al behavior was considered, the typologies were unrelated to any of th e indices of drinking behaviors in both samples. Conclusions: The temp erament typologies that emerged in the present study are consistent wi th the literature. More importantly, these typologies were found acros s two separate samples and among both offspring of alcoholics and offs pring of nonalcoholics. Finally, the relationship between temperament/ personality typologies and drinking behaviors was generally nonsignifi cant once antisocial behavior was considered.