A case-control study on the temperament and Psychological mood of patients with chronic Hepatitis B

Introduction:To evaluate the personality and temperament traits in patients with chronic hepatitis B in comparison to healthy subjects and to determine whether there is a relation between personality trait and level of anxiety or depression.Material and Methods:This was a case-control study in which 67 patients who had been under follow-up with diagnosis of chronic hepatitis B and 103 aged-matched healthy subjects were included. Study participants were asked to complete three self-report questionnaires— Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) to define personality traits, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) to evaluate presence and severity of depression and anxiety.Results:Total and sub-scale scores of five out of seven dimensions of TCI—reward dependence, persistence, self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcence—were significantly higher in Group 1 than Group 2. Total BDI and BAI scores were significantly higher in Group 1 than Group 2 .Significantly more patients had a BDI score of 17 or over in Group 1 than Group 2. There was no significant correlation between total scores of TCI dimensions and total BAI or BDI scores except weak correlations between harm avoidance or self-directedness and total BAI or BDI scores.Conclusions:In terms of personality trait, patients with chronic hepatitis B exhibit higher reward dependence, persistence, self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence from healthy population. The personality traits of patients should be considered during the management of hepatitis B in order to optimize treatment outcome and to prevent development of new mental health problems during the course of the disease.