Personality characteristics of asthma patients

The associations between personality traits and mental health in people with and without asthma

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the current study is to investigate the associations between personality traits associated with mental health in people with asthma and compare it with people without asthma.

METHODS

Data came from UKHLS with 3929 patients with asthma with a mean age of 49.19 (S.D. = 15.23) years old (40.09 % males) and 22,889 healthy controls (42.90 % males) with a mean age of 45.60 (S.D. = 17.23) years old. First, the current study investigated the difference in Big Five personality traits and mental health between people with and without asthma using a predictive normative modeling approach with one-sample t-tests. Second, a hierarchical regression accompanied by two multiple regressions was used to determine how personality traits may relate to people with and without asthma differently.

RESULTS

The current study found asthma patients have significantly higher Neuroticism, higher Openness, lower Conscientiousness, higher Extroversion, and worse mental health. Asthma status significantly moderated the association between Neuroticism and mental health with this relationship being stronger in people with asthma. Moreover, Neuroticism was positively related to worse mental health and Conscientiousness and Extraversion were negatively associated with worse mental health in people with and without asthma. However, Openness was negatively associated with worse mental health in people without asthma but not in people with asthma.

LIMITATIONS

The limitations of the current study include cross-sectional designs, self-reported measured, and limited generalizability to other countries.

CONCLUSION

Clinicians and health professionals should use findings from the current study to come up with prevention and interaction programs that promote mental health based on personality traits in asthma patients.

Complaints of dyspnea and their associations with personality traits in patients referred to psychotherapy in a day hospital

BACKGROUND

Breathing difficulties are present in different medical conditions, yet seem to be underresearched in psychiatric patients.

AIM

Assessment of prevalence of dyspnea complaints and their associations with personality traits in patients with neurotic or personality disorders referred to psychotherapy.

METHODS

Retrospective chart review of medical records of 2450 patients with diagnoses F4-F6 (ICD-10). Analyses of associations between dyspnea reported in a symptom checklist SCL-O and pathological scores in the Neurotic Personality Questionnaire were carried out using univariate and multivariate regression analyses with ORs and 95%CI estimated with licensed STATISTICA 13 (StatSoftPL) software, and R version 4.1.0, RStudio version 1.4.1717 software.

RESULTS

Dyspnea was reported by 46.3% women and 36.6% men (14.5% and 10.1% respectively assessed it as severely burdensome). Univariate regression analysis revealed several significant associations between reporting dyspnea or its extreme intensity and pathological scores in the NPQ. Multivariate regression analyses in women confirmed the importance of impulsiveness and exaltation for dyspnea occurrence, and feeling of being dependent on the environment, demobilization, and narcissistic attitude for its extreme intensity. In men impulsiveness, sense of being in danger, irrationality, and ponderings were associated with the presence of dyspnea, and sense of being in danger and envy with its extreme intensity.

CONCLUSIONS

Complaints of dyspnea were pretty frequent. Several personality traits measured by the NPQ questionnaire were predictors of their occurrence and feeling of extreme burden.

Anxiety, depression and personality traits in severe, prednisone-dependent asthma

BACKGROUND

Anxiety and depression are prevalent in patients with asthma, and associated with more exacerbations and increased health care utilization. Since psychiatric intervention might improve asthma control, we examined whether patients with severe, prednisone-dependent asthma are at higher risk of these disorders than patients with severe non-prednisone dependent asthma or mild-moderate asthma, and whether they exhibit different personality traits.

METHODS

Sixty-seven adults with severe prednisone-dependent asthma, 47 with severe non-prednisone dependent and 73 patients with mild-moderate asthma completed the HADS depression and anxiety subscale and the NEO-FFI for personality traits. In addition, asthma duration, body mass index and FEV1 were measured.

RESULTS

The prevalence of clinically significant depressive symptoms (9% vs. 0 vs. 0%; p = 0.009) and anxiety symptoms (19% vs. 6.4 vs. 5.5%; p = 0.01), was higher in patients with severe, prednisone-dependent asthma than in patients with severe non-prednisone dependent or mild-moderate asthma. Patients with prednisone-dependent asthma were respectively 3.4 (95%CI: 1.0-10.8 p = 0.04) and 3.5 (95%CI: 1.3-9.6 p = 0.01) times more likely to have significant depression symptoms and 1.6 (95%CI: 0.7-3.7, p = 0.2) and 2.5 (95%CI: 01.1-5.5, p = 0.02) times more likely to have symptoms of anxiety than patients with severe non-prednisone dependent or mild-moderate asthma. There were no differences found in personality traits between the 3 groups.

CONCLUSION

Patients with severe, prednisone-dependent asthma have more often psychological distress as compared to patients with severe non-prednisone dependent or mild-moderate asthma.

A short-term, comprehensive, yoga-based lifestyle intervention is efficacious in reducing anxiety, improving subjective well-being and personality

Objective:

To assess the efficacy of a short-term comprehensive yoga-based lifestyle intervention in reducing anxiety, improving subjective well-being and personality.

Materials and Methods:

The study is a part of an ongoing larger study at a tertiary care hospital. Participants (n=90) included patients with chronic diseases attending a 10-day, yoga-based lifestyle intervention program for prevention and management of chronic diseases, and healthy controls (n=45) not attending any such intervention.

