Neuroticism and common mental disorders: meaning and utility of a complex relationship

Personality Traits and Quality of Life Among Older Adults: The Chain Mediating Effects of Perceived Social Support and Positive Coping Styles

The pathways between personality traits and older adults' quality of life (QOL) have been well studied. However, perceived social support and positive coping styles should not be ignored by older adults' QOL. Hence, this study examines the chain mediating role of perceived social support and positive coping styles between personality traits and older adults' QOL. In total, 230 older individuals (Meanage = 69.43, SDage = 7.23, age range from 60 to 93) participated in this study. All older people provided a rating of QOL and perceived social support, the Chinese Big Five personality, and positive coping styles. (1a) the five personality traits of older adults were significantly associated with QOL; (2b) perceived social support mediated the relationship between three personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness) and QOL; (3c) positive coping styles played a mediator role in the personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness) and QOL; (4d) perceived social support and positive coping styles had a significant chain mediating effect on the three dimensions of personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness) and QOL. As mediating influences, social support and positive coping styles can be applied to efforts to promote QOL for older adults who share the personality traits of neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness.

Exploring the bidirectional causality between neuroticism and frailty: a Mendelian randomization analysis

BACKGROUND

Epidemiological studies have confirmed the relationship between personality trait neuroticism and physical health. However, the relationship between neuroticism and frailty remains unconfirmed. This study employed a bi-directional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to investigate the causal relationship between neuroticism and frailty.

METHODS

The neuroticism genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from the UK Biobank contained twelve neuroticism-related traits with 489,212 participants. The genetic frailty index data were extracted from the UK Biobank and Swedish TwinGene, involving 175,226 individuals. Independent genetic variants associated with neuroticism and frailty were selected as instrumental variables. Inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and MR-PRESSO were mainly used for MR analysis.

RESULTS

The MR analysis showed a positive causal relationship between neuroticism and the risk of frailty (odds ratio (OR) = 1.627, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.538-1.722, P < 0.001). In the reverse direction, frailty had a causal effect on a higher risk of neuroticism (OR = 1.270, 95% CI = 1.173-1.375, P < 0.001). Steiger tests indicated that reverse causation did not bias the identified causal relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides genetic evidence suggesting a bi-directional causal relationship between frailty and neuroticism. In this bi-directional MR study, there were positive causal relationships between neuroticism-related phenotypes and frailty, and in the reverse direction, frailty was also positively correlated with neuroticism.

Examining the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 among young urban South African women

BACKGROUND

Valid, reliable, and easy-to-administer scales are crucial for identifying mental health conditions, especially in LMICs where such scales tend not to be validated. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the psychometric properties and factorial structure of the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 in a sample of young women in Soweto, South Africa.

METHODS

The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 were administered to 6028 women aged 18-28 years old. Cronbach's alpha, Mokken scale analysis, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were used to provide support for the internal consistency and construct validity of these scales.

RESULTS

Both scales demonstrated good internal consistency (α = 0.81 for PHQ-9 and α = 0.84 for GAD-7). Internal consistency reliability was further supported by positive inter-item correlations and item-by-scale correlations for all items on both measures. CFA of the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 showed a reasonable fit for the 1-factor model and 2-factor models (depression and anxiety with somatic and cognitive subtypes).

LIMITATIONS

This study was limited to young African women in urban Soweto who were proficient in English, which may affect generalizability. Differences in language or cultural context may impact the accuracy and applicability of these scales to other African populations.

CONCLUSION

The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 are valid and reliable for identifying psychological distress in the studied population. Despite showing good psychometric properties, further diagnostic assessment is needed to confirm clinical diagnoses. The scales are useful for identifying those at risk but not a substitute for comprehensive diagnostic evaluations.

Personality traits, mindfulness, and perceived stress in Chinese adults: a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach

Background

This study explores how personality traits and mindfulness facets interact to influence perceived stress, focusing on a Chinese adult sample. It aims to address gaps in understanding the combined effects of dispositional and mindfulness factors on stress.

Methods

A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. In the quantitative phase, 637 Chinese adults completed surveys measuring personality traits, mindfulness (attention, acceptance), and perceived stress. Hierarchical multiple regression, moderation, and mediation analyses were conducted. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews with selected participants provided deeper insights into the quantitative findings.

Results

Neuroticism (β = 0.29, p < 0.001) and conscientiousness (β = 0.15, p < 0.01) were positively associated with perceived stress, while mindfulness-acceptance (β = -0.25, p < 0.001) was a significant negative predictor. Neuroticism and mindfulness-acceptance uniquely explained 8 and 6% of the variance in stress, respectively. Mindfulness-attention moderated the relationship between agreeableness and stress, amplifying agreeableness' stress-buffering effect in individuals with low mindfulness-attention. Mediation analysis revealed mindfulness-acceptance partially mediated the agreeableness-stress link. Qualitative interviews underscored the role of personality and mindfulness in shaping stress responses and coping mechanisms.

Conclusion

The findings highlight mindfulness-acceptance as a critical factor in reducing stress, particularly in individuals with agreeable personalities. These results support the development of mindfulness-based interventions targeting acceptance to enhance stress resilience across diverse personality profiles.

Primum Non Nocere: The Onus to Characterize the Potential Harms of Psychedelic Treatment

The last few years have seen exponential growth in interest, investment, advocacy, and research into psychedelics as therapeutics. This reflects an optimism about the potential promise of psychedelics as therapeutics. As with all therapeutic interventions, research is needed not only into their benefits but also potential risks. Indeed, when substances with therapeutic potential are scrutinized over time, especially in broad populations with psychiatric and medical comorbidities typically excluded from clinical trials, and applied in less well-regulated or controlled settings, a greater understanding of the cautions emerges. Here, we review the literature on the known and potential harms, including enduring perceptual disturbances; triggering or enhancing the risk for onset of mania or psychosis; overuse, misuse, and dependence; challenging experiences or "bad trips"; risks associated with increased neuroplastic potential; and acute and cumulative cardiovascular effects. Each of these issues is addressed in this review, along with the call for continued research, including recommendations for further research and monitoring.

The Influence of Temperament, Theory of Mind, Inhibitory Control, and Prosocial Behavior on Child Anxiety Symptoms in the First Five Years of Life

Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent of all mental health disorders, often originating in early childhood and extending into later childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Determining salient risk factors that precede their development is important for prevention and intervention efforts. Towards this end, we examined the role of temperament, theory of mind, inhibitory control, and prosocial behavior on child anxiety symptoms in the first 5 years of life. A community sample of children and their parents (N = 399) enrolled in a longitudinal study of emotion processing were assessed when the children were infants and at ages 2 years, 3 years, and 5 years. Linear mixed models and linear regression models revealed that greater anxiety at 5 years was associated with greater negative affectivity and behavioral inhibition, lower effortful control, lower theory of mind scores on the "desires" domain, and higher scores on the "intentions" domain (assessed from infancy to 3 years of age). These characteristics may be useful to assess in clinical settings to evaluate a patient's risk for developing anxiety. They may also be useful in developing interventions targeting specific vulnerabilities.

Nocturnal hypoxia in patients with sleep disorders: exploring its role as a mediator between neurotic personality traits and psychological symptoms

Introduction

Sleep disorders often coexist with personality and psychological issues, alongside nocturnal hypoxia. This study investigates the potential mediating role of nocturnal hypoxia between personality traits and psychological symptoms in individuals with sleep disorders.

Methods

A cohort comprising 171 participants reporting sleep disturbances was recruited from Dalian Seventh People's Hospital. Psychological symptoms were assessed using the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), while personality traits were evaluated using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). Nocturnal hypoxia status was determined through overnight polysomnography.

