title: Personality characteristics in MS patients: The role of avoidant personality.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Quality of life (QOL) is markedly affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). Particular personality characteristics (PC) of MS patients can affect their QOL. We designed the present study to determine the role of various PCs on QOL in MS patients accounting for other clinical factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  QOL, PC, physical disability, and mental status were recorded in 83 MS patients referred to two academic hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2011-2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of enrolled patients was 31.54±7.38 (range: 14-50) years and 74 (89.2%) were female. Mean disease duration was 4.55±4.70 years. Seventy-seven patients (92.8%) had relapsing-remitting disease, five (6%) had primary progressive, and one showed a secondary progressive course. Correlation between total QOL scores in MS patients and disease duration, cognitive impairment, and physical disability was significant (all p<0.001). Obsessive-compulsive personality was the most frequent PC (43.4%) in our patients. Only avoidant personality had a significant negative correlation with all components of QOL (Beta: 0.33, p<0.00). In addition, avoidant personality, physical disability, and mental status were found to be three predictors of QOL with all its components.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Avoidant personality appears to be an important predictor of poor QOL in MS patients. In addition, avoidant coping strategies appear to be associated with adverse response to stressful events in these patients. These findings suggest the need for psychological intervention for improving the coping strategies and QOL in MS patients.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: Amin.md@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Amin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohamadi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: Mahsa_makinejad@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mahsa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davoodi-Makinejad
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: amirreza_azimi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Amirreza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azimi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: nafisi@sina.tums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Shahriar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nafissi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010551:Personality; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Multiple sclerosis; Personality characteristics; Quality of life