Five-factor personality traits and age trajectories of self-rated health: the role of question framing

Are Changes in Somatic Health Reflected Differently in Updated Self-Ratings by Big-Five Personality Traits?

Objectives: This longitudinal study tests whether the Big-Five personality traits influence the changes individuals make in self-rated health (SRH) as they adjust their initial level to account for information on concurrent changes in disease burden, activities of daily living (ADLs), and pain. Methods: A bi-variate Latent Growth Curve model was fitted to data to estimate longitudinal associations between SRH and each health measure across up-to-five repeated observations, collected from the year 2006 to 2018 from 13,096 participants in the Health and Retirement Study. Results: Negative longitudinal associations between SRH and all three health reports were significantly stronger for those who are more conscientious. No significant moderation was found for the other four personality traits. Discussion: Compared to the less conscientious, highly conscientious people may assign greater importance to specific health reports when rating and revising their assessments of SRH. This moderating effect was previously tested but not supported.

Personality traits in singers performing various music styles and with different singing status

OBJECTIVES

Objective was to find personality traits in singers performing various music styles and with different singing status.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study consisted of 87 singers (66 females, 21 males; age: M±SD 25.5±8.2 years; 40 students, 22 professionals and 25 amateurs; 38 classical singers, 42 contemporary commercial music [CCM] singers; 55 solo singers and 22 choral singers). Participants filled in the NEO Five-Factor Inventory questionnaire and demographic information form.

RESULTS

Median values compared to the Polish general population, suggest that solo, CCM, student and professional singers have a high level of conscientiousness. Those who sing in a choir, classical music, amateurs and students have relatively high level of agreeableness. High level of extraversion is observed among CCM singers and students. Students score higher on extraversion then professionals (p < 0.001). Professionals score higher on extraversion then amateurs (p < 0.01). Professionals less frequently than amateurs and students score high on agreeableness (p < 0.001). High scores on conscientiousness are significantly higher among professionals and students compared to amateurs (p < 0.001 in both cases). Solo singers have higher level of conscientiousness (p < 0.001) and openness (p < 0.001) and lower neuroticism (p < 0.01) than choral singers. Classical singers more often than CCM singers score low on openness (p < 0.01) and high on agreeableness (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Classical singers have lower level of openness and higher level of agreeableness than CCM singers. Neuroticism is higher among choir than solo singers and conscientiousness is higher among solo than choir singers. Amateurs had the highest level of neuroticism and the lowest level of conscientiousness as compared with professional singers and students. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(4):541-50.

Diabetes Moderates the Link between Personality Traits and Self-Rated Health (SRH)

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of this study is to explore the relationship between personality traits and self-rated health (SRH) in individuals with diabetes, while also comparing these associations with a group of healthy controls.

METHODS

The data for this study were obtained from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), comprising a sample of 1860 diabetes patients and 12,915 healthy controls who were matched in terms of age and sex. Hierarchical linear regression was utilized to analyze the data. The analysis included demographic variables such as age, sex, monthly income, highest educational qualification, marital status, and psychological distress assessed through the GHQ-12, personality traits, including Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion, and diabetes status (0 for diabetes patients, 1 for healthy controls) as predictors. Interactions between personality traits and diabetes status were also included as predictors, with SRH serving as the dependent variable. Additionally, separate multiple regression analyses were conducted for diabetes patients and healthy controls, incorporating demographic variables, psychological distress, and personality traits as predictors, while SRH remained the dependent variable.

RESULTS

The findings of this study indicate that diabetes significantly moderates the association between Neuroticism and SRH. Specifically, both Neuroticism and Extraversion were negatively associated with SRH, whereas Openness and Conscientiousness exhibited a positive association with SRH in healthy controls. However, among diabetes patients, only Conscientiousness showed a positive association with SRH.

CONCLUSION

Personality traits predict SRH in people with and without diabetes differently. Healthcare professionals and clinicians should try to come up with ways that improve SRH and thus better outcomes in diabetes patients based on the findings from the current study.

