Background
Personality trait and emotional state may associate with high-risk trauma exposure and subsequently higher rate of emergency admission.
Questions/Purposes:
This study aimed at comparing emergency and elective orthopedic surgery patients in terms of 1. personality traits and 2. emotional states (anxiety, depression, and stress) intensity.
Method
This analytic cross-sectional study was carried out in a tertiary hospital, Mashhad, Iran. Patients with orthopedic surgical conditions were included and allocated into two groups, emergency and elective, each including 100 patients. Personality traits were examined by Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), and emotional states intensity were measured using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale − 21 Items (DASS-21) questionnaire. NEO-FFI and DASS-21 scores were compared between the two groups.
Results
Based on our findings, the average score of neuroticism in the emergency group (16.03 ± 9.62) was significantly higher than the elective group (7.74 ± 3.41) (P < 0.001). Additionally, the levels of depression (11.97 ± 6 vs. 9.75 ± 6.62) and stress (12.71 ± 5.13 vs. 10.81 ± 5.03) were significantly higher in the emergency group (P = 0.002 and 0.016, respectively).
Conclusion
Among patients indicating emergency orthopedic surgery, neuroticism personality and the level of depression and stress is significantly higher than in patients scheduled for elective surgery. This study provides insight into considering different care measures for emergency patients in accordance with their personality character and emotional distress.
Level of Evidence: level III