Association of Personality Traits With Treatment Adherence in Vitiligo Publisher



Hedayati A¹ ; Mani A¹ ; Hamidizadeh N² ; Chohedri E^{1, 3} ; Khalaj HM⁴ ; Moshfeghinia R^{1, 5} ; Oji B¹
Source: Journal of Iranian Medical Council Published:2023

Abstract

Background: Vitiligo is an acquired, auto-immune chronic skin disorder with different treatment modalities. Insufficient adherence to treatment is closely related to the efficacy of a prescribed treatment, and also, there are some associations between adherence behaviour and personality. Therefore, the study aimed to assess a relationship between five-factor personality traits and treatment adherence in patients with vitiligo. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, patients with vitiligo who received Ultraviolet B (UVB) phototherapy were recruited. The Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) assessed treatment adherence, and personality factors were evaluated by NEO Five-Factor Personality Inventory (NEO-FFI). Data were analysed using t-tests, correlations, and multiple regression. Results: Among 70 participants, 62.9% had low adherence, 24.3% had medium adherence, and 12.9 % had high adherence. There was a positive correlation between neuroticism (p<0.001) and adherence score. Furthermore, a negative correlation between Agreeableness (p=0.13), Conscientiousness (p<0.001), Openness to experiences (p=005), Extraversion (p<0.001), and adherence score was obtained. In the regression analysis method, only the factors of neuroticism (p<0.001) and openness (p=0.001), and conscientiousness (p=0.016) predicted the dependent variable (adherence score) at the significance level. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that openness to experience and conscientiousness positively affected adherence, while Neuroticism negatively affected adherence. Considering these personality factors can effectively screen poor adherence and improve treatment adherence. © 2023 Sciendo. All rights reserved.