The relationship between personality and quality of life in persons with schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia

The goal of this study was to examine the effects of personality traits as measured by the NEO-PI on the quality of life (QOL) of persons with schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia. The premise of this research is that personality traits may be important in shaping one's outlook and satisfaction with life. In a prior pilot study, personality traits were measured in persons with schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia. In this study, the relationship between QOL ad specific personality domains as assessed by the NEO-PI were studied in 21 patients. Global QOL as measured by the Lehman QOL instrument was positively correlated with Extroversion (E) and Agreeableness (A), and negatively correlated with the domain of Neuroticism (N). Global satisfaction scores were not correlated with ratings of psychoticism, paranoia or depression. These data suggest that even in psychotic conditions such as schizoaffective disorder or schizophrenia, intrapsychic factors influence one's sense of QOL. In addition, these data suggest that personality variables may differentially affect patients' satisfaction and QOL with different treatment settings.