Personality Traits and Health-Related Quality of Life in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Patients: The Mediating Role of Illness Perceptions

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder that can cause decrements in the quality of life. This study examined the mediational role of illness perceptions in the relationship between personality traits and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in IBS patients. One hundred seventy-eight patients completed a set of measurements including the HRQOL, illness perceptions, and personality traits. The results of the study showed that only neuroticism as a personality trait was directly related to the HRQOL and negative illness perceptions statistically mediated the relationship between neuroticism and HRQOL. More clearly, the higher score in neuroticism was associated with the perceptions including more negative effects on the lives of the patients, more emotional reactions, more incoherent understanding of IBS, and more psychological attributions to IBS. These perceptions were, in turn, linked to poor HRQOL. In light of the findings of the present study, it was suggested that identifying and screening illness perceptions are important for health outcomes. Intervention approaches should be designed to modify negative illness perceptions based on personality traits to improve the HRQOL of IBS patients.