The Association Between Temperamental Traits Personality Disorders and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer

Backgrounds: Factors associated with Quality of Life (QOL) in patients with breast cancer have been noticed increasingly. The aim of this review was to evaluate temperament and personality disorders related to QOL in breast cancer patients. Material and Method: The review was conducted searching electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Scopus and Science Direct for English articles published since 1996 to 2018. The words temperament, character, personality disorder, breast cancer, quality of life were used as keywords. 21 out of 416 articles were included.Result: 2 studies assessed personality disorders and 19 pointed different dimensions of temperamental traits. Findings of this review were assorted in two categories: 1. Factors deteriorating QOL: existence of a personality disorder, no matter the cluster was negatively related to emotional QOL. Higher neuroticism and higher openness were predictors of poorer QOL. Higher perseveration and higher emotional reactivity conduced to lower level of emotional QOL. 2. Factors ameliorating QOL: Lower harm avoidance was correlated with better general health, vitality and physical functioning. Higher self-directedness, novelty seeking and persistence were associated with better mental health, general health and physical functioning. Self-Transcendence led to a better mental health.Conclusion: Regardless of inadequate studies, it can be concluded that the quality of life in breast cancer patients is influenced by temperamental traits and personality disorders. Therefore, the psychiatric evaluation of the breast cancer patients should be considered during and after the treatment