The influence of temperament on long-term job strain and its components: The cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study

Temperament and Early Intentions to Retire: A Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study

OBJECTIVE

To examine associations between temperament traits and early retirement intentions.

METHODS

In the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, we analyzed early retirement intentions at the age 46 according to Cloninger temperament traits at the age 46 (n = 4409) and at the age 31 (n = 3226). Ordinal logistic regression analyses were used. Adjustments were made for marital status, education, work type, job satisfaction, perceived health, and mental health problems.

RESULTS

11% of men and 9% of women had strong retirement intentions. Especially higher harm avoidance was associated with higher early retirement intentions in both sexes at the age of 46. A similar pattern of results, although with weaker associations, was found for temperament assessed at the age of 31.

CONCLUSIONS

Temperament and especially harm avoidance is related to early retirement intentions.

Associations of temporal and energetic characteristics of behavior with depressive symptoms: A population-based longitudinal study within Strelau's Regulative Theory of Temperament

BACKGROUND

Individual dispositions have previously been associated with increased risk for depressive symptoms. The direction of the association has been found to be sometimes reciprocal. We examined whether temperament traits are associated with depressive symptoms and whether depressive symptoms contribute to changes in temperament.

METHODS

Participants (n=674-811) were from a population-based Young Finns Study. Temperament was assessed by a Finnish version of the Formal Characteristics of Behavior - Temperament Inventory. Depressive symptoms were assessed with modified BDI (mBDI) in 1997, 2001, 2007 and 2012, and BDI-II in 2012.

RESULTS

Higher perseveration and emotional reactivity were associated with higher level of depressive symptoms, and higher endurance was associated with lower level of depressive symptoms in 2007 and 2012. These associations were independent of several potential confounders and baseline depressive symptoms. The results of cross-lagged structural equation modeling showed that the associations between temperament and depressive symptoms were reciprocal: briskness, endurance and activity decreased the risk for depressive symptoms while depressive symptoms decreased the level of these characteristics. Perseveration, emotional reactivity and depressive symptoms reinforced each other over time.

LIMITATIONS

The depressive symptoms scales we used are not meant for measuring clinically diagnosed depression. The relationships between temperament traits and depressive symptoms were not strong enough to provide a clinical basis for guiding treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower perseveration, lower emotional reactivity and higher endurance seem to be health protective temperament characteristics that reduce the risk for depressive symptoms. The reciprocal associations between temperament and depressive symptoms imply mutual health protective and health declining effects. Clinical relevance of the study is that enhancing positive loops and self-concept, and supporting individual stress management might be helpful in prevention of depressive symptoms.

Testosterone and temperament traits in men: Longitudinal analysis

Testosterone is the main male hormone that has been associated with various behavioral traits in humans and other animals. We investigated whether levels of total testosterone, free testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin were associated with temperament traits in a population-based sample of Finnish men at two measurement times taken 6 years apart (n=686 in year 2001, n=727 in year 2007). Temperament was assessed using the Temperament and Character Inventory that consists of four temperament traits: novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and persistence. Higher levels of total and free testosterone were associated with higher novelty seeking (standardized B=0.103, p<0.001). This association was also observed in a longitudinal within-person analysis (B=0.084, p=0.008), suggesting that the association is not confounded by stable between-individual differences in other characteristics. Within-individual variation in total testosterone was associated with higher reward dependence, and higher levels of free testosterone were marginally associated with higher reward dependence. Reward dependence reflects the importance of social rewards to an individual. These results provide additional evidence for the stable and time-varying associations between testosterone and temperament in humans.

The associations between personality characteristics and absenteeism: a cross-sectional study in workers with and without depressive and anxiety disorders

PURPOSE

Although numerous studies have identified risk factors for sickness absence, few studies have addressed the role of personality characteristics in absenteeism. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of the Big 5 personality characteristics (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness) and locus of control with absenteeism, taking the presence of depressive and anxiety disorders into account.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from the baseline measurement of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) were examined. NESDA includes persons with current or remitted depressive and anxiety disorders and healthy controls, of which 1883 working participants were selected. Personality characteristics were included as predictor variables, short-term (0-2 weeks) and long-term (>2 weeks) absenteeism as outcome measure. The presence of depressive and anxiety disorders was considered as modifying covariate.

