Background: The aim of this study was to describe personality traits in psychiatric patients and to investigate whether these traits are stable over 13 years. Methods: A total of 95 individuals who were patients at a psychiatric outpatients' clinic in 2003 completed the Swedish universities Scales of Personality (SSP). Scores from 2003 were compared with SSP scores from 2016. Based on the current score on the comprehensive psychopathological rating scaleself rating for affective disorders (CPRS-S-A), the participants were divided into two groups representing 'good' and 'poor' current mental states, to investigate the effect of current mental state on reports of personality traits. Results: Out of 13 personality traits, 11 showed a significant change in mean T-score over the study interval. The group with lower CPRS-S-A scores showed a significant change in T-score for 10 traits, whereas in the group with higher CPRS-S-A scores only 3 traits showed a significant change. Conclusions: The findings support the theory that personality is changeable over the course of life, also in psychiatric patients. We do not know if persisting psychiatric symptoms halter change or if deviant personality traits cause psychiatric symptoms to continue.

Background Personality disorders (PDs) are related to poor psychosocial function, including fewer relationships with friends and romantic partners. Methods One‐hundred eighty‐six psychiatric patients were included in a study cohort in 2002–2003. In 2017, data regarding living arrangements and marital status between 2003 and 2016 were collected for these participants and from a matched control group. Data on birth of first child during the study period were collected for women. The former patients were divided into two groups based on occurrence of PD or not. Groups were compared with each other and with the controls. Results The proportion of participants with PD who lived together with someone did not increase at the same rate as in the other groups. PD was associated with a reduced likelihood of getting married during the study period. Women in the PD group had children to a lower extent than females in the other groups. Conclusion Personality disorder was associated with an increased likelihood of living alone and being unmarried. Female participants with PD had a decreased likelihood of having children compared with controls. © 2021 The Authors Personality and Mental Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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