The impact of attending rheumatologist’s Big Five personality traits on systemic lupus erythematosus patients’ trust in their rheumatologist: the TRUMP2-SLE project

ABSTRACT Objectives Differences in communication styles according to physicians’ personality traits have been identified, and such physician-related factors can be important in building patient-physician trust. This study examined the impact of rheumatologists’ Big Five personality traits on patients’ trust in their attending rheumatologists. Methods This cross-sectional study included Japanese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at five academic medical centres between June 2020 and August 2021. The exposure was the Big Five personality traits of their attending rheumatologists using the Japanese version of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory Scale (2-14 points each). The outcome was the patient’s trust in attending rheumatologist using the Japanese version of the 5-item Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale (0-100 points). A general linear model was fitted to adjust for rheumatologists’ and patients’ characteristics, while correcting for the clustering effect of the same attending rheumatologists. Results The study included 505 patients with a mean age of 46.8 years, and 88.1% were women. Forty-three attending rheumatologists (mean age, 39.6 years, 23.3% women) were identified. Higher extraversion and agreeableness were associated with higher trust in attending rheumatologists (per 1-point increase, 1.85 points [95% CI 0.52 –3.19] and 2.24 points [95% CI 0.86 –3.61], respectively), and higher conscientiousness was associated with lower trust (per 1-point increase, −1.07 points [95% CI −1.64 – −0.49]). Conclusions While higher extraversion and agreeableness of attending rheumatologists led to higher patient trust in their rheumatologist, overly high conscientiousness may lead to lower trust resulting from the physician’s demand of dutifulness from patients with SLE. KEY MESSAGES What is already known on this topic Although physicians’ personality traits are known to influence their attitudes and performance, little is known about how they affect trust through rheumatology patient-physician interactions. What this study adds Some Big Five personality traits of an attending rheumatologist were associated with patients’ trust in their rheumatologist; extraversion and agreeableness were linked to higher trust and conscientiousness was associated with lower trust. How this study may affect research, practice, or policy Through reflection on their personality traits, attending rheumatologists are expected to become aware of their habits in patient-physician interactions and adapt their communication to strengthen the relationships with their patients.