Results

Mediation analysis, conducted using SPSS 23.0, demonstrated that the cumulative time of nocturnal peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) < 85% (T85) partially mediated the relationship between neuroticism and various psychological symptoms, including somatization (c=0.207, c'=0.164, a*b=0.043, proportion of mediation 20.8%), interpersonal sensitivity (c=0.360, c'=0.326, a*b=0.034, proportion of mediation 9.6%), depression (c=0.277, c'=0.234, a*b=0.042, proportion of mediation 15.3%), anxiety (c=0.240, c'=0.199, a*b=0.041, proportion of mediation 16.9%), hostility (c=0.241, c'=0.205, a*b=0.036, proportion of mediation 14.9%), phobic anxiety (c=0.271, c'=0.241, a*b=0.030, proportion of mediation 11.1%), and psychoticism (c=0.298, c'=0.266, a*b=0.032, proportion of mediation 10.8%).

Discussion

These findings underscore the potential mediating role of nocturnal hypoxia in the association between neuroticism personality traits and psychological symptoms among individuals with sleep disorders. Our research holds considerable significance in advancing the quest for personalized treatments targeting psychological symptoms in individuals with sleep disorders.

Concurrent and longitudinal neurostructural correlates of irritability in children

Irritability, or an increased proneness to frustration and anger, is common in youth; however, few studies have examined neurostructural correlates of irritability in children. The purpose of the current study was to examine concurrent and longitudinal associations between brain structure and irritability in a large sample of 9-10-year-old children. Participants included 10,647 children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Developmentsm Study (ABCD Study®). We related a latent irritability factor to gray matter volume, cortical thickness, and surface area in 68 cortical regions and to gray matter volume in 19 subcortical regions using structural equation modeling. Multiple comparisons were adjusted for using the false discovery rate (FDR). After controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, scanner model, parent's highest level of education, medication use, and total intracranial volume, irritability was associated with smaller volumes in primarily temporal and parietal regions at baseline. Longitudinal analyses showed that baseline gray matter volume did not predict irritability symptoms at the 3rd-year follow-up. No significant associations were found for cortical thickness or surface area. The current study demonstrates inverse associations between irritability and volume in regions implicated in emotional processing/social cognition, attention allocation, and movement/perception. We advance prior research by demonstrating that neurostructural differences associated with irritability are already apparent by age 9-10 years, extending this work to children and supporting theories positing socioemotional deficits as a key feature of irritability.

Personality Science in the Digital Age: The Promises and Challenges of Psychological Targeting for Personalized Behavior-Change Interventions at Scale

With the rapidly growing availability of scalable psychological assessments, personality science holds great promise for the scientific study and applied use of customized behavior-change interventions. To facilitate this development, we propose a classification system that divides psychological targeting into two approaches that differ in the process by which interventions are designed: audience-to-content matching or content-to-audience matching. This system is both integrative and generative: It allows us to (a) integrate existing research on personalized interventions from different psychological subdisciplines (e.g., political, educational, organizational, consumer, and clinical and health psychology) and to (b) articulate open questions that generate promising new avenues for future research. Our objective is to infuse personality science into intervention research and encourage cross-disciplinary collaborations within and outside of psychology. To ensure the development of personality-customized interventions aligns with the broader interests of individuals (and society at large), we also address important ethical considerations for the use of psychological targeting (e.g., privacy, self-determination, and equity) and offer concrete guidelines for researchers and practitioners.

Do neuroticism and efficacy beliefs moderate the relationship between climate change worry and mental wellbeing?

BACKGROUND

Research on the nature and prevalence of phenomena like climate anxiety (or eco-anxiety) is increasing rapidly but there is little understanding of the conditions under which climate change worry becomes more or less likely to significantly impact mental wellbeing. Here, we considered two plausible moderators of the relationship between climate change worry and mental wellbeing: neuroticism and efficacy beliefs.

METHODS

Analysis was conducted with survey data gathered in six European countries in autumn 2019. Participants were recruited from universities in the participating countries using opportunity sampling.

RESULTS

We found that climate change worry is negatively related to mental wellbeing at any level of perceived efficacy. In contrast, climate change worry is only significantly related to mental wellbeing at low and average levels of neuroticism. High neuroticism appears to have a masking, rather than amplifying, role in the relationship between climate change worry and mental wellbeing.

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional design of the study precludes verification of causal relationships among variables. The brief measure of neuroticism employed also did not allow for nuanced analysis of how different facets of neuroticism contribute to the observed interaction with climate change worry. Findings cannot be indiscriminately generalised to less privileged groups facing the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

CONCLUSION

Our findings lend to a view that harmful impacts of climate change worry on mental wellbeing cannot simply be ascribed to dispositional traits like neuroticism. We advocate for interventions that tackle negative climate-related emotions as unique psychological stressors.

Profiles of executive functioning and neuroticism in emerging adulthood: Concurrent associations with psychopathology and health-related quality of life

Objective: We employed latent profile analysis (LPA) to discern configurations of executive functioning (EF) and neuroticism (NE) and tested their concurrent validity with respect to internalizing and externalizing problems and physical health. Participants: A total of 125 college students completed the study. Methods: Participants self-reported NE and EF on separate normed rating scales and completed computerized tests of EF. Self-reported internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and global physical health were collected. Results: LPA revealed four profiles: (1) Lower EF + Higher NE, (2) Higher EF + Lower NE, (3) Inconsistent EF + Higher NE, and (4) Inconsistent EF + Lower NE. Adjusting for covariates, profiles were differentially associated with internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and physical health. Conclusions: Screening EF and NE in college students may identify those at risk for psychopathology and physical health concerns. Tailored prevention and intervention efforts on college campuses targeting EF and NE may enhance well-being.

The Necessary Rapprochement of Negative Affectivity, Personality Disorder, and Depression

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The relationship between depression and personality has long been a topic of interest in the fields of psychiatry and psychology, but consensus remains elusive. This lack of consensus poses a significant challenge in both diagnosis and treatment, especially in situations when otherwise effective therapies for depression fail. Our article aims to address this issue by reviewing the historical and recent conceptualizations of the relationship between depression and personality pathology. Specifically, we focus on the trait domain of negative affectivity found in the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Edition (ICD-11) and the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) as a connecting link between the two phenomena.

RECENT FINDINGS

We review recent empirical studies evaluating the association of negative affectivity, personality, and depression, along with investigations of the relationship between depressive disorders and personality disorders. Additionally, we describe the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) and the AMPD as organizing frameworks for understanding depression within a broader personality framework. Based on the available evidence, we propose that depressive disorders must be assessed within the context of the patient's personality in order to maximize treatment outcomes. Ultimately, this integrated approach can guide clinicians in developing unified treatment protocols and facilitate early detection and intervention for factors contributing to depression in order to minimize treatment resistance.

The mediating role of neuroticism and anxiety sensitivity in the relationship between childhood trauma and panic disorder severity

Objective

Despite advancements in understanding panic disorder (PD), its etiology and pathogenesis remain elusive, particularly concerning the influence of psychosocial factors. This study aims to explore the mediating roles of neuroticism and anxiety sensitivity (AS) in the relationship between childhood trauma and PD severity.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis involving 84 individuals diagnosed with PD and 112 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC). Childhood trauma was assessed using the validated Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), while anxiety sensitivity levels were measured using the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3). Neuroticism was evaluated using the Chinese Big Five Personality Inventory (CBF-PI-B). The severity of PD was determined using the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS). Statistical analysis encompassed both correlation and mediation techniques to thoroughly examine the relationships among childhood trauma, neuroticism, AS, and PD severity.

Results

Individuals with PD exhibited significantly higher CTQ, ASI-3, and neuroticism scores compared to HC (all P<0.05). Within the PD group, strong positive correlations were found between CTQ scores, ASI-3 scores, neuroticism levels, and PDSS scores, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.336 to 0.504 (all P<0.001). Additionally, our results indicated that neuroticism and AS acted as mediating factors in the relationship between childhood trauma and the severity of PD, with the 95% confidence interval for the indirect effects ranging from 0.028 to 0.116.