RESULTS

In healthy workers, high neuroticism, external locus of control, low extraversion, low agreeableness and low conscientiousness were associated with short-term absenteeism. In addition, high neuroticism, low extraversion and low openness were related to long-term absenteeism in healthy workers. In workers with psychopathology, similar associations were found for persons with this profile (high neuroticism, external locus of control, low extraversion and low conscientiousness) with long-term absenteeism, but no associations of these characteristics were found with short-term absenteeism.

CONCLUSIONS

Personality characteristics were significantly associated with work absenteeism in both workers with and without anxiety or depression. Interventions aimed at preventing sickness absence may focus on reducing neuroticism and strengthening extraversion, conscientiousness and locus of control.

Effort-reward imbalance at work is predicted by temporal and energetic characteristics of behavior: a population-based study

OBJECTIVE

Personality dispositions may influence perceptions of work stress. The paper examines the relationship between temperament in terms of Strelau’s Regulative Theory of Temperament and the effort-reward imbalance and its components.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

There were 890 participants (360 men) aged 37.9 years on average. Temperament traits of briskness and perseveration (temporal characteristics of behavior), sensory sensitivity, emotional reactivity, endurance and activity (energetic characteristics of behavior) were measured by Strelau & Zawadzki’s Formal Characteristics of Behavior- Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI) in 1997 and 2001. Effort and reward at work were assessed with the original effort- reward imbalance (ERI) questionnaire of 2007.

RESULTS

Higher ERI at work was predicted by higher emotional reactivity, higher perseveration, lower briskness, and lower endurance. Higher effort and lower rewards at work were predicted by higher perseveration and lower endurance. The FCB-TI temperament characteristics accounted for 5.2%, 4.8% and 6.5% of the variance in the ERI, effort and reward, respectively. Lower emotional reactivity, lower perseveration, higher brisk- ness and higher endurance predicted higher esteem at work, job promotion and job security.

CONCLUSIONS

Individual differences in arousability, reflected in temporal and energetic characteristics of behavior, may predispose to or to protect from an effort-reward imbalance at work. Individual differences should be acknowledged in work stress prevention and developing interventions.

Personality traits of the five-factor model are associated with effort-reward imbalance at work: a population-based study

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the association between personality traits and work stress.

METHODS

The sample comprised 757 women and 613 men (aged 30 to 45 years in 2007) participating in the Young Finns study. Personality was assessed with the NEO-FFI questionnaire and work stress according to Siegrist's effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model.

RESULTS

High neuroticism, low extraversion, and low agreeableness were associated with high ERI. Low conscientiousness was associated with high ERI in men. No association was found between openness and ERI. High neuroticism, high extraversion, and low agreeableness were associated with high effort and low neuroticism, high extraversion, and high agreeableness with high rewards. High conscientiousness was associated with high effort, and in women, with high rewards. High openness was associated with high effort.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that personality traits may predispose to and protect from work stress.

Negative emotionality, activity, and sociability temperaments predicting long-term job strain and effort-reward imbalance: a 15-year prospective follow-up study

OBJECTIVE

This study examined a longitudinal association between innate temperament and perceptions of long-term work stressors.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 276 men and 345 women (aged 30-45 years in 2007) participating in the prospective population-based Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study. In 1992, temperament was self-assessed with the EAS questionnaire that assesses three temperamental traits: negative emotionality, activity, and sociability. Perceived work stressors were measured in 2001 and in 2007 using two models: Karasek's demand/control-model in which a combination of high demands and low control results in job strain, and Siegrist's Effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model.

RESULTS

The results showed that higher negative emotionality and lower sociability systematically predicted higher perceived job strain and ERI (P<.001). Activity predicted higher perceived ERI (P<.05). Activity did not predict perceived job strain, as it was related to both higher perceived demands and higher control.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that temperament may be a predisposing factor to the experiences of work stressors in adulthood. Although self-reported job strain and ERI are measures of job characteristics, they are affected by individual temperament.