Traits and treadmills: Association between personality and perceived fatigability in well-functioning community-dwelling older adults

Personality matters: Exploring the associations of personality traits with mood and somatic symptoms in multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Research suggest that personality traits influence the mood and somatic symptoms in various different clinical populations. Neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and agreeableness have been identified as potential predictors of mood and somatic symptoms. However, the literature on personality traits and symptom outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) is limited, highlighting the necessity for more in-depth research.

OBJECTIVE

This Cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between personality traits and symptomatology in individuals with MS using two separate studies and different personality assessment tools- the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI).

METHODS

Participants completed surveys assessing mood and somatic symptoms. Linear regression analyses were performed to examine the associations between personality traits and MS symptoms controlling for demographic variables.

RESULTS

.The analyses were performed on data from 63 individuals with MS for Study 1 (assessing the NEO-FFI) and 1183 individuals with MS for Study 2 (assessing the TIPI), respectively. Neuroticism was consistently associated with more somatic and mood symptoms in both sample (medium to large effect sizes; β = -0.05 to β = 0.60) Extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with fewer symptoms in Study 2.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the importance of considering personality factors in understanding and managing symptoms in MS. However, further research is needed to understand the causal relationships between personality and symptom outcomes in MS.

Longitudinal Associations Between Higher Self-Reported Energy, Gait Speed, and Cognition in Older Adults With Fatigue

BACKGROUND

Older adults reporting higher energy levels have better physical function. It is not known if these associations persist among older adults reporting fatigue or if higher energy is associated with cognitive function. We examined longitudinal associations between self-reported energy, gait speed, and cognition, stratified by fatigue, in 2 613 participants (aged 74.6 ± 2.87 years) in the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study.

METHODS

Self-reported energy (0-10, dichotomized at median) and fatigue (present/absent) were measured at baseline. Usual and rapid-paced gait speed (m/s), modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS), and Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) were measured at baseline and annually over 8 years. Linear mixed effect models compared changes in gait speed, 3MS, and DSST between higher and lower energy groups within fatigue strata.

RESULTS

At baseline, 724 participants (27%) were fatigued; 240 (33%) coreported higher energy (9% of total). The remaining 1 889 participants were fatigue-free (73%); 1 221 (65%) coreported higher energy (47% of total). Those with fatigue and higher energy had average rapid gait declines of 0.007 m/s per year (p = .04) after adjustment for demographics, comorbidities, depressive symptoms, and exercise. DSST declines were found among only fatigue-free participants (β = 0.17, p = .01). No statistically significant associations with energy were found for fatigue-free participants, or for usual gait or 3MS.

CONCLUSIONS

Asking about older adults' energy levels as well as fatigue may identify a subgroup of older adults protected against physical and cognitive decline, even among those with fatigue.

Measuring and Understanding the Health Impact of Greater Fatigability in Older Adults: A Call to Action and Opportunities

Different from fatigue, an instantaneous state of tiredness, weakness and lack of energy, fatigability is a trait that contextualizes whole-body fatigue to the level of activity (i.e., intensity and duration) with which the fatigue is associated. Fatigability can be perceived or performance-related. Measuring fatigability improves upon traditional fatigue measures by accounting for self-pacing as older adults likely slow down or limit their daily activity to maintain fatigue in a tolerable range. Anchoring fatigue to activities/tasks improves sensitivity and allows for meaningful comparisons across individuals/between studies, as well as evaluating change over time and treatment effects. Two well-validated approaches are utilized to measure perceived fatigability: 1) a 5-minute slow-paced (1.5 mph/0.67 m/s, 0% grade) treadmill walk immediately followed by Borg rating of perceived exertion; and 2) a self-administered 10-item questionnaire, Pittsburgh Fatigability Scale, with both physical and mental subscales. Many walking-based performance fatigability measures are based on certain lap time or distance, while the Pittsburgh Performance Fatigability Index uses raw accelerometry data to quantify percent of cadence decline over the entire long distance walking tasks. Perceived fatigability prevalence ranges from 20-90% in older adults varying by assessment tool, and is higher with advancing age and in women compared to men. Fatigability is associated with physical and cognitive function, fall risk, mobility decline, and mortality. Unfortunately, the available research lacks representativeness in terms of racial and ethnic diversity. The time is now to incorporate our established sensitive and validated fatigability measures into global research and clinical practice to better understand mechanistic underpinnings and reveal intervention effects to reduce the burden and lessen the consequences of greater fatigability worldwide.

