Temperament and character as predictor of health related quality of life after metacarpophalangeal joint arthroplasty ——Personality and MCP joint arthroplasty outcome

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate personality characteris- tics’ impact upon outcome after silicone-based MP arthroplasty in RA patients. Methods: 40 RA patients who had undergone operations on their MP joints were investigated in a one-year fol- low-up. Objective measurement to assess grip strength and active range of motion—Paper- pencil-tests to assess pain during activity and at rest performance, QoL, and personality. Results: Significant improvement was observed in func- tion and pain related scores except for the pain related VAS and in several QoL facets and do- mains. Patients who experienced improvement reported higher scores on the activities of daily living facet of the WHO QoL questionnaire. Those with lower pain showed more independ- ence. The variance of the QoL domain scores, other than social and physical domains, could substantially and meaningfully be explained by variance of objective measures combined with personality scores. Conclusions: Most RA pa- tients’ QoL can be improved by MP arthroplasty despite remaining substantial level of pain. NS and HA seem to play an important role in the adaptation process during the long term, chronic illness; whereas SD represents a tool of coping with the burden of pain and disability. Personal- ity characteristics are highly predictive for QoL suggesting their important mediating role be- tween experienced pain and disability and HR QoL

Pain and Personality: Do Individuals with Different Forms of Chronic Pain Exhibit a Mutual Personality?

“…Our study has investigated the personality profile of the two major types of persistent pain (neuropathic and nociceptive), but it is important to acknowledge the existence of two minor pain types, inflammatory and dysfunctional, to identify a mutual personality profile of high Harm Avoidance and low Self‐Directedness independent of chronic pain type. Indeed, evidence is emerging that both inflammatory and dysfunctional pain share the same personality profile of high levels in Harm Avoidance and low levels in Self‐Directedness . Furthermore, in alignment with our study on ongoing orofacial pain, other investigations revealed that multiple chronic pain disorders such as migraine, tension‐type headache, nonspecific musculoskeletal disorders, radiculopathies, peripheral neuropathies, osteoarthritis, back, leg, neck, and arm pain, and abdominal pain disorders exhibit the same personality profile of high levels in Harm Avoidance and low levels in Self‐Directedness .…”