Scientists discover link between personality and medication adherence

A team of scientists have discovered that personality traits affect the way people take their medication.

The first major study of its kind, published in PloS ONE, was penned by M Axelsson, E Brink, J Lundgren and J Lotvall from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

As part of the study the scientists asked 749 people with chronic diseases how they take their medicine.

They were then asked to fill in another questionnaire which reviewed the Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), looking at five personality traits: neuroticism, extroversion, openness to experiences, agreeableness and conscientiousness.

The results revealed that high levels of both conscientiousness and neuroticism can adversely affect medication adherence, while agreeableness had a positive connection.

"It may be important to take different dominant personality traits into account when treating patients with chronic diseases," Ms Axelsson told the journal.

She suggested that similarly formulated questionnaires and greater levels of education among healthcare professionals would improve medication adherence.