Self-rated health (SRH) partially mediates and associations between personality traits and life satisfaction in older adults

It is established that personality traits contribute to life satisfaction but why they are connected are far less understood. This research report tested if self-rated health (SRH) which is one's subjective ratings of their health and has a high predictivity of actual health mediates the associations between the Big Five model of personality and life satisfaction in a cohort (N = 5,845) of older adults from the UK. By using Pearson's correlation analysis and mediation analysis, the current research reported positive correlations between Agreeableness, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion, SRH, and life satisfaction. However, Neuroticism was negatively correlated with SRH and life satisfaction. The main findings were that SRH partially mediates the associations between all traits in the Big Five and life satisfaction in older adults. This study began novel exploration on if SRH could explain the connections between the Big Five and life satisfaction. Results revealed SRH could partially explain these associations in all traits. These results may offer additional support to recently developed integrated account of life satisfaction, which argues that there are no single determinants of life satisfaction. Rather, life satisfaction is made up by many factors including but not limited to personality and health.

Personality predicts self-rated health: considering age differences

Self-rated health (SRH) refers to the subjective evaluation of one's own health. Big Five personality traits including Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion have been consistently found as significant predictors of SRH. In addition, SRH declines with age, and personality traits change with age. Thus, it is reasonable to speculate that age might moderate the associations between personality traits and SRH. The current study analyzed data from 33,256 participants with a mean age of 45.78 years old and 55.92% females. The current study found that age significantly moderates the associations between Agreeableness, Openness, and Conscientiousness and SRH after controlling for demographic covariates. The current study implies that personality traits relate to SRH differently at different ages. Thus, studies regarding the associations between personality traits and SRH must take the interactions between age and personality traits into account.

Trajectories of Pain in Very Old Age: The Role of Eudaimonic Wellbeing and Personality

Pain is common in very old age and in the last years prior to death. However, little is known regarding longitudinal trajectories of pain in very old age and at the end of life. Moreover, whereas medical and morbidity-related factors contributing to pain are established, the role of psychosocial factors, such as eudaimonic wellbeing or personality as potential determinants of late-life pain trajectories has so far not been sufficiently investigated. We used data from the LateLine project. The sample consisted of n = 118 very old adults (M = 90.5 years, SD = 2.8 years) who were living alone at baseline and who had died between 2009 and 2021. They took part in up to 16 measurement occasions (M = 5.2, SD = 4.7, range 1–16) within an observational interval of 7 years. Assessment of pain was based on the SF-36 bodily pain subscale. Key indicators of eudaimonic wellbeing (autonomy, environmental mastery, and purpose in life) as well two of the Big Five personality traits (neuroticism and extraversion) were included as predictors. We controlled in all analyses for gender, education, subjective health, and depressive symptoms. Contrasting pain trajectories over chronological age (time since birth) vs. time to death, a time-to-death-related model resulted in a better model fit and accounted for a larger amount of pain variability than the age-related model. Mean-level change in pain, both over age and time to death, was not significant, but there was substantial interindividual variability in intraindividual trajectories. Age-related change in pain was significantly predicted by autonomy and neuroticism, with increasing pain among those who had lower initial autonomy scores and higher initial neuroticism scores. With regard to time-to-death-related trajectories of pain, higher purpose in life as well as lower extraversion at baseline predicted less increase or even steeper decrease in pain with approaching death. Our findings suggest that, despite overall mean-level stability in pain both over age and time to death, there is a substantial proportion of individuals who reveal deterioration in pain over time. Regarding the role of psychosocial predictors, personality traits and eudaimonic wellbeing are related with late-life pain trajectories both over age and time-to-death.

A scoping review protocol to map the evidence on self-reported health and neuroticism in older adults

OBJECTIVE: To identify the evidence on self-reported health and neuroticism in older adults. METHODS: Indexed literature published in English, Spanish and Portuguese will be systematically searched and retrieved from 10 databases; reference lists from included studies will be manually searched. Two authors will independently screen titles, abstracts, and full texts against the eligibility criteria. A customized data extraction form will be used to perform data extraction of the included studies, which will be: studies written in English, Portuguese, and Spanish; studies of older adults aged 55 years or over (mean age is 60 years at least); studies of community-dwelling older adults; studies that evaluated both self-reported health and personality; studies that evaluated self-reported health and personality with validated instruments; observational, review, and intervention studies. RESULTS: The results will be presented in a tabular format, accompanied by a narrative summary.

