[Investigation of personality structure by MPI in patients with gastric diseases (author's transl)].

By means of Eysenck's Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI), the personality dimensions neuroticism and extraversion were estimated in 1148 control probands (m. 195; f. 953), in 375 patients with x-ray negative dyspepsia (m. 233; f. 142), in 77 males with duodenal ulcer, 42 patients with gastric ulcer (m. 25; f. 17), and 27 patients with gastric cancer (m. 18; f. 9). In x-ray negative dyspepsia and in duodenal ulcer, slightly higher scores for neuroticism and lower scores for extraversion than in controls were found whereas patients with stomach cancer and gastric ulcer are characterized by high emotional stability. It is assumed that knowledge of the patient's personality structure may improve the physician-patient relationship.