Background: Limited research exists exploring the influence of personality on adherence behaviour. Since non-adherence is a major obstacle in treating prevalent chronic diseases the aim was to determine whether personality traits are related to reported adherence to medication in individuals with chronic disease. Methodology/Principal Findings: Individuals with chronic disease (n = 749) were identified in a random population sample of 5000 inhabitants aged 30-70 in two municipalities in West Sweden. Data on five personality traits, Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to experiences, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness, and medication adherence behaviour was collected by questionnaires. Statistical analyses resulted in a negative relationship between Neuroticism and medication adherence (P<0.001), while both Agreeableness (P<0.001) and Conscientiousness (P<0.001) were positively related to adherence. At high levels of Conscientiousness, low adherence was related to higher scores in Neuroticism. At high levels of Agreeableness, low adherence was related to low scores in Conscientiousness and high scores in Openness to experiences. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that multiple personality traits are of significant importance for adherence behaviour in individuals with chronic disease. The findings suggest that several personality traits may interact in influencing adherence behaviour. Personality traits could putatively be used to focus efforts to educate and support patients with high risk of low medical adherence. © 2011 Axelsson et al.

Background:

There appears to be an obvious gap between a medical and patient adherence perspective.

Deviating from a medication prescription could be regarded as fairly irrational, but with respect to patients' goals and/or concerns it could be seen as understandable. Thus, the aim was to elucidate adherence reasoning in relation to asthma medication.

Methods:

This was a qualitative study; data collection and analysis procedures were conducted according to Grounded Theory methodology. Eighteen persons, aged 22 with asthma and regular asthma medication treatment, were interviewed.

Results:

The emerged theoretical model illustrated that adherence to asthma medication was motivated by three foci, all directed towards a desired outcome in terms of a functional day as desired by the patient. Apromotive focus was associated with the ambition to achieve a positive asthma outcome by being adherent either to the received prescription or to a self-adjusted dosage. A preventive focuswas intended to ensure avoidance of a negative asthma outcome either by sticking to the prescription or by preventively overusing the medication. A permissive focus was associated with unstructured adherence behaviour in which medication intake was primarily triggered by asthma symptoms.

Conclusions:

As all participants had consciously adopted functioning medication tactics that directed them

towards the desired goal of a functional day. In an effort to bridge the gap between a patient- and a medical adherence perspective, patients need support in defining their desired functionality and guidance in developing a person-based medication tactic.

Purpose Personality traits are rather stable dispositions inadulthood, while self-efficacy and adherence may bemodified through targeted interventions. Health-relatedquality of life (HRQL) serves as a vital outcome measure.The present aim was to explore the function of self-efficacyand adherence as mediators for the influencing effect ofpersonality traits on HRQL in people with chronic disease.Methods An epidemiological sample of 786 personscompleted questionnaires on personality, general self-efficacy,adherence behaviour and HRQL. Data were statisticallyanalysed using descriptive statistics, correlationanalyses and path models.Results Self-efficacy mediated the effect of Extraversionand Conscientiousness on mental HRQL. Neuroticism hada direct effect on both physical and mental HRQL.Adherence partially mediated the effect of both Agreeablenessand Conscientiousness on mental HRQL.Conclusions The mental HRQL in people scoring low onExtraversion or low on Conscientiousness could beimproved by strengthening general self-efficacy. Increasingadherence in people scoring low on Agreeableness orConscientiousness could improve their mental HRQL, butthe improvement was small and may be of lesser clinicalrelevance. These results argue for personalized interventionsintended to positively affect health outcomes inpeople with chronic disease.