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Personality profiles and trauma history in ketamine therapy for mood and anxiety disorders: A latent profile analysis of short-term outcomes.

Nina Gregoire, Ethan Klukas, Kimberley Kaseweter, W Francois Louw, Paul G Davies

Psychopharmacology October 27, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-025-06948-y (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational cohort with latent profile analysis Peer reviewed
Sample size 184
Population Patients seeking ketamine-assisted therapy at a Canadian clinic
Intervention Ketamine-assisted therapy
Duration One-week post-treatment
Topics Anxiety Depression Esketamine Ketamine
Keywords Ketamine-assisted therapy Latent profile analysis Personality traits Trauma history Treatment outcomes
Key findings Personality profiles did not predict differential symptom change, but participants with a trauma history showed greater reductions in depression and improvements in physical quality of life.

Abstract

Ketamine-assisted therapy is emerging as a fast-acting intervention for treatment-resistant depression and anxiety. However, individual response to treatment varies, and little is known about how personality traits and trauma history influence outcomes. This study investigated whether distinct personality profiles emerge in a real-world sample of patients undergoing ketamine therapy and examined how these profiles, along with trauma history, relate to baseline symptoms and short-term treatment outcomes. A total of 184 patients seeking ketamine-assisted therapy at a Canadian clinic completed baseline assessments, including the Mini-IPIP (personality), PHQ-9 (depression), GAD-7 (anxiety), and WHOQOL-BREF (quality of life). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify personality-based subgroups. Paired-sample t-tests and ANOVAs were conducted to examine differences in symptom severity and change scores after treatment. Three personality profiles were identified: Easygoing Extraverts, Average, and Reserved Introverts. Reserved Introverts reported significantly higher baseline depression and anxiety than other profiles. While all profiles showed improvements in depression and anxiety one-week post-treatment, the personality profiles did not predict differential symptom change. However, participants with a trauma history showed greater reductions in depression and improvements in physical quality of life than those without. Personality traits relate to baseline mental health severity but not short-term response to ketamine. Trauma history may predict greater benefit from treatment. These findings support further integration of personality and trauma assessments into personalized care approaches.

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on ketamine for anxiety, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Treating bipolar depression with esketamine: Safety and effectiveness data from a naturalistic multicentric study on esketamine in bipolar versus unipolar treatment‐resistant depression Patients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression (B-TRD) and unipolar... 2023 Observational cohort n = 70
The effectiveness of ketamine on anxiety, irritability, and agitation: Implications for treating mixed features in adults with major depressive or bipolar disorder Adults with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder 2020 Retrospective analysis n = 201
At-home, sublingual ketamine telehealth is a safe and effective treatment for moderate to severe anxiety and depression: Findings from a large, prospective, open-label effectiveness trial. Outpatients receiving at-home ketamine-assisted therapy 2022 Prospective study n = 1,247
Predicting outcome with Intranasal Esketamine treatment: A machine-learning, three-month study in Treatment-Resistant Depression (ESK-LEARNING) Treatment-resistant depression patients 2023 Retrospective, multicentric, real-world study n = 149
Esketamine in treatment-resistant depression patients comorbid with substance-use disorder: A viewpoint on its safety and effectiveness in a subsample of patients from the REAL-ESK study Patients with treatment-resistant depression and a substance use disorder 2023 Observational, retrospective, multicentre study n = 26

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