Consider personality, medication adherence and asthma control in efforts to improve health-related quality of life in adult asthmatics! Authors: Axelsson Malin1, Ekerljung Linda2, Lundbäck Bo2 1Department of Care Science, Faculty of Health and Society, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden 2Krefting Research Centre, Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Introduction: Asthma is a common respiratory disease, which often requires regular medication treatment. In individuals with asthma, assessments of health-related quality of life (HRQL) serve as an essential health outcome as they capture personal perspectives and experiences of everyday life with asthma and the ongoing medication treatment. Personality, adherence to medication treatment and asthma control are important influential factors of HRQL in adult individuals with asthma. However, these factors have rarely been investigated together. Therefore, the aim was to elucidate associations between personality, adherence, asthma control and HRQL in adult asthmatics. Methods: Adult asthmatics (n=337) with prescribed regular asthma medication treatment selected from West Sweden Asthma Study, participated by completing questionnaires on personality, adherence to asthma medication treatment, asthma control and HRQL. Two path models with the personality traits Neuroticism and Conscientiousness as independent variables, HRQL as dependent variable and adherence and asthma control as mediators were tested. Results: In the first path model, Neuroticism was negatively associated with adherence to asthma medication treatment and the mediated effect of adherence on HRQL went through that of perceived asthma control. In the second path model, both adherence and perceived asthma control functioned as mediators between Conscientiousness and HRQL. In this model, the effect of adherence on HRQL also went through that of perceived asthma control. Conclusion: Improving adherence in adult asthmatics scoring higher on the personality trait Neuroticism or lower on the personality trait Conscientiousness would most likely have a positive impact on their perceived asthma control, which in turn would increase their HRQL. In efforts to improve HRQL in adult asthmatics, individual differences, adherence to asthma medication treatment and perceived asthma control need to be taken into consideration