Conclusion

This study highlights that PD patients exhibit significantly higher levels of childhood trauma, neuroticism, and AS compared to HC. Furthermore, childhood trauma indirectly influences PD severity through a chain mediation involving neuroticism and AS. These findings suggest the importance of psychological factors in moderating the impact of early adverse experiences on the development and progression of PD.

The association between borderline personality disorder, childhood trauma, neuroticism, and self-rated or clinician-rated functional impairment in euthymic bipolar disorder-1 patients

Introduction

In this study, we mainly evaluated the associations of borderline personality disorder (BPD), neuroticism, and childhood trauma with the self-rated and clinician-rated overall functional impairment levels of adult euthymic patients with bipolar disorder-1 (BD-1). In addition, we compared patient and healthy control groups regarding the levels of of childhood trauma, neuroticism, BPD and functional impairment.

Methods

In total, 90 euthymic BD-1 patients and 90 healthy controls were enrolled. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, the neuroticism subscale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised-Abbreviated Form, the Borderline Personality Questionnaire, the Functioning Assessment Short Test, and the Sheehan Disability Scale were administered to the participants.

Results

The study revealed that the levels of BPD, neuroticism, emotional abuse, physical abuse, global childhood trauma, self-rated overall functional impairment, all the subdomains of self-rated functional impairment, clinician-rated overall functional impairment, and all the subdomains of clinician-rated functional impairment (except leisure time) were significantly higher in the patients than those in the healthy controls (p < 0.05). Clinician-rated functional impairment levels were significantly correlated with levels of BPD (r = 0.555, p<0.001), neuroticism (r = 0.429, p < 0.001), global childhood trauma (r = 0.391, p <0.001), and all subtypes of childhood trauma except sexual abuse. Self-rated functional impairment levels were significantly correlated with levels of neuroticism (r= 0.289, p = 0.006), physical neglect (r = 0.213, p = 0.044), and BPD (r = 0.557, p < 0.001). In the regression analyses, the self-rated overall functional impairment levels were only significantly associated with the BPD feature levels (β = 0.319, p < 0.001) and the clinician-rated overall functional impairment levels were only significantly associated with the BPD feature levels (β = 0.518, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The present study's findings suggest that BPD features should be addressed in psychosocial interventions aimed at ameliorating functional impairment in patients with BD-1. Only BPD features were associated with self-rated and clinician-rated overall functional impairment levels in the regression analyses in the BD-1 patients. Performing self-rated and clinician-rated functional impairment assessments in the same clinical trial may give rise to relevant findings in the future.

Sex-specific psychological risk profiles of CVD in the HUNT study: the role of neuroticism and extraversion

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to investigate psychological risk profiles of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Depression and anxiety have been linked to CVD, but research has not incorporated personality and sex-specific analyses are warranted. In this study, we examine the role of sex, neuroticism, extraversion, anxiety and depression on the risk of CVD.

METHOD

Using data from the HUNT-study and the mortality register, 32,383 (57.10% men) participants were followed for an average of 10.48 years. During this time, 142 died of myocardial infarction (MI) and 111 of stroke.

RESULTS

Cox regression showed that depression (HR = 1.07, 95% CI = [1.00, 1.14]) and neuroticism (1.23 [1.08, 1.40]) were significantly related to an increased risk of MI. One standard unit increase in depression and neuroticism was associated with 1.22 [CI 1.01, 1.47] increase and 1.43 [CI 1.14, 0.78] increase in the risk of MI respectively. For stroke, there was no significant effect of anxiety, depression or personality. However, we found a significant interaction effect between sex and extraversion where higher extraversion was associated with greater risk of stroke for women only.

CONCLUSIONS

Both neuroticism and depression were related to MI. We observed an interaction between extraversion and sex with stroke, but the effect size was small. The role of extroversion as a risk factor for CVD remains inconclusive.

Naturalistic psychedelic therapy: The role of relaxation and subjective drug effects in antidepressant response

BACKGROUND

Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is permitted in Switzerland under its limited medical use program. Data from patients in this program represent a unique opportunity to analyze the real-world practice of PAT.

AIMS

This study compared the subjective effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin between patients undergoing PAT and healthy volunteers. For the patients, it also investigated the relationship between antidepressant effects and six measures of acute drug effects.

METHODS

We compared data on acute psychedelic drug effects between 28 PAT patients with data from 28 healthy participants who participated in a randomized, double-blind crossover trial. All participants received varying doses of psilocybin and LSD. Subjective effects were assessed on an hourly basis during the acute drug effects, and the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ) was completed retrospectively. For patients, depressive symptoms were assessed using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS).

RESULTS

Ratings of overall drug effect and mystical experience were similar across groups. Compared with healthy controls, patients reported lower ratings of ego dissolution. Patients showed a significant decrease in MADRS scores, and the greatest predictor of antidepressant outcome was relaxation during the PAT session. We did not observe a relationship between mystical-type experiences and antidepressant effects. Most patients experienced mild adverse effects which resolved within 48 h.

CONCLUSION

PAT reduced depressive symptoms in this heterogeneous patient group. Patients may experience more challenging psychedelic effects and reduced ego dissolution. Hourly assessment of drug effects may predict clinical outcomes better than retrospectively assessed mystical experiences, and the impact of relaxation during PAT should be investigated further.

Risk psychosocial factors associated with postpartum depression trajectories from birth to six months

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to assess the trajectory of women's depressive symptoms during the first six months postpartum, identify risk factors (sociodemographic, obstetric and personality) associated with classes, and examine associations between classes and postpartum PTSD at two months and bonding at six months.

METHODS

The final sample included 212 women who gave birth in the maternity wards of a large tertiary health center that were approached at 1-3 days, two months, and six months postpartum and completed a demographic questionnaire and measures of neuroticism (BFI) and postpartum depression (EPDS), postpartum PTSD (City Birth Trauma Scale) and bonding (PBQ). Obstetric data were taken from the medical files.

RESULTS

Cluster analysis revealed three distinctive clusters: "stable-low" (64.2%), "transient-decreasing" (25.9%), and "stable-high" (9.9%). Neuroticism, general-related PTSD symptoms, and bonding were associated with differences between all trajectories. Birth-related PTSD symptoms were associated with differences between both stable-high and transient-decreasing trajectories and the stable-low trajectory. No obstetric or demographic variables were associated with differences between trajectories.

CONCLUSION

We suggest that screening women for vulnerabilities such as high levels of neuroticism and offering treatment can alleviate the possible deleterious effects of high-symptom depression trajectories that may be associated with their vulnerability.

Universal personality dimensions and dysfunctional obsessional beliefs in the DSM-5's OCD and related disorders (OCRDs)

This study aimed to determine the extent to which personality and cognitive factors contribute to the identification of shared associations between the DSM-5's OCD and Related Disorders (OCRDs). Participants (n = 239) were treatment-seeking outpatients with a principal diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), hoarding disorder (HD), trichotillomania (TTM), or excoriation disorder (EXC), as compared to healthy community controls (n = 100). Analyses examined the relationships between diagnostic group, personality dimensions, and obsessive beliefs. Results demonstrated that compared to non-clinical controls, all diagnostic groups scored significantly higher on neuroticism and lower on extraversion and conscientiousness. Few significant differences were found across diagnostic groups: extraversion was higher in the TTM group (vs. all OCRDs), conscientiousness was lower in the HD group (vs. OCD, TTM, EXC), and openness to experience was higher in the TTM and EXC groups (vs. OCD, HD). Obsessional beliefs were significantly elevated in all clinical conditions (vs. controls) except for beliefs surrounding responsibility and threat estimation, which were only significantly higher in OCD and BDD groups. These results highlight shared personality and cognitive vulnerability in the OCRDs as well as unique disorder-specific vulnerabilities related to OCD.

Active Inference in Psychology and Psychiatry: Progress to Date?

