Relationship of personality traits with stigmatization, depression, and quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis

Background & Objective: Personality traits are associated with mental health and quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to determine personality traits in patients with MS and to examine the relationship between these traits and stigmatization, depression and quality of life. Method: This descriptive, cross-sectional study included 80 MS patients and 96 healthy controls. Data were collected online between June and July 2022. Patient/person information form, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised-Short Form (EPQ-RS), Neuro Quality of Life-Stigma Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and MS Quality of Life Scale-54 were used for data collection. Results: When the age variable was controlled, it was found that the mean neuroticism subscale score was higher (p=0.003) and the mean extraversion subscale score was lower (p=0.018) than the control group. In addition, the mean extraversion score was found to be negatively correlated with stigmatization (p<0.05) and depression (p<0.01), and positively correlated with the physical sub-dimension of quality of life (p<0.01). Neuroticism and psychoticism sub-dimensions were positively correlated with stigmatization and depression and negatively correlated with all sub-dimensions of quality of life (p<0.01). In addition, regression analysis showed that depression significantly contributed to the physical health dimension of quality of life and neuroticism personality trait significantly contributed to the mental health dimension. Conclusions: Neurotic personality traits were found to be more dominant in patients with MS. Moreover, all sub-dimensions of personality traits were associated with stigmatization, depression and quality of life. Therefore, personality traits should be considered in interventions to improve mental health and quality of life.