Effects of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome on temperament and character

Aim: There are few studies that have evaluated personality characteristics in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).We aimed to evaluate 2 groups, OSAS patients and controls, using a temperament and character inventory (TCI) questionnaire.Materials and methods: Patients with OSAS symptoms and who underwent polysomnography in the sleep laboratory were included in the study. A TCI questionnaire was given to 52 patients. Those whose apnea-hypoapnea index (AHI) was ≥10 were included as the OSAS group and those whose score was 10 were included as a control group.Results: In the analysis of the TCI questionnaire of groups, NS4 (untidiness) from the seeking newness subgroup and HA4 (early fatigue and weakness) from the abstaining damage subgroup scores were significantly higher in the OSAS group than in the control group. In the correlation analysis between AHI and TCI parameters, there was a negative correlation between AHI and C1 (social approval) from the cooperation subgroup.Conclusion: Newness search (NS) score from upper scales was significantly higher in OSAS patients than in the controls; differences in other TCI parameters were not significant. For a better understanding of how OSAS affects patients’ temperament and character, we think that a wider group of patients and a re-evaluation with a TCI questionnaire after treatment are needed.