The free energy principle is a formal theory of adaptive self-organising systems that emerged from statistical thermodynamics, machine learning and theoretical neuroscience and has since been translated into biologically plausible 'process theories' of cognition and behaviour, which fall under the banner of 'active inference'. Despite the promise this theory holds for theorising, research and practical applications in psychology and psychiatry, its impact on these disciplines has only now begun to bear fruit. The aim of this treatment is to consider the extent to which active inference has informed theoretical progress in psychology, before exploring its contributions to our understanding and treatment of psychopathology. Despite facing persistent translational obstacles, progress suggests that active inference has the potential to become a new paradigm that promises to unite psychology's subdisciplines, while readily incorporating the traditionally competing paradigms of evolutionary and developmental psychology. To date, however, progress towards this end has been slow. Meanwhile, the main outstanding question is whether this theory will make a positive difference through applications in clinical psychology, and its sister discipline of psychiatry.

Cognitive Ability, Personality, and Psychopathology: A Stormy Relationship

Cognitive and non-cognitive traits are frequently analyzed in isolation. However, there is an increasing acknowledgment that their interplay should be considered for enhancing our understanding of human psychological differences. Testing both traits in the same sample of individuals is desirable when addressing their relationships. Here, for that purpose, 299 university students from Spain (mean age = 18.5 years., 83% female) completed a cognitive ability battery comprised by nine tests, the NEO-FFI for assessing the big five personality traits, and the SCL-90-R for evaluating a range of subjective psychopathological symptoms. This resulted in 23 cognitive and non-cognitive variables that were submitted to a data reduction providing four factors: (1) neuroticism/p, (2) cognitive ability/g, (3) agreeableness/A, and (4) introversion/I. Summary factor scores revealed a positive correlation between p and I (0.47), along with negative correlations of A with p (-0.26) and with g (-0.24), and a negative correlation between A and I (-0.16). These factors were related to some degree even when the assessment of the cognitive and non-cognitive variables cannot be considered straightforwardly comparable because the former was performance based, whereas the later was based on self-reports. Conceptual and methodological implications are discussed regarding the three-way relationship among cognitive ability, personality, and subjective psychopathological symptoms.

Examining the Role of Neuroticism Polygenic Risk in Late Life Cognitive Change: A UK Biobank Study

Cognitive decline is a public health concern affecting about 50 million individuals worldwide. Neuroticism, defined as the trait disposition to experience intense and frequent negative emotions, has been associated with an increased risk of late-life cognitive decline. However, the underlying biological mechanisms of this association remain unknown. This study investigated the relationship between genetic predisposition to neuroticism, computed by polygenic risk score (PRS), and performance in cognitive domains of reasoning, processing speed, visual attention, and memory in individuals over age 60. The sample consisted of UK Biobank participants with genetic and cognitive data available (N = 10,737, 4686 females; mean age = 63.4 ± 2.71). The cognitive domains were assessed at baseline for all participants and seven years later for a subset (N = 645, 262 females; mean age = 62.9 ± 2.44). Neuroticism PRS was not associated cross-sectionally with cognitive measures (p > 0.05). However, the trajectory of change for processing speed (β = 0.020; 95% CI = [0.006, 0.035], adjusted p = 0.0148), visual attention (β = -0.077; 95% CI = [-0.0985, -0.0553], adjusted p = 1.412 × 10-11), and memory (β = -0.033; 95% CI = [-0.0535, -0.0131], adjusted p = 0.005) was significantly associated with neuroticism PRS. Specifically, a higher genetic predisposition to neuroticism was associated with less decline in these cognitive domains. This trend persisted after sensitivity analysis using complete cases, although it only remained nominally significant for visual attention.

COVID-19 phobia, personality traits and menopausal symptoms in women in the climacteric period

Introduction

Menopausal symptoms in women are influenced by personality traits as well as physical and psychological characteristics. The effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) phobia on personality traits and menopausal symptoms in premenopausal and postmenopausal women were examined in this study.

Material and methods

The study was conducted in a cross-sectional and descriptive design with 410 women. The data were collected using a descriptive data form, the COVID-19 phobia scale, the menopause rating scale, and the Cervantes personality scale.

Results

In this study, 46.8% of the women were premenopausal and 53.2% were postmenopausal. The mean age was 42.9 ±1.97 years in premenopausal women and 50.9 ±2.94 years in postmenopausal women. The psychological, social, and total COVID-19 phobia scores were found to be higher in postmenopausal women than premenopausal women. Postmenopausal women showed more introverted personality traits than premenopausal women. COVID-19 phobia affected postmenopausal women more than premenopausal women in terms of psychological, social and all menopausal symptoms. As COVID-19 phobia increased, neurotic personality traits increased in premenopausal women, and introverted and neurotic personality traits increased in postmenopausal women (p < 0.05). Menopausal symptoms increased with neurotic personality traits in premenopausal women and with introverted personality traits in postmenopausal women (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

COVID-19 phobia affected both groups in terms of menopausal symptoms and personality traits. For the management of menopausal symptoms, it is recommended to consider neurotic personality traits in premenopausal women and introverted personality traits in postmenopausal women.

Neuroticism Is Prospectively Associated With 30-Month Changes in Broadband Internalizing Symptoms, but Not Narrowband Positive Affect or Anxious Arousal, in Emerging Adulthood

Elevated levels of Neuroticism/Negative Emotionality (N/NE) and, less consistently, lower levels of Extraversion/Positive Emotionality (E/PE) confer risk for pathological depression and anxiety. To date, most prospective-longitudinal research has narrowly focused on traditional diagnostic categories, creating uncertainty about the precise nature of these prospective associations. Adopting an explicitly hierarchical-dimensional approach, we examined the association between baseline variation in personality and longitudinal changes in broad and narrow internalizing-symptom dimensions in 234 emerging adults followed for 2.5 years, during the transition from older adolescence to early adulthood. N/NE was uniquely associated with increases in broadband internalizing-the core cognitive and affective symptoms that cut across the emotional disorders-and unrelated to the narrower dimensions of positive affect and anxious arousal that differentiate specific internalizing presentations. Variation in E/PE and several other Big Five traits was cross-sectionally, but not prospectively, related to longitudinal changes in specific internalizing symptoms. Exploratory personality-facet-level analyses provided preliminary evidence of more granular associations between personality and longitudinal changes in internalizing symptoms. These observations enhance the precision of models linking personality to internalizing illness; highlight the centrality of N/NE to increases in transdiagnostic internalizing symptoms during a key developmental chapter; and set the stage for developing more effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Depression and Personality Traits Across Adolescence-Within-Person Analyses of a Birth Cohort

Depressive symptoms and personality traits covary in adolescents, but our understanding of the nature of this relation is limited. Whereas a predisposition explanation posits that specific personality traits increase the vulnerability for developing depression, a scar explanation proposes that depression may alter premorbid personality. Attempts to test these explanatory models have relied on analyses that conflate within-person changes and between-person differences, which limits the implications that can be drawn. Moreover, research on the early adolescent years is lacking. The present study therefore examined within-person associations between depressive symptoms and Big Five personality traits across ages 10 to 16. Children (n = 817; 49.9% boys) and parents from two birth cohorts in Trondheim, Norway, were assessed biennially with clinical interviews capturing symptoms of major depressive disorder and dysthymia, and self-reported Big Five personality traits. Analyses were conducted using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model, which accounts for all unmeasured time-invariant confounding effects. Increased Neuroticism predicted an increased number of depressive symptoms-and increased depressive symptoms predicted increased Neuroticism-across ages 10 to 14. Moreover, increased depressive symptoms forecast reduced Extraversion across ages 10 to 16, and reduced Conscientiousness from ages 12 to 14. Increases in Neuroticism may contribute to the development of depressive symptoms-in line with the predisposition model. As regards the scar model, depression may have an even wider impact on personality traits: increasing Neuroticism and reducing Extraversion and Conscientiousness. These effects may already be present in the earliest adolescent years.

Common genetic and environmental bases of the mental disorders and personality traits: Special focus on the hierarchical model of psychopathology and NEO-PI-R facets

OBJECTIVE

This study examined whether phenotypic correlations between psychopathological dimensions and personality traits of different hierarchical levels originate from common genetic and environmental sources of variance.

