Personality hardiness, anxiety, and depression as constructs of interest in the study of temporomandibular disorders.

Abstract

This study examined the stress-mediating characteristics of the personality construct of hardiness within a population of dental patients diagnosed with a temporomandibular disorder (TMD). It was found that hardiness, consisting of feelings of control and commitment, was significantly lower in TMD patients when compared with a matched control group of non-TMD subjects. A third proposed factor of hardiness, challenge, was not found to differ significantly between the groups. Anxiety and depression self-ratings also did not differ significantly between the groups.