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Quality of Life

Personality influences quality-of-life assessments in adult patients after allogeneic hematopoietic SCT: results from a joint evaluation of the prospective German Multicenter Validation Trial and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 48, pages 129–134 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

The influence of personality on health related quality of life (QoL) and physical functioning in the setting of allogeneic hematopoietic SCT (alloHSCT) is unknown. We conducted a joint evaluation within two independent cohorts of alloHSCT recipients to investigate the impact of personality on reported QoL and physical functioning. Two-hundred-eight patients (median age 44 years, range 18–72) of cohort 1 and 93 patients (median age 55 years, range 19–79) of cohort 2 after alloHSCT were evaluated. Personality was assessed using the 24-adjective measure (AM), which measures the Big-Five personality domains and the Life Orientation Test—Revised (LOT-R), measuring optimism and pessimism. QoL was measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy with bone marrow transplantation subscale (FACT-BMT), Short Form 36 (SF-36), the human activity profile (HAP), as well as the NIH criteria-based cGVHD activity assessment form and the Lee cGVHD symptom scale. Neuroticism was significantly associated with worse function measured by the HAP and FACT-BMT. Optimism significantly improved QoL captured by the FACT-BMT. Pessimism significantly impaired physical function captured by the HAP and SF-36. Extraversion was significantly associated with reduced depression and lower severity of cGVHD symptoms reported by the patient and the physician. The results suggest that personality traits and pre-treatment QoL assessments should be measured in clinical trials to facilitate the interpretation of QoL data.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Steven Z Pavletic for scientific advice in the design of the study and preparation of the manuscript. Daniel Wolff and Ernst Holler have been supported by a grant from the Jose Carreras Foundation project ‘Competence center GvHD Regensburg’.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Personality Psychology Unit, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    P Y Herzberg

  2. Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    S J Lee

  3. Department of Internal Medicine III, Klinikum Großhadern, Ludwigs-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany

    P Heussner & F H A Mumm

  4. Department of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Care, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany

    I Hilgendorf & M Freund

  5. Department of Internal Medicine III, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany

    S von Harsdorf

  6. Department of Hematology and Oncology, Campus Virchow Klinikum Charité - University Hospital Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    P Hemmati

  7. Department of Internal Medicine III, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité – University Hospital Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    K Rieger

  8. Department of Internal Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    H T Greinix

  9. Department of Hematology and Clinical Oncology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

    E Holler & D Wolff

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Correspondence to D Wolff.

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Herzberg, P., Lee, S., Heussner, P. et al. Personality influences quality-of-life assessments in adult patients after allogeneic hematopoietic SCT: results from a joint evaluation of the prospective German Multicenter Validation Trial and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Bone Marrow Transplant 48, 129–134 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2012.83

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