METHOD

Participants were 386 monozygotic and 204 dizygotic twins. The Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire (PDSQ) was applied along with the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R). The results of the CFA confirmed the hypothesis of the internalizing and externalizing dimensions underlying PDSQ scales.

RESULTS

The results indicated a significantly greater role of genetic compared to environmental factors in the relationship between internalizing psychopathology and personality traits. Facets of neuroticism showed positive genetic links with internalizing disorders, while negative genetic links were shown for all facets of extraversion except excitement-seeking, competence, self-discipline, achievement striving, actions, and trust. Lower-order personality traits were shown to be associated with internalizing disorders more intensively than the broader domains to which they belong, both at the phenotypic and genetic levels.

CONCLUSIONS

High neuroticism, together with several facets from the domain of extraversion and conscientiousness seems to represent an increased genetic susceptibility to the disorders from the internalizing spectrum. Results also suggest that specific environmental factors which are not shared with personality traits contribute to the internalizing symptoms.

Personality traits as predictors of recovery among patients with substance use disorder

INTRODUCTION

Substance use disorder (SUD) is often considered a chronic illness in which prolonged recovery, in terms of abstinence, is uncommon. Personality has been found to predict recovery, but not much is known about its long-term predictive ability as the majority of previous studies have had short follow-up periods (≥ one year). The current longitudinal cohort study therefore investigated whether personality traits predict short- (STR) as well as long-term recovery (LTR) in SUD patients.

METHODS

Treatment-seeking patients with SUD (n = 123) completed the NEO Personality Inventory - Revised. STR and LTR categories were defined as scoring <8 on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - C and <2 on the Drug Use Disorder Identification Test - C at the one-year and 6-8-year follow-up, respectively. Whether personality traits predicted outcome was investigated by two-tailed independent samples t-tests, α < 0.05. Additional analysis was conducted with latent growth curve model.

RESULTS

Neuroticism (inversely, p = .004, d = 0.55) and Extraversion (p = .04, d = 0.38) predicted STR (n = 114). Although not significant the effect size for Conscientiousness was above the cut-off for a practical significant effect (d = 0.31). No traits predicted LTR category. Still, the effect sizes for LTR regarding Neuroticism (d = 0.36), Extraversion (d = 0.21) and Conscientiousness (d = 0.27) indicated that these traits have relevance for LTR. The latent growth curve model indicated that these traits predicted the short-term use of drugs and long-term use of alcohol in this cohort dominated by patients suffering from severe poly-SUD.

CONCLUSION

Personality traits predict recovery. The effect sizes indicate that more studies with larger samples on personality traits and LTR are required to understand their possible influences on the recovery process.

A longitudinal investigation of the cross-dimensional mediating role of negative life events between neuroticism and depressive symptoms in adolescents

BACKGROUND

Neuroticism has been identified as a significant predictor for depression within the adolescent population However, few longitudinal studies have investigated this association and explored the mediation effect of the negative life events. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal association between neuroticism, negative life events, and depression in a large sample of Chinese adolescents.

METHODS

Data on Five Factor Inventory-Neuroticism Subscale (FFI-N) was collected from 1150 participants aged 14-19 years old at baseline, and data on Adolescent Life Event Questionnaire (ALEQ) and Center of Epidemiological Study-Depression (CES-D) were collected both at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Multilevel modelings were used to analyze the longitudinal associations among neuroticism, negative life events and depression.

RESULTS

Through a longitudinal study design, results from multilevel regression analyses indicated a direct correlation between increased levels of neuroticism and the aggregation of negative life events with the prediction of more severe depressive symptoms. Further, results of multilevel mediations suggested that the negative life events served to partially mediate the relationship between neuroticism and each dimension of depression.

LIMITATIONS

The results cannot be used to make a clinical diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

The current findings suggest the negative life events as a cross-dimensional mediator in the relationship between neuroticism and each dimension of depression. Regulating neuroticism levels and implementing strategies to coping stress derived from daily life events could be integral approaches to reducing the prevalence of depression within the adolescent population.

Mentalizing as a Predictor of Well-Being and Emotion Regulation: Longitudinal Evidence from a Community Sample of Young Adults

Background: In recent years, mentalizing - the capacity to understand one's own and others' intentional mental states in social contexts - has been considered to be a protective capacity that enables adaptive processing of stress-related emotional arousal, benefits general well-being and underpins adaptive emotion regulation. Objective: Several studies using cross-sectional research designs have demonstrated the potential health-promoting effect of mentalizing in non-clinical samples. However, longitudinal evidence is scarce. The present study aimed to investigate whether mentalizing predicts well-being and emotion regulation strategies in a non-clinical sample of mainly young adults using a prospective longitudinal design. Methods: In a prospective research design, 135 participants completed questionnaires assessing well-being, psychological symptom severity and mentalizing capacity at baseline (T1). Twelve months later (T2), emotion regulation strategies (suppression and cognitive reappraisal), well-being and psychological symptom severity were assessed by self-report. The data were analyzed using multivariate linear regression analysis. Results: Impairments in mentalizing were a significant negative predictor of well-being 12 months later. Furthermore, impairments in mentalizing positively predicted suppression of emotional states at T2. No association was found between deficits in mentalizing and cognitive reappraisal of emotional states over the course of 1 year. Conclusion: The findings indicate that mentalizing is longitudinally associated with mental health indicators in a non-clinical adult sample. Specifically, ineffective mentalizing was associated with impaired psychological well-being and a tendency to suppress intense emotional states over a period of 1 year. Future research should replicate these findings using multiple measurement timepoints to etablish causality.

Causal relationships between serum albumin, neuroticism and suicidal ideation in depressed patients: A Mendelian randomization study

Although serum albumin and neuroticism have revealed a strong association with suicidal ideation in individuals with depression, the causal relationship between them is uncertain. This study analyzed the causal association of serum albumin, neuroticism and suicidal ideation using large-scale GWAS data and Univariable Mendelian Randomization (UVMR) methods. The Multivariable MR (MVMR) analysis was used to explore the causal pathways. UVMR analysis revealed that genetically determined serum albumin is causally associated with neuroticism (β = -0.006 S.D.; 95 % CI: 0.009, -0.002; p = 0.003) and suicidal ideation (β = 0.009 S.D.; 95 % CI: 0.001, 0.016; p = 0.037); and that neuroticism mediates 100 % of the causal association between serum albumin and suicidal ideation in individuals with depression. These findings suggest genetic evidence for the causal effect of serum albumin on suicidal ideation in depressed patients and the significant mediation effect of neuroticism on this causal association. This study proves the protective role of serum albumin for neuroticism and the riskiness of personality traits for suicidal ideation in individuals with depression.

Latent profile analysis of Eysenck's personality dimensions and psychological constructs in university students

Background

The exploration of personality traits in relation to psychological constructs has become increasingly relevant in understanding the mental health of university students (the emerging adulthood). Studies have focused on how dimensions intersect with various psychological parameters.

Aim

The study aims to identify distinct personality profiles among university students based on Eysenck's personality dimensions and investigate how these profiles differ across psychological constructs.

Method

A quantitative methodology was utilized, involving 708 university students from Wenzhou and Nanjing in China as participants. The research employed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire along with other psychological measures. Latent Profile Analysis was applied to categorize the participants into distinct personality profiles.

Results

Four distinct personality profiles emerged: 'The Reserved Analyst,' 'The Social Diplomat,' 'The Unconventional Pragmatist,' and 'The Impulsive Truth-Teller.' Significant differences were found among these profiles on various psychological constructs. 'The Social Diplomat' exhibited the most adaptive psychological profile, with higher cognitive reappraisal (F = 45.818, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.163), meaning in life (F  = 17.764, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.070), and positive coping (F = 40.765, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.148) compared to other profiles. Conversely, 'The Reserved Analyst' showed higher intolerance of uncertainty (F = 13.854, p  < 0.001, η2 = 0.056) and state anxiety (F = 26.279, p  < 0.001, η2 = 0.101).

