Personality Traits, Illness Acceptance, and Psychosocial Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects respiratory function, psychological well-being, and quality of life. Personality traits may be associated with adaptation to chronic illness. This study evaluated associations between Five-Factor personality traits, illness acceptance, and selected self-reported psychosocial outcomes in patients with COPD. Methods: A cross-sectional study included 120 hospitalized patients who reported a diagnosis of COPD between January 2025 and March 2026. Personality traits were assessed using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, and illness acceptance using the Acceptance of Illness Scale. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected with an original questionnaire. Results: Participants showed mean sten scores within the average range for neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, whereas openness was lower than the average range. The mean illness acceptance score was 24.67 ± 2.62, corresponding to moderate acceptance. Higher neuroticism was associated with poorer self-rated adaptation, more frequent dyspnea-related anxiety, and lower self-rated quality of life; neuroticism also differed across categories of daily-functioning limitation (H = 19.909, p < 0.001). Higher extraversion was associated with better self-rated adaptation, more favorable self-rated treatment outcomes, and higher self-rated quality of life. Openness correlated negatively with illness acceptance (ρ = −0.338, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In this sample, personality traits showed unadjusted associations with illness acceptance and selected self-reported psychosocial outcomes. These hypothesis-generating findings should be interpreted cautiously and require confirmation in studies using objective clinical indicators and multivariable analyses.