Big Five Personality Characteristics and Adherence to Clinic-Based Rehabilitation Activities after ACL Surgery: A Prospective Analysis.

PURPOSE A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted to examine Big Five personality characteristics as predictors of adherence to clinic-based rehabilitation activities following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery. METHOD Participants (72 men, 36 women) completed a questionnaire assessing Big Five personality dimensions prior to surgery. For the first 7 weeks after surgery, participants' rehabilitation session attendance was recorded and rehabilitation professionals rated participants' adherence during rehabilitation sessions.. RESULTS Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that the 5 personality factors explained 11 percent of the variance in attendance and 17 percent of the variance in adherence ratings, that agreeableness was a significant positive predictor of attendance, and that conscientiousness and openness to experience were significant positive predictors of adherence ratings. CONCLUSION As a potential contributor to adherence, personality warrants consideration when implementing rehabilitation programs after ACL surgery.