Posttraumatic growth but not abnormal personality structure are typical for patients with essential blepharospasm

ObjectiveThe goal of our study was to find selective cognitive abnormalities in cognitive performance and personality profile of patients with essential blepharospasm (EB). Second, we wanted to see if in patients with EB we can identify posttraumatic growth (PTG) by comparison with a control sample and also with a sample of patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS).MethodsWe recruited 20 patients with EB, 20 patients with HFS and 23 demographically matched controls (NC). All participants (EB + HFS + NC) were assessed by the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and a computer-based version of Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-R). Furthermore, all participants underwent a brief battery of neuropsychological tests.ResultsEB patients had significantly higher scores in the PTGI questionnaire than those with HFS. As regards all TCI-R factors, there were no significant differences between EB, HFS or NC. In the cognitive battery, only in the Prague Stroop Test were patients with EB significantly impaired.ConclusionOur results are consistent with new information about a higher level of post-traumatic growth in EB patients than in HFS patients. We found no substantial evidence of a different personality profile in EB patients compared with HFS or NC.