Background/Purpose: Non-adherence to long-term treatment is important in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as it can result in inadequate disease control and make rheumatologist to change the treatment strategy. Personality refers to individual differences in characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling and behaving. However, it is not clear that personality could predict medication non-adherence in patients with RA. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between personality traits and medication adherence and to identify the predictors of good medication adherence in RA patients including personality traits, psychosocial factors, disease activity, pain and health related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods: Total 207 RA patients using disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) was invited for an interview and questionnaire study from rheumatology outpatient clinics in Bucheon St. Mary’s hospital in Korea. Medication adherence was measured with the Compliance Questionnaire of Rheumatology (CQR). Personality traits was analyzed with the five-factor model (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) with Korean version of Big Five Inventory 10 (K-BFI-10). A high level of each personality trait represents high scores (≧4 average score) of each personality item of five factor models. Psychological factors were also assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), General Anxiety Disorder 7(GAD-7) and the British Columbia Cognitive Inventory (BC-CCI), respectively. HRQoL and functional disability were evaluated with EuroQoL dimension (EQ5D) and health associated quality (HAQ). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate predictors of good medication adherence.

Results: A total of 207 RA patients (Female 83.1%, mean age 57 years, mean RA duration, 8.0 years) were participated. Non adherence to their DMARD prescription (CQR < 80) was reported in 66.2%. The number of daily prescribed pills was higher in the medication adherence group (P = 0.03). Concomitant oral glucocorticoids use and the dose was significantly associated with medication adherence. The personality trait, high level of conscientiousness and comorbid with diabetes mellitus were associated with better medication adherence (odds ratio [OR], 2.37; 95% confidence interval [CI, 1.24-4.53 and OR,2.57; 95% CI, 1.03-6.42, respectively) (Table 1). There were no significant differences in psychological factors and HRQoL between medication adherence and nonadherence group.

Conclusion: The personality traits were associated with medication adherence; conscientiousness was a predictor of medication adherence, among the five personality traits. Patients with diabetes mellitus showed higher medication adherence.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/contribution-of-personality-traits-psychological-factors-and-health-related-quality-of-life-on-medication-adherence-in-patients-with-ra/