Egogram characteristics in Japanese patients with Parkinson's disease

Background Personality has been investigated as a possible onset risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD). Recently, personality has attracted increasing attention because certain non‐motor aspects may be associated with patients’ personality and deterioration of their quality of life. The Tokyo University Egogram version II (TEGII) is a reliable questionnaire for assessing personality in Japanese people, but few studies have reported personality assessments in Japanese PD patients. Aim To clarify the clinical utility of the TEGII for evaluating personality in Japanese PD. Methods Patients were consecutively enrolled in four medical centers throughout Japan, and their personality was evaluated using the TEGII. Personality is described in terms of five ego‐states: critical parent (CP), nurturing parent (NP), adult (A), free child (FC), and adapted child (AP). The scores for each ego‐state and the egogram patterns describe personality characteristics. We statistically analyzed our data and compared the results with standardized data from a Japanese cohort. Results We enrolled 133 PD patients. The mean scores ± SDs of the five ego‐states were CP: 11.4 ± 4.5, NP: 14.5 ± 4.2, A: 10.5 ± 4.8, FC: 11.1 ± 4.7, and AC: 9.5 ± 5.2. NP scores were significantly higher than the others (P < 0.001), and the NP dominant pattern (15.8%) was most frequent. Conclusion The NP dominant pattern, which illustrates a thoughtful, obliging and kind personality, is characteristic of Japanese PD patients. The TEGII is a simple clinical tool for evaluating personality in PD and can be used to evaluate changes in patients over time.