Conscientiousness in patients with Ménière's disease

Abstract

Objective: To assess whether a conscientious personality profile is more prevalent in patients with Ménière's disease (MD) in comparison with other vertigo patients. Second, to investigate a sex effect and compare the obtained conscientiousness scores with published normative values.

Patients: A total of 108 patients were included and subdivided into one of five pathology groups: MD, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, vestibular neuritis, vestibular schwannoma, and posttraumatic nonbenign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Intervention: The conscientiousness domain of the self-reporting NEO Five-Factor Inventory questionnaire.

Main outcome measure: Conscientiousness score.

Results: There was no significant difference between the diagnostic groups or a sex effect. MD patients had a higher score than published normal values.

Conclusion: As assessed with the NEO Five-Factor Inventory questionnaire, MD patients do not demonstrate a higher conscientious personality profile in comparison with other vertigo patients. Therefore, this limits the clinical use of the personality profile to discriminate between patient groups.