Personality associations with lung function and dyspnea: Evidence from six studies

OBJECTIVE

The present study examined the association between Five Factor Model personality traits and lung function and dyspnea.

METHODS

Participants were middle aged and older adults aged 34-103 years old (N > 25,000) from the Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS), the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), the National Health and Aging Trends Survey (NHATS), and the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study graduate (WLSG) and sibling (WLSS) samples. Data on peak expiratory flow (PEF), dyspnea, personality traits, smoking, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), emotional/psychiatric problems, and demographic factors were obtained in each sample.

RESULTS

A meta-analysis indicated that higher neuroticism was related to lower PEF, higher risk of PEF less than 80% of predicted value, and higher risk of dyspnea. In contrast, higher extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with higher PEF, lower likelihood of PEF lower than 80% of the predicted value, and lower risk of dyspnea. Higher openness was related to higher PEF and lower risk of PEF less than 80%, whereas agreeableness was related to higher PEF and lower risk of dyspnea. Smoking, physical activity, BMI and emotional/psychiatric problems partially accounted for these associations. There was little evidence that lung disease moderated the association between personality and PEF and dyspnea.

CONCLUSIONS

Across cohorts, this study found replicable evidence that personality is associated with lung function and associated symptomatology.

Five-factor model personality traits and grip strength: Meta-analysis of seven studies

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between Five-Factor Model personality traits and grip strength.

METHOD

Adults aged 16 to 104 years old (N > 40,000) were from the Health and Retirement Study, the Midlife in the United States Study, The English Longitudinal Study of Aging, the National Health and Aging Trends Survey, the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study, and the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study graduate and sibling samples. Participants had data on personality traits, demographic factors, grip strength, and mediators such as depressive symptoms, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), and c-reactive protein (CRP).

RESULTS

Across all samples and a meta-analysis, higher neuroticism was related to lower grip strength (meta-analytic estimate: -0.07, 95%CI: -0.075; -0.056). Higher extraversion (0.04, 95%CI: 0.022; 0.060), openness (0.05, 95%CI: 0.032; 0.062), and conscientiousness (0.05, 95%CI: 0.04; 0.065) were associated with higher grip strength across most samples and the meta-analysis. Depressive symptoms were the most consistent mediators between neuroticism and grip strength. Depressive symptoms and physical activity partly mediated the associations with extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness. Lower CRP partly mediated the association with conscientiousness. Sex moderated the associations for extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness, with stronger associations among males. Age moderated the neuroticism association, with stronger associations among younger individuals.

CONCLUSION

This study provides replicable evidence that personality is related to grip strength and identifies potential moderators and mediators of these associations. Overall, higher neuroticism is a risk factor for low grip strength, whereas high extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness may be protective.

Personality and fatigue: meta-analysis of seven prospective studies

The present study examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the five major personality traits and fatigue. Participants were adults aged 16-104 years old (N > 40,000 at baseline) from the Health and Retirement Study, the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study graduate and sibling samples, the National Health and Aging Trends Survey, the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Personality traits, fatigue, demographic factors, and other covariates were assessed at baseline, and fatigue was assessed again 5-20 years later. Across all samples, higher neuroticism was related to a higher risk of concurrent (meta-analytic OR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.62-1.86) and incident (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.29-1.48) fatigue. Higher extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness were associated with a lower likelihood of concurrent (meta-analytic OR range 0.67-0.86) and incident (meta-analytic OR range 0.80-0.92) fatigue. Self-rated health and physical inactivity partially accounted for these associations. There was little evidence that age or gender moderated these associations. This study provides consistent evidence that personality is related to fatigue. Higher neuroticism and lower extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness are risk factors for fatigue.