Personality traits and cognition as predictors of long-term quality of life after transplantation for alcoholic liver disease

TL;DR

This study shows that personality traits like conscientiousness and emotional stability are linked to better long-term quality of life after liver transplants for alcohol-related liver disease.

Contribution

The study identifies specific personality traits as predictors of quality of life in long-term liver transplant survivors, suggesting their inclusion in pre-transplant evaluations.

Findings

Conscientiousness and emotional stability were significant predictors of quality of life in liver transplant survivors.

Extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness showed strong positive associations with quality of life measures.

Cognitive scores were not significant predictors of quality of life, unlike personality traits.

Abstract

Liver transplantation (LT) is a crucial treatment for end-stage alcoholic liver disease, the most common liver disease in developed countries. Personality traits and cognition, a relatively stable characteristics, are known to be significantly associated with quality of life (QoL). However, how they impact QoL in long-term LT survivors is unclear.

The study aimed to assess the associations between personality traits and cognition and their impact on the QoL in long-term LT survivors.

First time LT recipients due to end-stage alcohol liver disease without long-term complications were consecutively included during standard outpatient care. Sociodemographic and clinical data was collected. Personality traits were assessed using 50-item International Personality Item Pool of the Five-factor model (IPIP), cognition using Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and QoL using EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D) questionnaire.

Eighty-three participants were included (mean age 62.9±7.03y, 90.6% male). Median MMSE score was 27±2.00, and median years since LT 5±2.91. Significant positive associations were found between IPIP dimensions Extraversion (B=0.297, p<0.01), Agreeableness (B=0.384, p<0.01), Conscientiousness (B=0.511, p<0.01), and Emotional stability (B=0.432, p<0.01) with EQ-5D visual analogue scale (EQ VAS). IPIP dimension Conscientiousness (B=0.338, p<0.01) and Emotional Stability (B=0. 379, p<0.01) were significantly associated with descriptive dimension of EQ-5D (EQ-5D-3L). MMSE score was significantly associated with QoL (EQ-VAS B=0.291, p<0.01; EQ-5D-3L B=0.283, p<0.05, respectively). However, MMSE score was not shown to be a statistically significant predictor of QoL, whereas Consciousness was a significant predictor of EQ-VAS (β 1.404, t 3.125), and Emotional stability of EQ-5D-3L (β 0.011, t 2.132).

Some personality traits predicted QoL in long-term LT survivors. Therefore, assessment of personality traits should be considered as a part of pre-LT evaluation within a regular psychiatric clearance evaluation.

S. Medved: None Declared, B. Aukst Margetić: None Declared, A. Ražić Pavičić: None Declared, T. Filipec Kanižaj : None Declared, V. Medved Grant / Research support from: This work was done as a part of the “Genetic Background of End Stage Alcoholic Liver Disease and Liver Transplantation” study supported by the University of Zagreb, Croatia grant 2017 and 2018.