Personality traits, dieting self-efficacy and health behaviors in emerging adult women: implications for health promotion and education

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore the associations between personality traits and dieting self-efficacy as well as health behaviors among emerging adult women. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the sample consisted of 161 participants in age from 19 to 25 years, who were administered the NEO-Five-Factor Inventory, the Health BehaviorsInventory (HBI), and the Dieting Self-Efficacy Scale (DIET-SE). Results: Our findings indicated that personality traits explained both health behaviors and dieting self-efficacy (F = 6.21, df = 5,155, P<0.001, F = 6.42, df = 5,155, P<0.001, respectively).Neuroticism (B = -0.45, P<0.01) and agreeableness (B = 0.39, P<0.01) were investigated as significant predictors of females' health behaviors, whereas extraversion (B = -0.40, P<0.001),agreeableness (B = 0.20, P<0.05), and conscientiousness (B = 0.33, P<0.01) were related to dieting self-efficacy. In addition, the results suggested the mediational effect of dieting self efficacy in the relationship between personality traits (i.e., consciousness and agreeableness)and general health behaviors. Conclusion: The role of personality traits for dieting self-efficacy as well as physical health among emerging adult women was confirmed. As dieting self-efficacy turned out to be a mediation factor, the findings may be used in psychoeducation for patients.

The association between self-compassion and self-rated health in 26 samples

Background

Although there is growing evidence of the relevance of self-compassion for understanding health outcomes, few studies have examined self-compassion in relation to self-reported physical health status, also known as self-rated health (SRH). This study addressed this gap by examining the associations between self-compassion and SRH across multiple samples and after accounting for the contributions of positive and negative affect.

Methods

Data from 26 samples (total N = 6127), comprised of 6 university student, 16 community adult, and 4 chronic illness samples, were included in the current analyses. Participants in each sample completed a survey including measures of self-compassion and SRH. Thirteen samples also completed a measure of positive and negative affect. The associations between self-compassion and SRH were statistically meta-analysed. Moderator analyses were conducted to test whether the associations varied as a function of sample type, age or participant sex. Semipartial correlations were calculated controlling for positive and negative affect in 13 samples and meta-analysed.

Results

Findings indicated that self-compassion was significantly associated with higher SRH across the 26 samples (r_avg = .25; CI: .22, .28). The associations did not however vary significantly across sample types, or as a function of participant sex or age. The meta-analyses of the adjusted effects found that self-compassion remained significantly associated with higher SRH after accounting the contributions of positive (sr_avg = .11; CI: .07, .15) and negative (sr_avg = .25; CI: .06, .15) affect.

Conclusions

The current study demonstrated that self-compassion is robustly associated with higher SRH across 26 samples and that this association remained significant after adjusting for the influence of positive and negative affect in 13 samples. Further longitudinal and experimental research is needed to verify the causal direction between self-compassion and SRH suggested by theory and the current findings.

Combined Influences of Dementia Exposure and Personality on Self-Reported Memory Problems

The current study investigated whether having a first-degree relative with dementia influenced older adults' self-reported memory, if personality traits moderated these associations, and whether these associations differed by the type of item asked (ie, frequency of memory problems vs perceived memory decline). Data drawn from the Einstein Aging study included 454 older adults (Mage = 76.64, standard deviation = 4.77, 66.96% white, and 63% female). Multilevel modeling analyses showed participants who had a first-degree relative with dementia reported more frequent memory problems and were more likely to report memory decline over the past year. Among participants with a first-degree relative with dementia, higher levels of neuroticism were related to reports of more frequent memory problems at baseline, whereas higher levels of conscientiousness and lower levels of extraversion were related to reports of more frequent memory problems over time. Future research should consider personality traits and family history of dementia as potential contributors to self-reported memory problems.

The relationship between health literacy and health outcomes among male young adults: exploring confounding effects using decomposition analysis

OBJECTIVES

Previous studies indicate substantial correlations between low health literacy and poor health outcomes. However, empirical findings remain inconsistent and are theoretically challenging. In this study, we conceptually place health literacy within an established model of health inequality. Studying multiple pathways, we estimate the associations between health literacy and six health outcomes and decompose these associations with health literacy's covariates.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from the Young Adult Survey Switzerland was used for the analyses (n = 5959, age = 18-25). Logistic regression and KHB decomposition analyses were applied to estimate health literacy's coefficients and confounding percentages.

