Premorbid personality traits are associated with post-stroke behavioral and psychological symptoms: a three-month follow-up study in Perth, Western Australia.
BACKGROUND
Previous research has found an association between post-stroke depressive symptoms and premorbid personality. This study sought to investigate further the relationship between premorbid personality and a number of common post-stroke behavioral and psychological symptoms in a three-month follow-up study.


METHODS
This prospective study was conducted between May 2003 and January 2005 in a Perth metropolitan teaching hospital. The pre-stroke personality of stroke survivors was assessed by interviewing a close family member (informant) within four weeks of the index stroke using the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised. Three months after the stroke, patients were followed up and assessed with the Cambridge Cognitive examination and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and their informants completed the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-carer distress version (NPI) and instrumental activities of daily living scale.


RESULTS
Depressive symptoms were the most commonly reported post-stroke symptom (45.1%). Spearman's correlations showed that high neuroticism was positively correlated with NPI total scores (rho = 0.37, p = 0.007), NPI total distress scores (rho = 0.47, p = 0.001), and specifically with agitation and irritability NPI composite scores. Agreeableness was inversely correlated with agitation (rho = -0.40, p = 0.004) and irritability (rho = -0.37, p = 0.007) composite scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Premorbid personality traits of high neuroticism and low agreeableness are associated with the presence of post-stroke agitation, irritability, and carer distress. This knowledge may contribute to the development of strategies designed to identify patients and families who require more intense supervision and support during post-stroke rehabilitation.
Greenop
Kathryn R
KR
WA Centre for Health and Ageing, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. kathryn.greenop@uwa.edu.au
Almeida
Osvaldo P
OP
Hankey
Graeme J
GJ
van Bockxmeer
Frank
F
Lautenschlager
Nicola T
NT
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002605:Character; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007508:Irritable Mood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology*; D014904:Western Australia