Personality Predictors of Emergency Department Post-Discharge Outcomes

Authors

  • Olivia E. Atherton Orcid
    Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
  • Emily C. Willroth Orcid
    Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
  • Ted Schwaba Orcid
    Department of Psychology, University of Texas Austin, Austin, TX, USA
  • Ayla J. Goktan Orcid
    College of Education and Human Development, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
  • Eileen K. Graham Orcid
    Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
  • David M. Condon Orcid
    Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
  • Mitesh B. Rao Orcid
    Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
  • Daniel K. Mroczek Orcid
    Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

Abstract

Personality traits are important predictors of health behaviors, healthcare utilization, and health outcomes. However, we know little about the role of personality traits for emergency department outcomes. The present study used data from 200 patients (effective Ns range from 84 to 191), who were being discharged from the emergency department at an urban hospital, to investigate whether the Big Five personality traits were associated with post-discharge outcomes (i.e., filling prescriptions, following up with primary care physician, making an unscheduled return to the emergency department). Using logistic regression, we found few associations among the broad Big Five domains and post-discharge outcomes. However, results showed statistically significant associations between specific Big Five items (e.g., “responsible”) and the three post-discharge outcomes. This study demonstrates the feasibility of assessing personality traits in an emergency medicine setting and highlights the utility of having information about patients’ personality tendencies for predicting post-discharge compliance.