RESULTS

Eleven covariates were associated with health literacy (p < 0.001). Ten covariates reduced the naïve health literacy coefficient when included in the regression models (confounding percentages: 36.7-86.9%). In three out of six models, the confounding effects led to non-significant health literacy coefficients.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that health literacy's associations with health outcomes are confounded by socioeconomic, material, psychosocial, and health-related factors. More investigations on the causal importance of health literacy, respectively, on its potential to health promotion are required.

The associations between objective and subjective health among older adults with type 2 diabetes: The moderating role of personality

BACKGROUND

Objective and subjective health are two powerful constructs which predict morbidity and mortality across a range of conditions including Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). Studies, however, suggest that these two constructs do not necessarily correlate, as some people with poor objective health perceive their health as good, while other people with good objective health perceive their health as poor. We seek to examine the role of personality as a moderator of the associations between objective and subjective health among older adults with T2D, who are likely to experience poor objective and subjective health due to their chronic medical condition.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study of 368 individuals with T2D (72 ± 4 years, 42% women), participating in the Israel Diabetes and Cognitive Decline Study. Personality was conceptualized using the five-factor model (agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, openness). Objective health was operationalized by T2D-related clinical status, cognitive function, and motor ability. Subjective health was assessed using a single self-report question. Hayes' process macro was used for the moderation analyses.

RESULTS

The objective-subjective health associations were stronger among individuals with increased neuroticism (proportion of days covered: p = 0.02; cognitive function: p = 0.003; hand grip: p = 0.02; 3-m walk: p = 0.04) as well as decreased openness (cognitive status: p = 0.04) and agreeableness (3-m walk: p = 0.02).

DISCUSSION

Personality traits, and specifically neuroticism, can modify the associations between objective and subjective health in older adults with T2D. Findings contribute to the understanding of health as a multidimensional construct that encompasses medical and psychological aspects, especially among older adults with a chronic illness.

Associations of Personality Traits With Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation in a Swiss Community Sample

Objective: Among the major dimensions of personality, high Neuroticism and low Conscientiousness have frequently been linked to worse health-related behaviors and poor health outcomes. However, studies on the association between personality traits and biomarkers of chronic low-grade inflammation reflecting increased morbidity and mortality risk are sparse; therefore, the aim of this study was to explore this association. Methods: A population-based Swiss sample of 2,182 persons (40-82 years, 42% men) completed a comprehensive personality questionnaire (NEO Five-Factor Inventory-Revised). Circulating levels of inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and levels of the "cardioprotective" adipo(cyto)kine adiponectin were also determined. Analyses controlled for sociodemographic factors, traditional cardiovascular risk factors and lifetime psychiatric disorders using a validated semi-structured psychiatric interview. The role of gender as a moderator of the personality-inflammation link was additionally explored. Results: Controlling for all covariates, higher Extraversion (β = 0.092, 95%CI 0.004-0.180) was positively associated with higher IL-6 levels, and higher Conscientiousness (β = -0.095, 95%CI -0.180-[-0.009]) were significantly associated with lower IL-6 levels (all p-values < 0.05). Neuroticism and Agreeableness showed no significant association with any inflammatory biomarker. The associations between personality traits and inflammatory markers were not moderated by gender. Conclusions: Conscientiousness seems to be inversely related to chronic low-grade inflammation as measured by IL-6 levels, compatible with protection from the cardiovascular risk. The opposite may apply to Extraversion. Further research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms and their impact for health outcomes in the community.

Molecular genetic contributions to self-rated health

Background: Poorer self-rated health (SRH) predicts worse health outcomes, even when adjusted for objective measures of disease at time of rating. Twin studies indicate SRH has a heritability of up to 60% and that its genetic architecture may overlap with that of personality and cognition.

Methods: We carried out a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of SRH on 111 749 members of the UK Biobank sample. Univariate genome-wide complex trait analysis (GCTA)-GREML analyses were used to estimate the proportion of variance explained by all common autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for SRH. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) score regression and polygenic risk scoring, two complementary methods, were used to investigate pleiotropy between SRH in the UK Biobank and up to 21 health-related and personality and cognitive traits from published GWAS consortia.