Conclusion

This study enriches the understanding of personality traits in relation to psychological constructs within the context of university student populations. By identifying distinct personality profiles, it lays the groundwork for developing tailored mental health strategies that cater to the specific needs of different student groups.

Seeking help for nightmares: Associated personality factors

Research indicated that patients suffering from nightmares are often undertreated. One reason for this gap is that nightmare sufferers themselves often have not sought professional help for their nightmares, and-if they did-it was not very helpful. The current study aimed at studying trait factors (personality, harm avoidance) in relation to the persons considering seeking professional help. In a population-sample of 1108 persons (712 women, 396 men) with a mean age of 50.55 ± 14.22 years, it was also found that only some of the persons who have problems with nightmares even considered seeking professional help as an option. As expected and after controlling for effects of nightmare frequency, persons with high harm avoidance and high introversion were more likely not seeking help for their problems with nightmares. The associations with low education, low agreeableness and low conscientiousness with considering seeking professional help might point to the fear of stigmatisation in nightmare sufferers. Interestingly, the association between harm avoidance and "Considering seeking professional help" was even stronger in the subsample of frequent nightmare sufferers (once a week or more often). Future efforts should aim at findings new ways to offer adequate help for nightmares and increase the knowledge about nightmare treatment in healthcare professionals.

Associations between benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and seven mental disorders: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Background

The association between benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and various mental disorders is still controversial. This study used the Mendelian randomization (MR) method to clarify the correlation between BPPV and seven mental disorders (bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, suicidality, neuroticism, and mood swings) to aid in the exploration of BPPV complications and prevention and early treatment of mental disorders.

Methods

The datasets for BPPV and seven mental disorders were obtained from genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Two-sample MR was used to analyze the correlation between exposure (BPPV) and various outcomes (bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, suicidality, neuroticism, and mood swings). A reverse MR study was also performed. The inverse variance weighting (IVW) method, the MR-Egger method, the simple mode method, the weighted mode method, and the weighted median method were selected.

Results

The MR analysis and the reverse MR analysis results did not reveal significant associations between BPPV and bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, suicidal tendencies, neuroticism, and mood swings. Interestingly, neuroticism (IVW: OR = 1.142, 95% CI: 1.059-1.231, P = 0.001; P-MR-PRESSO adjustment = 0.0002) and mood swings (IVW: OR = 3.119, 95% CI: 1.652-5.884, P = 0.0004) may have a significant association with BPPV. After MR-PRESSO adjustment, there was no horizontal pleiotropy or heterogeneity, and a significant association between neuroticism, mood swings, and BPPV has still been suggested.

Conclusion

We conducted MR analysis on genetic data from European populations and discovered a causal relationship between BPPV and the seven mental disorders. Our research findings suggest that BPPV may not have a significant causal relationship with bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, or suicidal tendencies. However, neuroticism and mood swings may be risk factors for BPPV.

Comparison of dysfunctional attitudes, cognitive vulnerability to depression, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in healthy participants

BACKGROUND

During the COVID-19 pandemic, depression and suicide rates increased worldwide, and in Japan. Presumably, an increase of neuroticism-related personality traits mediates the relation linking the COVID-19 pandemic with depression and suicide. This study examined COVID-19 pandemic effects on dysfunctional attitudes, cognitive vulnerability to depression, in healthy participants.

METHODS

The study used Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS) -24 data of three subscales (i.e., achievement, dependency, and self-control) obtained from 270 Japanese medical students during October 2017 - June 2022. Participants were divided into two groups: those for whom DAS-24 was assessed before the pandemic (phase 1 group, October 2017 - March 2020, n = 178) and those for whom DAS-24 was assessed during the pandemic (phase 2 group, April 2020 - June 2022, n = 92).

RESULTS

Total DAS-24 scores of the phase 2 group were significantly (p = 0.047) lower than those of the phase 1 group. Scores of the dependency subscale for the phase 2 group were significantly (p = 0.002) lower than those for the phase 1 group, but no significant difference was found in the scores of the achievement and self-control subscales.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that a decrease in DAS-24 scores, particularly of the dependency subscale, occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Possible mechanisms underlying these results are 1) individuals became less preoccupied with receiving evaluation, 2) individuals realized that self-cognition depending on the approval of others is unimportant, and 3) high levels of dysfunctional attitude were maladaptive for obtaining affective benefits via social interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personality Traits, Burnout, and Psychopathology in Healthcare Professionals in Intensive Care Units-A Moderated Analysis

This study explored the associations between personality dimensions, burnout, and psychopathology in healthcare professionals in intensive care units (ICUs). This study further aimed to discern the differences in these relationships when considering the variables of critical care experience (less than 5 years, 5-10 years, and more than 10 years), profession (nurses versus intensivists), and the urban size of the city where the ICU is located (metropolitan cities versus smaller urban cities). This cross-sectional investigation's outcomes are based on data from 503 ICU personnel, including 155 intensivists and 348 nurses, in 31 ICU departments in Greece. Participants underwent a comprehensive assessment involving a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). To analyze the interplay among critical care experience, burnout status, and psychopathology, a moderation analysis was conducted with personality dimensions (i.e., psychoticism, extraversion, and neuroticism) serving as the mediator variable. Profession and the urban size of the ICU location were considered as moderators influencing these relationships. Male healthcare professionals showed higher psychoticism levels than females, aligning with prior research. Experienced nurses reported lower personal achievement, hinting at potential motivation challenges for professional growth. Psychoticism predicted high depersonalization and low personal achievement. Neuroticism and psychoticism negatively impacted ICU personnel's mental well-being, reflected in elevated psychopathology scores and burnout status. Psychoticism appears to be the primary factor influencing burnout among the three personality dimensions, particularly affecting intensivists. In contrast, nurses are more influenced by their critical care experience on their mental health status.

Combined effects of neuroticism and negative emotional context on spontaneous EEG dynamics

Neuroticism is a personality trait with great clinical relevance, defined as a tendency to experience negative affect, sustained self-generated negative thoughts and impaired emotion regulation. Here, we investigated spontaneous brain dynamics in the aftermath of negative emotional events and their links with neuroticism in order to shed light on the prolonged activity of large-scale brain networks associated with the control of affect. We recorded electroencephalography (EEG) from 36 participants who were asked to rest after watching neutral or fearful video clips. Four topographic maps (i.e. microstates classes A, B, C and D) explained the majority of the variance in spontaneous EEG. Participants showed greater presence of microstate D and lesser presence of microstate C following exposure to fearful stimuli, pointing to changes in attention- and introspection-related networks previously associated with these microstates. These emotional effects were more pronounced for participants with low neuroticism. Moreover, neuroticism scores were positively correlated with microstate C and negatively correlated with microstate D, regardless of previous emotional stimulation. Our results reveal distinctive effects of emotional context on resting-state EEG, consistent with a prolonged impact of negative affect on the brain, and suggest a possible link with neuroticism.

Neuroticism and the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: An Observational Epidemiologic and Mendelian Randomization Study

Background

The association between neuroticism and atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unknown.

Objectives

This study aimed to assess the epidemiological and causal relationships between neuroticism and AF.

Methods

Individuals without AF history were selected From the UK Biobank nationwide prospective cohort study. Participants were divided into 2 groups (high and low) based on the median summary score from a self-questionnaire of 12 neurotic behavior domains. The 10-year AF risk was compared between the neuroticism score groups using inverse probability of treatment weighting. The causal relationship between neuroticism and AF was evaluated using a 2-sample summary-level Mendelian randomization with the inverse variance-weighted method.

