The effects of personality traits on quality of life.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of women's personality traits and some sociodemographic variables on quality of life (QoL).

Methods: This cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted among 320 Turkish women aged between 45 and 64 years who attended the Menopausal Polyclinic. Data were collected from the Turkish version of the Cervantes Personality Scale and the Turkish version of the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire.

Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 51.8 (5.3) years. The average (SD) age since menopause was found to be 46 (3.3) years. The menopausal QoL was correlated with education status, income level, working status, exercise routine, chronic health problems, family's/friends' support, and negative life events. Logistic regression analyses showed that the QoL in vasomotor, psychological, and sexual domains were 6.1, 9.2, and 11.4 times, respectively, lower in neurotic women than in emotionally stable women. In addition, the QoL in sexual domains were 3.3 times lower in introverted women than in extraverted women.

Conclusion: These findings indicate that higher levels of introversion and higher levels of neuroticism lead to lower QoL among postmenopausal women. The results of this study support the hypothesis that personality would play an important role in women's QoL during the transition period of menopause.