Results: The GWAS identified 13 independent signals associated with SRH, including several in regions previously associated with diseases or disease-related traits. The strongest signal was on chromosome 2 (rs2360675, P = 1.77 x 10^-10) close to KLF7. A second strong peak was identified on chromosome 6 in the major histocompatibility region (rs76380179, P = 6.15 x 10^-10). The proportion of variance in SRH that was explained by all common genetic variants was 13%. Polygenic scores for the following traits and disorders were associated with SRH: cognitive ability, education, neuroticism, body mass index (BMI), longevity, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, lung function, blood pressure, coronary artery disease, large vessel disease stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Conclusions: Individual differences in how people respond to a single item on SRH are partly explained by their genetic propensity to many common psychiatric and physical disorders and psychological traits.

Four-year reciprocal relationships between personality and functional ability in older adults with and without sensory impairment: focus on neuroticism and agreeableness

OBJECTIVES

Personality traits have been found to influence health and functional ability (FA) via multiple pathways. However, personality traits may also change in reaction to constraints in FA, particularly in more vulnerable individuals with high risk of decline in independent functioning in daily life (e.g. older adults with sensory impairment). Therefore, conceptually anchored in the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF model), this study investigated reciprocal relationships between personality, focusing on neuroticism and agreeableness, and indicators of FA (i.e. activities of daily living and subjective autonomy) as well as the potentially moderating role of sensory impairment status.

METHOD

The study sample consisted of 387 older adults (mean age at T1: M = 82.50 years, SD = 4.71 years) who were either sensory impaired (SI; i.e. visually or hearing impaired) or sensory unimpaired (UI). A total of 168 individuals were reassessed four years later.

RESULTS

Depending on sensory status, personality acted both as predictor and as outcome of FA. Neuroticism was more strongly related with later FA outcomes in SI than in UI individuals. FA variables, in turn, were significant predictors of later neuroticism in UI older adults only and of later agreeableness in SI individuals only.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that the late-life personality-FA interplay needs to be considered bidirectional, and the direction of associations varies systematically as a function of sensory impairment status.

Personality factors and cognitive functioning in elderly with Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive neurological disease, resulting from cell degeneration in the substantia nigra, responsible for the production of dopamine.

Alcohol use and personality change in middle and older adulthood: Findings from the Health and Retirement Study

OBJECTIVE

Personality is known to predict alcohol consumption, but how alcohol use is related to personality change is less clear, especially at older ages. The present study examined the effects of level of alcohol consumption and history of dependence on change in the Five-Factor Model personality traits in a national cohort of Americans aged over 50.

METHOD

Over 10,000 adults who participated in 2006-2008 waves of the Health and Retirement Study reported on personality and alcohol use and were followed over 4 years.

RESULTS

Latent difference score models indicated decreases in Extraversion to be attenuated for individuals categorized as light-to-moderate drinkers at baseline, whereas decreases in Conscientiousness were accentuated by having experienced alcohol dependence symptoms. Moreover, personality difference scores correlated with changes in the amount of alcohol consumed at follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that patterns of alcohol consumption are associated with changes in personality across the second half of the life span.

How do views on aging affect health outcomes in adulthood and late life? Explanations for an established connection

Personal views on aging, such as age stereotypes and subjective aging, can affect various health outcomes in later life. For the past 20 years or so, a large body of experimental and longitudinal work has provided ample evidence for this connection. Thus, it seems timely to better understand the pathways of this linkage. The majority of existing studies has either focused on age stereotypes or subjective aging. This theoretical paper provides a systematic comparison of major theoretical approaches that offer explanations through which different views on aging may affect health. After a short review of findings on the short- and long-term effects of different views on aging, we describe theoretical approaches that provide explanations of underlying mechanisms for the effect of both uni- and multidimensional views on aging on health outcomes. We compare the specific characteristics of these approaches, provide a heuristic framework and outline recommendations for future research routes. A better understanding of the impact of different views on aging on health outcomes is not only relevant for basic research in life-span developmental psychology, geropsychology and health psychology, it has also implications for intervention research and public health practices.

When Is Higher Neuroticism Protective Against Death? Findings From UK Biobank

We examined the association between neuroticism and mortality in a sample of 321,456 people from UK Biobank and explored the influence of self-rated health on this relationship. After adjustment for age and sex, a 1- SD increment in neuroticism was associated with a 6% increase in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio = 1.06, 95% confidence interval = [1.03, 1.09]). After adjustment for other covariates, and, in particular, self-rated health, higher neuroticism was associated with an 8% reduction in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio = 0.92, 95% confidence interval = [0.89, 0.95]), as well as with reductions in mortality from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease, but not external causes. Further analyses revealed that higher neuroticism was associated with lower mortality only in those people with fair or poor self-rated health, and that higher scores on a facet of neuroticism related to worry and vulnerability were associated with lower mortality. Research into associations between personality facets and mortality may elucidate mechanisms underlying neuroticism's covert protection against death.

