comparison of personality characteristics and coping strategies in patients with multiple sclerosis and control group

Background: the present study aimed to investigate personality traits and coping strategies in patients with multiple sclerosis (ms) who were admitted to sina hospital compared with healthy individuals.objectives: the aim of the present study was to compare personality characteristics and coping strategies between patients with ms and healthy controls.materials and methods: the study sample included 55 patients with ms and 57 matched healthy control individuals. the data were gathered via a demographic form, the ways of coping questionnaire, and the neo five-factor inventory. the data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (manova), pearson’s correlation coefficient, and logistic regression.results: no significant differences in personality characteristics were observed between patients and healthy controls (all p > 0.05). only the coping strategy subscale of distancing was significant between patients and healthy controls (p < 0.05; all other subscales p > 0.05). only the neuroticism personality trait and the distancing coping strategy were predictive of group membership (i.e., healthy or patient).conclusions: our study suggests that the personality traits of patients with ms and healthy individuals are not significantly different. patients with ms are likely to use the same coping strategies as healthy individuals, except in the subscale of distancing.