Results

Of 394,834 participants (mean age 56.3 ± 8.1 years, 45.9% male), AF occurred in 23,509 (6.0%) during a 10-year follow-up. The risk of incident AF significantly increased in the high neuroticism score group (score ≥4) (inverse probability of treatment weighting-adjusted HR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02-1.09; P = 0.005) compared with the low neuroticism group. In the subgroup analysis, younger age, lower body mass index, or nonsmoker/ex-smoker participants were particularly susceptible to increased AF risk due to high neuroticism scores. A Mendelian randomization analysis showed a significant causal relationship between an increase in neuroticism score and increased risk of AF (OR by inverse variance-weighted method 1.06; 95% CI: 1.02-1.11; P = 0.007) without evidence of reverse causality.

Conclusions

There was a significant longitudinal and causal relationship between neuroticism and AF. An integrated care including active mental health screening and management may benefit in high-risk populations.

Assessing Theories of State and Trait Change in Neuroticism and Symptom Improvement in the Unified Protocol

Researchers have shown neuroticism decreases with treatment (Roberts et al., 2017), although it is unclear if this reflects fleeting state-level changes (state-artifact position) or trait-level change (cause-correction hypothesis). These theories further propose that changes in neuroticism predict symptom change (cause-correction hypothesis) or are predicted by symptom change (state-artifact position). We compared these theories in a clinical trial of the Unified Protocol (UP). Participants (N = 38; Mage = 34.55, 71.1% female, 78.9% Caucasian) meeting DSM-5 criteria for a primary emotional disorder completed up to 12 weekly sessions of the UP. Neuroticism exhibited state-level changes by Session 6 but trait-level changes by Session 12. Within-person reductions in neuroticism exhibited bidirectional relations with anxiety symptom change but predicted unidirectional session-to-session reductions in depression. These findings provide relatively more nuanced support for the cause-correction hypothesis that the UP leads to trait changes in neuroticism that tend to precede symptom change.

Job satisfaction and job tenure of people with mental health disorders: a UK Biobank cohort study

AIMS

Job satisfaction plays an important role for the life quality and health of working individuals. While studies have shown that self-reported mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression are associated with job satisfaction, a large population-based study exploring and comparing self-reported physician posed diagnosed conditions and their association with job satisfaction and job tenure is missing. This study addresses the gap along with exploring the impact of the neurotic personality trait and other possible contributing factors.

METHODS

Sixteen mental health disorders diagnosed by physicians, categorised into four major groups were investigated in relation to employment status (108,711 participants) and in relation to job satisfaction and job tenure (34,808 participants). Analyses were performed using linear regression adjusted for age, sex, townsend deprivation index, body mass index, education, physical activity, work hours and neuroticism.

RESULTS

Neurotic and stress disorders, eating disorders and other mental health disorders were strongly associated with lower job satisfaction and shorter job tenure in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses. Neuroticism was strongly linked to job satisfaction but was not associated with job tenure.

CONCLUSIONS

Study findings clarify the complex relationship of mental health with job satisfaction and job tenure, which is very important to understand in designing measures to improve working life participation of individuals with mental health issues.

Association of Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder with Trait Neuroticism and Mental Health Symptoms

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) is considered rare in hallucinogen users although there are conflicting reports about its incidence and prevalence. HPPD may be more common in those with trait neuroticism. In this study, we invited hallucinogen and other drug users to complete an online questionnaire about their use of hallucinogens, their experience of HPPD symptoms, and their trait neuroticism and mental health symptoms. We received 802 responses with 415 of these containing adequate data for further analysis. 39.7% of responders reported symptoms corresponding to Type I HPPD, and 4.3% reported symptoms corresponding to Type II HPPD. We found no significant difference between neuroticism scores for participants with or without HPPD. Individuals with Type II HPPD were more likely to report mental health symptoms including anxiety, obsessional thoughts, paranoia, hypochondria and panic attacks (p < .05). We also found that individuals with Type II HPPD were more likely to report the use of 25I-NBOMe, dextromethorphan, nitrous oxide and benzodiazepines (p < .05). 47.3% of participants had never tested their drugs, making the attribution of HPPD severity to specific drugs difficult. Further work into the development of HPPD is required, particularly with the rise of hallucinogens as potential treatments for depression and other mental illnesses.

Perfectionism, test anxiety, and neuroticism determines high academic performance: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Academic performance is an important issue for Korean students. Various psychological factors contribute to academic performance. We aimed to evaluate the psychological factors that affect academic performance integratively.

METHODS

A total of 102 academic high achievers and 120 comparison participants were recruited. We evaluated psychological factors (test anxiety, perfectionism, personality traits, resilience, and self-efficacy) and measured academic performance using the College Scholastic Ability Test and the current college grade. We compared psychological factors and academic performance between the academic high achiever and comparison groups. Multiple linear regression was then conducted to identify the significant psychological factors for high academic performance. Further, we used cluster analysis to classify the comparison group by the significant psychological factors and compared them among clusters and academic high achievers to determine the psychological characteristics of academic high achievers.

RESULTS

The academic high achiever group showed lower test anxiety (p = .002), less neuroticism (p = .001), higher self-efficacy (p = .028), and less socially prescribed perfectionism (p < .001) than the comparison group. Multiple linear regression results (p = .020) clarified that neuroticism (p = .020), test anxiety level (p = .047), and perfectionism (p = .035) were important factors predicting better academic performance. Academic high achievers had moderate test anxiety and perfectionism levels, with the best performance on the College Scholastic Ability Test.

CONCLUSIONS

Neuroticism, test anxiety levels, and perfectionism are important psychological factors for high academic performance. Interventions targeting these factors may help to improve academic accomplishments.

Transdiagnostic phenomena of psychopathology in the context of the RDoC: protocol of a multimodal cross-sectional study

In the past, affective and cognitive processes related to psychopathology have been examined within the boundaries of phenotype-based diagnostic labels, which has led to inconsistent findings regarding their underlying operating principles. Investigating these processes dimensionally in healthy individuals and by means of multiple modalities may provide additional insights into the psychological and neuronal mechanisms at their core. The transdiagnostic phenomena Neuroticism and Rumination are known to be closely linked. However, the exact nature of their relationship remains to be elucidated. The same applies to the associations between Hedonic Capacity, Negativity Bias and different Emotion Regulation strategies.This multimodal cross-sectional study examines the relationship of the transdiagnostic phenomena Neuroticism and Rumination as well as Hedonic Capacity, the Negativity Bias and Emotion Regulation from a RDoC (Research Domain Criteria) perspective. A total of 120 currently healthy subjects (past 12 months) will complete several questionnaires regarding personality, emotion regulation, hedonic capacity, and psychopathologies as well as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during cognitive and emotional processing, to obtain data on the circuit, behavioral and self-report level.This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between cognitive and affective processes associated with psychopathologies as well as their neuronal correlates. Ultimately, a grounded understanding of these processes could guide improvement of diagnostic labels and treatments. Limitations include the cross-sectional design and the limited variability in psychopathology scores due to the restriction of the sample to currently healthy subjects.

Changes in anxiety in the general population over a six-year period

BACKGROUND

Anxiety is a frequent condition in patients and in the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in anxiety over time and to test several psychometric properties of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) from a longitudinal perspective.

METHODS

The GAD-7 was included in an examination with two waves, six years apart. The study sample (n = 5355) was comprised of representatively selected adults from the general population with a mean age of 57.3 (SD = 12.3) years.

RESULTS

During the 6-year time interval, anxiety increased significantly from 3.28 ± 3.16 (t1) to 3.66 ± 3.46 (t2). Confirmatory factor analyses proved the longitudinal measurement invariance of the GAD-7. Reliability of the GAD-7 was established both for the cross-sectional and the longitudinal perspective. The test-retest correlation was r = 0.53, and there were no substantial sex or age differences in these coefficients of temporal stability. The mean changes in anxiety were similar for males and females, and there was no linear age trend in the changes measured by the GAD-7. Changes in anxiety over the 6-year period were correlated with changes in satisfaction with life (r = -0.30), bodily complaints (r = 0.31), and the mental component of quality of life (r = -0.48).

CONCLUSION

The GAD-7 is a suitable instrument for measuring changes in anxiety. Age and gender have only minor significance when interpreting change scores.

