Do pessimists report worse outcomes after total hip arthroplasty?

BACKGROUND: Seligman’s theory of causal attribution predicts that patients with a pessimistic explanatory style will have less favorable health outcomes. We investigated this hypothesis using self-reported hip pain and hip function 2- years after total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS: Most THA patients had completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) during their usual clinical care long before THA (median, 14.7 to 16.6 years). Scores from the MMPI Optimism-Pessimism (PSM) scale were used to categorize patients as pessimistic (t-score >60) or non-pessimistic (t score ≤60). Outcomes were self-reported: (a) moderate-severe pain, (b) absence of “much better” improvement compared to preoperative hip function, and (c) moderate-severe activity limitation. Multivariable logistic regression was adjusted for gender, age and other covariates. Odds ratios (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) are presented. RESULTS: We identified 507 patients with 565 primary THAs with an MMPI prior to primary THA, of whom 441 patients with 488 primary THAs had responded to hip pain and function follow-up surveys at 2-years post-surgery. Similarly, 202 patients with 235 revision THAs had an MMPI prior to surgery, of whom 172 patients with 196 revision THAs completed 2-year surveys. Among those with primary THA, pessimists reported (a) a non-significant trend toward more moderate-severe pain at 2-years with OR (95 % CI; p-value), 2.16 (0.90, 5.20; p = 0.08; reference, none-mild pain),; (b) no significant difference for absence of “much better” improvement in hip function at 2-years, 1.87 (0.77, 4.52; p = 0.16; reference, much better hip function); and (c) significantly higher rate of moderate-severe activity limitation at 2-years, 2.90 (1.25, 6.70; p = 0.01). Among revision THA cohort, pessimists reported no significant differences from non-pessimists in moderate-severe pain, improvement in hip function or moderate-severe functional limitation at 2-years. CONCLUSIONS: A pessimistic explanatory style was associated with moderate-severe activity limitation and a non-significant trend towards moderate-severe pain post-THA.