12-Year Associations of Health with Personality in the Second Half of Life

Abstract. We examined longitudinal associations between personality, objective (physician-rated) and self-rated health over 12 years in two German cohorts (midlife cohort, born 1950/52, nT0 = 502; late-life cohort, born 1930/32, nT0 = 500) from the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development (ILSE). Based on cross-lagged panel design analyses controlling for sex, education, depression, and cognitive abilities, we found that after 12 years better baseline objective health predicted lower Neuroticism and higher Agreeableness, whereas baseline Extraversion and Conscientiousness were positive predictors of later self-rated health. Our findings thus illustrate that the direction of longitudinal personality-health associations is dependent on whether objective or self-rated health is considered, whereas relations do not seem to be considerably different in midlife vs. in old age.

Influence of personality on depression, burden, and health-related quality of life in family caregivers of persons with dementia

BACKGROUND

Personality may predispose family caregivers to experience caregiving differently in similar situations and influence the outcomes of caregiving. A limited body of research has examined the role of some personality traits for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among family caregivers of persons with dementia (PWD) in relation to burden and depression.

METHODS

Data from a large clinic-based national study in South Korea, the Caregivers of Alzheimer's Disease Research (CARE), were analyzed (N = 476). Path analysis was performed to explore the association between family caregivers' personality traits and HRQoL. With depression and burden as mediating factors, direct and indirect associations between five personality traits and HRQoL of family caregivers were examined.

RESULTS

Results demonstrated the mediating role of caregiver burden and depression in linking two personality traits (neuroticism and extraversion) and HRQoL. Neuroticism and extraversion directly and indirectly influenced the mental HRQoL of caregivers. Neuroticism and extraversion only indirectly influenced their physical HRQoL. Neuroticism increased the caregiver's depression, whereas extraversion decreased it. Neuroticism only was mediated by burden to influence depression and mental and physical HRQoL.

CONCLUSIONS

Personality traits can influence caregiving outcomes and be viewed as an individual resource of the caregiver. A family caregiver's personality characteristics need to be assessed for tailoring support programs to get the optimal benefits from caregiver interventions.

The Role of the Five–factor Personality Traits in General Self–rated Health

Self–ratings of health (SRH) are widely used in large surveys and have been shown to predict mortality over and above more objective health measures. However, the debate still continues about what SRH actually represents and what the processes underlying people's assessments of their health are. The main aim of this study is to examine the role of the Five–Factor Model personality traits in general SRH assessment while controlling for the effects of objective health indicators, health–related quality of life and subjective well–being in a large population–based dataset of Estonian adults. A hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that only self–rated, but not informant–rated, neuroticism explained additional variance in SRH when the other aforementioned variables were taken into account. Our findings indicate that people's general SRH is a relatively good reflection of their objectively measured health status, but also that the way in which people experience and evaluate the quality of their lives—both in terms of subjective well–being and more specific aspects of health—plays a significant role in general SRH assessments. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Personality Psychology

Positive attitude toward life, emotional expression, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms among centenarians and near-centenarians

OBJECTIVES

Favorable attitudes, emotions, personality characteristics, and self-rated health have been associated with successful aging in late life. However, less is known regarding these constructs and their relationships to mental health outcomes in the oldest old persons. This study examined cross-sectional relationships of these psychological factors to depressive symptoms in centenarians and near-centenarians.

METHODS

A selected sample of Ashkenazi Jewish older adults aged 98-107 (n = 54, 78% female) without significant cognitive impairment participated. Cognitive function was assessed by Mini-Mental Status Examination, positive attitude toward life and emotional expression by the Personality Outlook Profile Scale (POPS), self-rated health by participants' subjective rating of their present health, and depressive symptoms by the Geriatric Depression Scale.