Psychiatric disorders, personality traits, and childhood traumatic events predicting incidence and persistence of chronic pain: results from the CoLaus|PsyCoLaus study

ABSTRACT

Chronic pain (CP) is often accompanied by mental disorders (MDs). However, little is known concerning the long-term effect of MDs, personality traits, and early-life traumatic events (ETEs) on CP course. Accordingly, we aimed to prospectively assess the associations of major depressive disorders (MDDs), anxiety disorders, personality traits, and ETEs with the incidence and the persistence of CP in middle-aged and older community dwellers. Data stemmed from the 3 first follow-up evaluations of CoLaus|PsyCoLaus, a prospective cohort conducted in the general population of Lausanne (Switzerland). Diagnostic criteria for MDs and ETEs were elicited using semistructured interviews. CP and personality traits were assessed by self-rating questionnaires. Follow-up intervals were subdivided into 2 groups: those without (n = 2280) and those with (n = 1841) CP initially. The associations between the psychological variables and the occurrence or persistence of CP 5 years later were assessed using serially adjusted logistic regression models. Higher neuroticism (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 1.21 [1.08; 1.36]) and extraversion (1.18 [1.06; 1.32]) were associated with higher 5-year CP incidence, whereas current (2.14 [1.34; 3.44]) and remitted MDD (1.29 [1.00; 1.66]) as well as lower extraversion (0.83 [0.74; 0.94]) were associated with persistence of CP. By contrast, ETEs and anxiety disorders were not associated with the incidence or persistence of CP. Our results suggest that personality traits are associated with both CP occurrence and persistence, whereas the MDDs may be more associated with CP persistence. Both personality and MDD are accessible to psychotherapy, and MDD is also accessible to pharmacotherapy. Hence, these therapeutic measures might decrease the risk of CP and its persistence.

Trait and symptom change in group cognitive behaviour therapy for anxiety and depression

Personality traits underlying both anxiety disorders and depression are more malleable than previously presumed. This study examined associations between changes in personality traits (i.e. negative affectivity and detachment) and alleviation of anxiety and depression symptoms following cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). We hypothesized that decreases in negative affectivity would predict alleviation of depression and anxiety symptoms and decreases in detachment would predict decreases in depression and, to a lesser degree, anxiety symptoms. Data (N = 156) were collected in a randomized controlled trial comparing transdiagnostic and diagnosis-specific group CBT for patients with major depressive disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder or agoraphobia. We assessed personality traits using the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) and symptoms with the Hopkins Symptom Checklist 25-item scale (SCL). Prediction was based on regression analyses. We found that decreases in negative affectivity predicted lower levels of depression and anxiety symptoms while decreases in detachment only predicted lower levels of depression symptoms. The findings substantiate current efforts to explicate the dynamic interplay between personality traits and symptoms and support the existing focus on targeting negative affectivity and detachment in therapy for anxiety disorders and depression. The trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (ID NCT02954731).

The personality puzzle: a comprehensive analysis of its impact on three buying behaviors

This study aimed at examining the role of personality traits in impulsive buying, compulsive buying, and panic buying simultaneously during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the beginning of the third confinement announced by the Portuguese government, 485 Portuguese answered in this study, mean age of 41.9 years (min = 18, max = 84; SD = 12.9), and 29.9% were men. Analyzes were carried out to investigate the association of Big Five's personality factors with impulsive buying, compulsive buying, and panic buying. Results showed that the three buying behaviors under study have significant and positive correlations between them, and they also correlate with different personality traits. The association of each Big Five factor on buying behaviors differed. While conscientiousness was negatively and openness was positively associated with impulsive buying, conscientiousness was negatively associated with compulsive buying, agreeableness was positively associated with panic buying, and neuroticism correlated positively with all consumer behaviors. Understanding the personality traits that contribute to the development of a disorder may provide valuable insight into preventive measures and effective treatment approaches for some debilitating disorders. This study opens ways for investigating impulsive buying and compulsive buying by relating them to panic buying. It discusses the three different buying behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic and future consumer research directions involving other variables.

Correlates of chronic depression in the general population: results from the CoLaus|PsyCoLaus study

PURPOSE

Previous population-based studies have partially provided inconsistent results regarding the co-variates of chronic depression, which were likely to be attributable to methodological limitations. The present paper that compared people with chronic major depressive disorder (MDD), non-chronic MDD and no mood disorder in the community focused on specific atypical and melancholic depression symptoms and subtypes of MDD, family history (FH) of mood disorders, measured physical cardio-vascular risk factors (CVRF), personality traits, coping style and adverse life-events.

METHODS

Data stemmed from a population-based cohort including 3618 participants (female 53%, n=1918; mean age 50.9 years, s.d. 8.8 years). Among them 563 had a lifetime history of chronic MDD, 1060 of non-chronic MDD and 1995 of no mood disorder. Diagnostic and FH information were elicited through semi-structured interviews, CVRF were assessed through physical investigations.

RESULTS

The major findings were that chronic MDD was associated with increase in appetite/weight and suicidal ideation/attempts during the most severe episode, higher exposure to life-events in adulthood, higher levels of neuroticism, lower levels of extraversion and lower levels of informal help-seeking behavior but less frequent FH of MDD compared to non-chronic MDD.

CONCLUSION

Chronic MDD is associated with a series of potential modifiable risk factors which are accessible via psychotherapeutic approaches that may improve the course of chronic MDD.

Personality, dietary identity, mental and sleep health in vegans and vegetarians: A preliminary cross-sectional study

Background and Aims

Plant-based diets have gained popularity over the past decade. However, research regarding mental and sleep health benefits of following plant-based diets are conflicting. As there are associations between mental/sleep health and various personality traits, and personality may differ between individuals who follow different diets, in this preliminary study, we examined the associations between mental and sleep health and (i) personality and (ii) dietary identity in individuals who follow vegan and vegetarian diets.

Methods

Cross-sectional data on sociodemographic, personality traits, dietarian identity, overall mental health, depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep quality were collected from 57 vegan/vegetarian participants between the ages of 18-40.

Results

After controlling for various sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, linear regression models revealed that (i) higher dietarian private regard was a significant predictor of better overall mental health, (ii) lower levels of extraversion and higher levels of empathy predicted depression, (iii) higher levels of neuroticism and empathy predicted anxiety, (iv) higher levels of neuroticism, dietarian centrality, and neuroticism × centrality predicted stress, (v) higher levels of conscientiousness, lower levels of dietarian centrality, but higher levels of personal motivation and dietary strictness, as well as conscientiousness × centrality, conscientiousness × personal motivation, and conscientiousness × strictness predicted better sleep quality.

Conclusions

These preliminary findings suggest that not only personality traits, but also dietary identity was indeed related to mental and sleep health in individuals who follow plant-based diets.

Neuroticism mediates the association between childhood abuse and the well-being of community dwelling adult volunteers

BACKGROUND

Previous studies reported that the experience of maltreatment in childhood reduces subjective well-being in adulthood and that neuroticism is negatively associated with subjective well-being. However, the interrelationship between childhood maltreatment, adult life events, neuroticism, and subjective well-being has not been analyzed to date.

METHODS

A total of 404 adult volunteers provided responses to the following questionnaires: 1) Childhood Abuse and Trauma Scale, 2) Life Experiences Survey, 3) Neuroticism Subscale of the Shortened Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised, and 4) Subjective Well-Being Inventory. The path model was used to analyze possible interrelationships among these parameters.

RESULTS

The effect of childhood abuse on subjective well-being was indirect and was mediated by neuroticism. The effect of neuroticism on the negative, but not positive, change score on the Life Experiences Survey was significant. The indirect effect of neuroticism on subjective well-being was not significant via either negative or positive change scores.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that age, subjective social status, neuroticism, and negative and positive life events were significantly associated with subjective well-being. Furthermore, using path analysis, we demonstrated the mediating role of neuroticism in the indirect effect of childhood abuse on subjective well-being.