Background and purpose: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic diseases of the nervous system in which the myelin nerve fiber in the brain and spinal cord is destroyed and the causes are still unclear. MS could result in progressive disabilities in young adults with different symptoms and incidence rate. This research aimed at comparing the big five personality factor in MS patients and healthy individuals. Materials and methods: This research was a case-control study which was conducted in east of Mazandaran. The research population included 191 patients with multiple sclerosis and 191 healthy individuals who were the patients’ companions with similar age, sex, marital status and education level with the first group. Personal questionnaire and NEO Personality Inventory-Revised were used and the data was analyzed by independent t-test. Results: The mean of neuroticism personality factor in patients and healthy subjects was 30.81 and 24.12, respectively (P= 0.001). Their means in conscientiousness were 30.9 and 35.93, respectively (P= 0.001). Conclusion: This study revealed that patients suffering from MS had a higher score in neuroticism personality factor and a lower score in conscientiousness compared with healthy subjects.

Keywords: Personality factor, multiple sclerosis, healthy individuals

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