Low persistence in euthymic manic-depressive patients: a replication

Background: A previous study which compared euthymic Israeli bipolars in a public hospital clinic to US normative data suggested that low Persistence scores on the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) may he a tempe rament marker for manic-depressive illness. The current study attempts to r eplicate that finding. Methods: A new sample of 25 euthymic Israeli bipolar s in private treatment was compared to Israeli normal controls matched for gender and ethnic background. All subjects completed Hebrew versions of the TPQ. Results: Patients scored lower than controls on the Novelty Seeking a nd Persistence Scales. Limitations and conclusions: Though sample and effec t size are both small, the finding of low Persistence is consistent with th at of the earlier study. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science BN. All rights reserved.