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.