RESULTS

Results demonstrated inverse associations of the positive attitude toward life domain of the POPS and self-rated health with participants' levels of depressive symptoms even after adjusting for the effects of history of medical illnesses, cognitive function, and demographic variables. Additionally, participants with high levels of care showed higher levels of depressive symptoms. Path analysis supported the partially mediating role of positive attitude toward life in the relationship between self-rated health and depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

These findings emphasized the important roles of positive attitudes and emotions as well as self-rated health in mental health outcomes in the oldest old. Although, limited by its cross-sectional design, findings suggest these psychological factors may exert protective effects on mental health outcomes in advanced age.

An Examination of Self-Rated Health Among African-American Men

Self-rated health is a concept that has been linked to objective health outcomes but has not received much attention with regard to African-American men. The purpose of this study is to examine the relation of multiple factors (sociodemographic, health behaviors, personal health measures, and personality traits) with self-rated health in a sample of African-American men. The role personality plays in self-rated health in combination with other variables among African-American males has not thoroughly been explored. One hundred and seventy African-American men, ages 30-70 years old, were recruited for this study and completed a questionnaire assessing self-rated health, sociodemographics, health behaviors, personal health measures, and personality traits. Block-wise regression modeling was employed. The blocks were sociodemographics, health behaviors, personal health measures, and personality traits. Variables significantly associated with self-rated health in block-wise regression analyses at P < .05 (household income, BMI, number of health conditions, and neuroticism) were entered into the final multiple logistic regression model. Being obese was associated with greater odds of poor/fair self-rated health compared to being normal weight (OR = 9.02, 95 % CI 2.85-28.51, P < .001). Compared to reporting no health conditions, having more than one health condition was associated with greater odds of reporting poor/fair self-rated health (OR = 4.82, 95 % CI 1.18-19.69, P = .029). This study shows that existing medical conditions are important determinants of self-rated health among African-American men.

Personality and Perceived Health in Spousal Caregivers of Patients with Lung Cancer: The Roles of Neuroticism and Extraversion

Purpose. Family members' responsibilities for patients with cancer have increased dramatically over the past decade and will likely continue to rise. Given that caregiving is associated with declines in self-care, there is a need for research on caregivers' perceptions of their own health. The purpose of this study was to examine whether personality is associated with four self-report perceived health items from the SF-36. Methods. The sample consisted of 114 spouses of lung cancer patients who completed cross-sectional measures as part of a larger cohort study on adjustment to the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. Predictors of interest were Neuroticism and Extraversion scores from the NEO-FFI. Covariates were age, gender, conscientiousness, depressive symptoms, and objective illness burden. Results. Multivariate analyses revealed that caregivers with higher Extraversion scores were less likely to respond affirmatively to the item "I expect my health to get worse" (OR = 0.90, p < 0.05). Neuroticism was associated with poorer perceived health (ORs from 1.11 to 1.12, p's < 0.05). Conclusions. The present cross-sectional findings suggest that personality is associated with responses to SF-36 perceived health items beyond what can be accounted for by objective illness burden and other covariates. The potential overestimation of health among extraverted caregivers may have implications for their health outcomes.

The Facilitating Effect of Need-Supportive Parenting on the Change Rate and Adaptation of Dual Autonomy Among Taiwanese Adolescents

Abstract. Two empirical studies were conducted to test the facilitating effect of need-supportive parenting (NSP) on Taiwanese adolescents’ individuating autonomy (IA) and relating autonomy (RA) as well as to investigate the mediating effect of IA and RA on the relationship between NSP and adaptation. Study 1 adopted a cross-sectional design and found that (1) NSP was positively related to adolescents’ IA and RA capacity; and (2) the positive effects of NSP on intrapersonal adaptation (i.e., self-esteem and happiness) and interpersonal adaptation (i.e., empathy and reciprocal filial piety) were superiorly mediated by IA and RA, respectively. Study 2 used a longitudinal design and added negative criteria (i.e., anxiety and depression for intrapersonal maladaptation, and hostility and delinquent behavior for interpersonal maladaptation). Hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that (1) NSP not only positively contributed to Taiwanese adolescents’ IA and RA, but also facilitated the change rate of IA and RA; (2) the changes in IA and RA within individuals over time were related to the changes in intrapersonal and interpersonal criteria, respectively; and (3) IA primarily mediated the effects of NSP on both intrapersonal adaptation and maladaptation, while RA mediated the effects of NSP on both interpersonal adaptation and maladaptation. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

