Evaluation of personality traits of patients with alopecia areata according to a five-factor model

Background: alopecia areata is one of the most common causes of hair loss. in this study, the personality traits and stress levels of patients with alopecia areata were assessed and compared with a control group based on the neo five-factor inventory (ffi) and perceived stress scale (pss) questionnaires. methods: this cross-sectional study was performed on 120 patients with alopecia areata and 120 healthy individuals as a control group from 2015 to 2017 in mashhad, iran. the control group was selected from the families of patients who did not have current involvement and no history of alopecia areata, matched by gender, mean age, and level of education. a dermatologist evaluated the severity score of alopecia in participants. the neo ffi and pss questionnaires were used to assess patients’ personality aspects. spss v. 20 was used to analyze the data. results: the results of the neo ffi questionnaire showed that statistically, the mean score of neuroticism in alopecia areata patients was significantly higher than in the control group (p = 0.023), but the extraversion and flexibility scores were significantly higher in the control group than in alopecia areata patients (p = 0.026 & 0.049, respectively). the pss questionnaire results showed that the mean stress score of alopecia areata patients was similar to the control group (p = 0.12). conclusion: our results suggest that compared with healthy individuals, patients with alopecia areata have higher neuroticism scores and lower extraversion and flexibility scores on the neo ffi.