Primary Outcome Measures:

Change in state and trait anxiety questionnaire (STAI-Y; 40 items), subjective well-being inventory (SUBI; 40 items), and neuroticism extraversion openness to experience five factor personality inventory revised (NEO-FF PI-R; 60 items) at the end of intervention.

Results:

Following intervention, the STAI-Y scores reduced significantly (P<0.001) at Day 10 (66.7 ± 13.0) versus Day 1 (72.5 ± 14.7). Also, positive SUBI scores (F1– F6) improved significantly (P<0.01) at Day 10 versus Day 1. Similarly NEO-FF PI-R scores improved significantly (P<0.001) at Day 10 versus Day 1. Control group showed an increase in STAI-Y while SUBI and NEO-FF PI-R scores remained comparable at Day 10 versus Day 1.

Conclusions:

The observations suggest that a short-term, yoga-based lifestyle intervention may significantly reduce anxiety and improve subjective well-being and personality in patients with chronic diseases.

Quality of life of adolescents with asthma: the role of personality, coping strategies, and symptom reporting

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to test which personality traits were related to quality of life (QOL) of adolescents with asthma, and whether relations between personality and QOL were mediated by coping strategies and symptom reporting.

METHODS

A sample of 405 12 to 16-year-olds with asthma completed questionnaires on personality, coping, symptom reporting, and QOL (overall QOL and positive effects QOL). The direct relations between personality traits and QOL, as well as mediation pathways were tested with structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

Adolescents high on extraversion and low on neuroticism had better overall QOL, while adolescents high on agreeableness had better positive-effects QOL. The coping strategy restricted lifestyle fully mediated the relation between extraversion and overall QOL, the relation between neuroticism and overall QOL was fully mediated by symptom reporting and the coping strategy worrying about asthma. The coping strategies positive reappraisal and hiding asthma fully mediated the relation between agreeableness and positive-effects QOL.

CONCLUSION

The results show that personality is related to QOL in adolescents with asthma. These relations were fully mediated by coping and symptom reporting. This study sheds light on the underlying mechanism why personality is associated with QOL. The results of this study will help to understand what determines QOL in patients with chronic illness in general and adolescents with asthma specifically. Furthermore, the results will help to design interventions that could facilitate minimizing the negative effects of having asthma on the QOL of these adolescents.

Cloninger's temperament and character dimension of personality in patients with asthma

OBJECTIVE

Psychosocial factors have been implicated as being important in the onset and/or exacerbation of asthma. This study was performed to evaluate the personality profiles of asthma patients.

METHOD

Ninety-five asthmatic, 98 psoriatic patients, and 96 healthy controls completed the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The relationships between asthma illness duration, asthma severity score, depression, anxiety, and temperament and character personality variables were evaluated.

RESULTS

Asthmatic patients had significantly higher mean scores on the BAI, Harm Avoidance, Persistence, and Self-transcendence dimensions and lower scores on the BDI, Novelty Seeking, and Reward Dependence dimensions of the TCI than the psoriatic patients. Significant group effect was found for the BDI and BAI scores in between groups. Significant differences in TCI scores were found across groups except for Persistence and Self-transcendence. Post hoc tests revealed significantly lower Novelty Seeking, higher Harm Avoidance, lower Reward Dependence, and higher Self-transcendence scores in patients with asthma. Regression analysis revealed a significant effect between duration of illness and Persistence and Self-transcendence. Illness severity had a significant effect on the Harm Avoidance. Anxiety scores had significant effect on the Harm Avoidance, Self-directedness, and Self-transcendence. Depression scores had no significant effect on any of the TCI dimensions.

CONCLUSIONS

Asthmatic patients can be distinguished by a specific pattern of temperament (low NS) and character (high ST) dimensions and compared with both psoriatic patients and healthy controls. Illness duration is associated with ST scores, and illness severity is associated with HA.

Severe asthma and adherence to peak flow monitoring: longitudinal assessment of psychological aspects

BACKGROUND

Adherence in severe asthma is a difficult health problem. Although psychosocial factors may be responsible for non-adherence, few longitudinal studies have investigated their link with adherence, with most studies having focused on pharmacology.

METHODS

Sixty patients with severe asthma were recruited. Adherence was electronically monitored using peak flow measurements at entry and after 1 year of follow-up. Eysenck's Personality Inventory, Rotter's Locus of Control (LOC), and health control beliefs were all studied. Multiple logistic regression (MLR) was used for risk calculations.

RESULTS

Initially, subjects with poor adherence had an external LOC (P=.001) and a high extraversion score (P=.003) compared to those with good adherence. The lie score was high in all patients. Nocturnal awakenings were highly significantly correlated with poor adherence (P=.006). After 1 year, patient adherence, extraversion, and neuroticism remained unchanged. The LOC changed in subjects with poor adherence, showing a less "external" orientation (P=.007). The health parameters were better at the end of the study. By MLR analysis, externality, extraversion, and low social desirability were associated with poor adherence. Patients with poor adherence had a greater probability of nocturnal symptoms.

CONCLUSION

No specific personality type was associated with lack of adherence in the present study, but a high extraversion score, a low social desirability score, and a high level of externality were all predictors of poor adherence.