The Winding Paths of the Lonesome Cowboy: Evidence for Mutual Influences Between Personality, Subjective Health, and Loneliness

Prior research demonstrated influences of personality traits and their development on later status of subjective health and loneliness. In the present study, we intended to extend these findings by examining mutual influences between health-related characteristics and personality traits and their development over time. German adults were assessed at two time points across 15 years (NT1  = 654, NT2  = 271; Mage at Time 1 = 24.39, SD = 3.69). Data were analyzed with multivariate structural equation models and a multivariate latent change model. Neuroticism was found to predict later levels and the development of subjective health and loneliness. While subjective health likewise predicted later levels of Neuroticism, loneliness was found to be predictive of later levels as well as the development of Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness. Correlated changes indicated that developing a socially more desirable personality is associated with slower declines in subjective health and slower increases in loneliness. The findings indicate that characteristics related to an individual's health are reciprocally associated with personality traits. Thus, the study adds to the understanding of the development of personality and health-related characteristics.

Who Looks Forward to Better Health? Personality Factors and Future Self-Rated Health in the Context of Chronic Illness

BACKGROUND

Self-rated health (SRH) is an important predictor of objective health-related outcomes that, according to the Cognitive Process Model of SRH, is influenced by contextual factors (symptoms and personality). Although research indicates that personality contours SRH, less attention has been given to understanding the contributions of personality to future self-rated health (FSRH) or the contextual factors that play a role in shaping these effects.

PURPOSE

The aim of the present study was to extend the theory and research on FSRH by exploring the contributions of personality, current SRH, and fatigue to FSRH in the context of chronic illness, and to test the potential mediating role of optimism for explaining these effects.

METHOD

Two chronic illness samples (arthritis, N = 365, and inflammatory bowel disease, IBD; N = 290) completed identical surveys. A hierarchical regression model with age, education, and current health, and fatigue entered in the first two steps and traits entered in the last step, tested the effects of personality on FSRH. Mediation analyses controlling for contextual variables tested the explanatory role of optimism.

RESULTS

Fatigue was a significant contributor to FSRH accounting for 11 % of the variance in the arthritis sample and 17 % in the IBD sample over the demographic variables. Both Agreeableness and Neuroticism accounted for additional significant but modest variance in FSRH (4 %); Agreeableness was associated with higher FSRH, whereas Neuroticism was associated with lower FSRH. For both traits, optimism fully explained the associations with FSRH.

CONCLUSION

After accounting for the influence of fatigue and other variables, the contributions of high Agreeableness and low Neuroticism to FSRH are modest in the context of chronic illness, and these associations may be explained by optimism.

Personality, self-rated health, and cognition in centenarians: do personality and self-rated health relate to cognitive function in advanced age?

Personality and self-rated health have been linked previously to cognitive outcome in late life. However, these associations have not been shown among the oldest old. This study examined relationships between personality, self-rated health, and cognitive function in a selected sample of Ashkenazi Jewish centenarians (n = 68, 59% female) aged 95 to 106 who lived independently in the community. Personality was measured using the Personality Outlook Profile Scale (POPS), a brief measure that was validated in this population. Self-rated health was assessed by participants’ subjective rating of their present health, and Mini-Mental Status Examination was used to determine cognitive function. Results showed positive associations of the Positive Attitude Towards Life domain of the POPS and self-rated health with participants’ current cognitive function. These associations remained significant even after adjusting for the effects of participants'age, gender, marital status, education, and history of medical illnesses. Further exploratory analysis using structural equations modeling showed significant associations among the three variables, but demonstrated a borderline significant level of mediating effect of personality on the relationship between self-rated health and cognition. These results reemphasized the independent roles of personality and self-rated health on centenarians’ cognitive outcomes. Future studies will further elucidate the impact of personality and self-rated health on cognitive outcomes in the oldest old.

Personality, self-rated health, and subjective age in a life-span sample: the moderating role of chronological age

The present study tested whether chronological age moderates the association between subjective age and self-rated health and personality in a community-dwelling life-span sample (N = 1,016; age range: 18-91 years). Self-rated health, extraversion, and openness to experience were associated with a younger subjective age at older ages. Conscientious individuals felt more mature early in life. Conscientiousness, neuroticism, and agreeableness were not related to subjective age at older ages. These findings suggest that with aging self-rated health and personality traits are increasingly important for subjective age.