Predictive capabilities of the Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in evaluating the effectiveness of antidepressant pharmacotherapy. Systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

In the pharmacotherapy of depressive disorders, the problem of the predictors of a therapeutic response remains relevant, they may be important in determining treatment tactics.Objective: to determine the predictive power of the Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in evaluating the results of antidepressant pharmacotherapy in patients with depression (major depressive disorder).Material and methods. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for articles published between 1990 and November 2021. Only English-language prospective studies, that examined the relationship between pre-treatment TCI personality scores and antidepressant pharmacotherapy efficacy were selected.Results. A total of 18 studies were found (Ntot=3122). The most commonly cited statistically significant predictors of therapy effectiveness were: harm avoidance (HA) in 11 studies (Ntot=2413), reward dependence in 6 (Ntot=1941), cooperativeness (CO) in 6 (Ntot=1259). In only two studies (Ntot=234), personality parameters were not associated with treatment efficacy. In 10 studies (Ntot=1065) baseline values of personality characteristics were indicated, which made it possible to include them in the meta-analysis. HA (z=4.06; p<0.0001; I2 =49%) and CO (z=2.71; p=0.007; I2 =66%) were associated – in a statistically significant way – with the likelihood of achieving a response to antidepressant pharmacotherapy.Conclusion. Personality dimensions from the TCI questionnaire are predictors of the effectiveness of antidepressant pharmacotherapy

Keywords

• depression
• therapy
• predictors
• personality
• tci