Personality Traits, Clinical Characteristics, and Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients with Hypertension in a Primary Hospital in Ghana

Background. Hypertension is a major health problem that remains a significant threat to the health and general wellbeing of many people all over the world. In some patients, the etiology and prognosis of hypertension have been linked to psychological factors including personality traits. One primary...

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Main Authors: Irene A. Kretchy, Franklin Acheampong, Jane Laryea, Joseph Osafo, Emmanuel Asampong, Erica Dickson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2019-01-01
Series:International Journal of Hypertension
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/7489875
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author Irene A. Kretchy
Franklin Acheampong
Jane Laryea
Joseph Osafo
Emmanuel Asampong
Erica Dickson
author_facet Irene A. Kretchy
Franklin Acheampong
Jane Laryea
Joseph Osafo
Emmanuel Asampong
Erica Dickson
author_sort Irene A. Kretchy
collection DOAJ
description Background. Hypertension is a major health problem that remains a significant threat to the health and general wellbeing of many people all over the world. In some patients, the etiology and prognosis of hypertension have been linked to psychological factors including personality traits. One primary goal of management is to improve the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with hypertension. This study aimed to examine the association between personality traits, clinical characteristics, and HRQoL in hypertension. Methods. A hospital-based cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted in a sample of 331 individuals with hypertension. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, clinical information, personality traits, and HRQoL were obtained from participants using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Results. The number of participants with a 1–10 years’ duration of diagnosis for hypertension was highest (56.8%), with 52.9% having comorbidities such as diabetes (40.2%) and dyslipidaemia (20.9%). The average number of medications taken per patient was 2.14 (SD±0.79) and about 47.1% of the participants reported adequate medication adherence. Significant associations for age, education, monthly income, number of years with hypertension, and HRQoL were observed. While conscientiousness was significantly associated with all HRQoL domains, extraversion and agreeableness were significantly related to only the environmental domain. Conclusion. This study has demonstrated that clinical characteristics and patients’ perception of their personality are relevant to their health-related quality of life outcomes. The findings suggest that when intervention efforts to improve the quality of life of patients with hypertension are being considered, a biopsychosocial approach should be employed. The implication is that treatment of hypertension in Ghana should be broadened to include the expertise of mental health professionals.
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spelling doaj-art-efdb21021402496d8eaa71e4d482e7682025-08-20T02:22:04ZengWileyInternational Journal of Hypertension2090-03842090-03922019-01-01201910.1155/2019/74898757489875Personality Traits, Clinical Characteristics, and Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients with Hypertension in a Primary Hospital in GhanaIrene A. Kretchy0Franklin Acheampong1Jane Laryea2Joseph Osafo3Emmanuel Asampong4Erica Dickson5Department of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, GhanaDepartment of Research, Korle Bu teaching Hospital, Accra, GhanaDepartment of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, GhanaDepartment of Psychology, School of Social Studies, College of Humanities, University of Ghana, Legon, GhanaDepartment of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, GhanaDepartment of Psychology, School of Social Studies, College of Humanities, University of Ghana, Legon, GhanaBackground. Hypertension is a major health problem that remains a significant threat to the health and general wellbeing of many people all over the world. In some patients, the etiology and prognosis of hypertension have been linked to psychological factors including personality traits. One primary goal of management is to improve the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with hypertension. This study aimed to examine the association between personality traits, clinical characteristics, and HRQoL in hypertension. Methods. A hospital-based cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted in a sample of 331 individuals with hypertension. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, clinical information, personality traits, and HRQoL were obtained from participants using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Results. The number of participants with a 1–10 years’ duration of diagnosis for hypertension was highest (56.8%), with 52.9% having comorbidities such as diabetes (40.2%) and dyslipidaemia (20.9%). The average number of medications taken per patient was 2.14 (SD±0.79) and about 47.1% of the participants reported adequate medication adherence. Significant associations for age, education, monthly income, number of years with hypertension, and HRQoL were observed. While conscientiousness was significantly associated with all HRQoL domains, extraversion and agreeableness were significantly related to only the environmental domain. Conclusion. This study has demonstrated that clinical characteristics and patients’ perception of their personality are relevant to their health-related quality of life outcomes. The findings suggest that when intervention efforts to improve the quality of life of patients with hypertension are being considered, a biopsychosocial approach should be employed. The implication is that treatment of hypertension in Ghana should be broadened to include the expertise of mental health professionals.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/7489875
spellingShingle Irene A. Kretchy
Franklin Acheampong
Jane Laryea
Joseph Osafo
Emmanuel Asampong
Erica Dickson
Personality Traits, Clinical Characteristics, and Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients with Hypertension in a Primary Hospital in Ghana
International Journal of Hypertension
title Personality Traits, Clinical Characteristics, and Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients with Hypertension in a Primary Hospital in Ghana
title_full Personality Traits, Clinical Characteristics, and Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients with Hypertension in a Primary Hospital in Ghana
title_fullStr Personality Traits, Clinical Characteristics, and Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients with Hypertension in a Primary Hospital in Ghana
title_full_unstemmed Personality Traits, Clinical Characteristics, and Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients with Hypertension in a Primary Hospital in Ghana
title_short Personality Traits, Clinical Characteristics, and Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients with Hypertension in a Primary Hospital in Ghana
title_sort personality traits clinical characteristics and health related quality of life of patients with hypertension in a primary hospital in ghana
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/7489875
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