1
|
Perski O, Nikiel A, Brown J, Shahab L. Personality typologies of smokers and excessive drinkers: a cross-sectional survey of respondents in the BBC Lab UK Study. F1000Res 2024; 11:94. [PMID: 38046540 PMCID: PMC10690036 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.86670.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Several personality traits have been linked to addictive behaviours, including smoking and excessive drinking. We hypothesised that the combination of low conscientiousness, high extraversion and high neuroticism would be synergistically associated with smoking, excessive drinking and both behaviours combined. Methods Respondents aged 16+ years ( N=363,454) were surveyed between 2009-2013 as part of the BBC Lab UK Study, with no restrictions on geographical location. Respondents provided information about sociodemographic characteristics, personality traits, and smoking and alcohol consumption. A series of multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results No significant three-way but significant two-way interactive effects were observed. The association of high extraversion with smoking was more pronounced in those with high (vs. low) conscientiousness (OR adj=1.51, 95% CI=1.46, 1.56, p<.001; OR adj=1.38, 95% CI=1.35, 1.42, p<.001). The association of high extraversion with excessive drinking was more pronounced in those with low (vs. high) conscientiousness (OR adj=1.70, 95% CI=1.67, 1.74, p<.001; OR adj=1.60, 95% CI=1.56, 1.63, p<.001). The association of high extraversion with both behaviours combined was more pronounced in those with high (vs. low) conscientiousness (OR adj=1.74, 95% CI=1.65, 1.83, p<.001; OR adj=1.62, 95% CI= 1.56, 1.68, p<.001). Results remained largely robust in sensitivity analyses. Conclusions In a large international survey, we identified two-way 'personality typologies' that are associated with greater odds of smoking, excessive drinking and both behaviours combined. The results may be useful for the tailoring of behaviour change interventions to at-risk individuals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olga Perski
- Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Astrid Nikiel
- Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jamie Brown
- Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lion Shahab
- Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Neuropsychosocial markers of binge drinking in young adults. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:4931-4943. [PMID: 32398720 PMCID: PMC7658012 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0771-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Binge drinking is associated with disease and death, and developing tools to identify risky drinkers could mitigate its damage. Brain processes underlie risky drinking, so we examined whether neural and psychosocial markers could identify binge drinkers. Reward is the most widely studied neural process in addiction, but processes such as emotion, social cognition, and self-regulation are also involved. Here we examined whether neural processes apart from reward contribute to predicting risky drinking behaviors. From the Human Connectome Project, we identified 177 young adults who binged weekly and 309 nonbingers. We divided the sample into a training and a testing set and used machine-learning algorithms to classify participants based on psychosocial, neural, or both (neuropsychosocial) data. We also developed separate models for each of the seven fMRI tasks used in the study. An ensemble model developed in the training dataset was then applied to the testing dataset. Model performance was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and differences between models were assessed using DeLong's test. The three models performed better than chance in the test sample with the neuropsychosocial (AUC = 0.86) and psychosocial (AUC = 0.84) performing better than the neural model (AUC = 0.64). Two fMRI-based models predicted binge drinking status better than chance, corresponding to the social and language tasks. Models developed with psychosocial and neural variables could contribute as diagnostic tools to help classify risky drinkers. Since social and language fMRI tasks performed best among the neural discriminators (including those from gambling and emotion tasks), it suggests the involvement of a broader range of brain processes than those traditionally associated with binge drinking in young adults.
Collapse
|
3
|
de Visser RO, Conroy D, Davies E, Cooke R. Understanding Motivation to Adhere to Guidelines for Alcohol Intake, Physical Activity, and Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among U.K. University Students. HEALTH EDUCATION & BEHAVIOR 2021; 48:480-487. [PMID: 33593081 PMCID: PMC8278553 DOI: 10.1177/1090198120988251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To encourage people to lead healthier lifestyles, governments in many countries publish guidelines for alcohol intake, physical activity (PA), and fruit and vegetable (FV) intake. However, there is a need for better understanding of whether people understand such guidelines, consider them useful, and adhere to them. University students are a group worthy of attention because although they are less likely than older adults to exceed U.K. weekly alcohol intake guidelines or to be inactive, they are also less likely to meet FV consumption targets. Furthermore, because behavior during youth predicts adult behavior, it is important to identify influences on healthier behavior. METHOD An online survey was completed by 559 U.K. university students. Key outcome variables were knowledge of guidelines, motivation to adhere to them, and adherence to them. RESULTS A total of 72% adhered to guidelines for alcohol intake, 58% for PA, and 20% for FV intake. Students generally had poor or moderate knowledge of guidelines, perceived them as only moderately useful, and were only moderately motivated to adhere to them. Greater motivation to adhere to guidelines was not significantly related to more accurate knowledge. However, it was related to greater familiarity, and perceiving guidelines as useful and realistic, and greater conscientiousness. DISCUSSION There is a need to ensure that students understand the U.K. guidelines for alcohol intake, PA, and FV intake. However, simply increasing knowledge may not lead to greater adherence to the guidelines: There is also a need to focus on improving perceptions of how useful and realistic they are.
Collapse
|
4
|
Gartland N, Wilson A, Lawton R, O'Connor DB. Conscientiousness and engagement with national health behaviour guidelines. PSYCHOL HEALTH MED 2020; 26:421-432. [PMID: 32893677 DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2020.1814961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
High conscientiousness is associated with better health and longer life. This relationship is partly accounted for by the performance of health behaviours. The current study aimed to investigate whether conscientiousness was associated with adherence to national health behaviour guidelines as an indicator of healthy lifestyle. A cross-sectional design was used, where participants (N= 886) completed online questionnaires to assess conscientiousness and the facets of conscientiousness (order, virtue, traditionalism, self-control, responsibility, industriousness) and the performance of four health behaviours (fruit and vegetable consumption, alcohol intake, smoking, and physical activity). An index was calculated to combine the health behaviours. Conscientiousness and all its facets significantly predicted the health behaviour guideline index. In comparing high and low conscientious sub-groups, the low conscientious group had lower levels of adherence to all health behaviours guidelines measured. Strikingly, the number of high conscientious participants meeting all health behaviour guidelines was nearly twice the number of low conscientious participants meeting all guidelines. Conscientiousness is associated with adherence to multiple national health behaviour guidelines. Therefore, the positive associations between conscientiousness and health/longevity may be accounted for, in part, by the adoption of a healthy lifestyle across multiple health domains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rebecca Lawton
- School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.,Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Josten C, Lordan G. The interaction between personality and health policy: Empirical evidence from the UK smoking bans. ECONOMICS AND HUMAN BIOLOGY 2020; 38:100899. [PMID: 32650226 DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2020.100899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We investigate whether responses to the UK public places smoking ban depend on personality. Drawing on individual level panel data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) we exploit variation in the timing and location of these bans to establish their overall effect on smoking outcomes, and how this differs by personality. We measure personality using the Big Five personality traits. We are particularly interested in conscientiousness, given the evidence that it is a good proxy for self-control. Overall, we find that a one standard deviation increase in conscientiousness leads to a 1.4 percentage point reduction in the probability of smoking after the ban. Notably, this is the only Big Five personality trait that interacts with the smoking ban. This finding is very robust to different specifications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cecily Josten
- London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom
| | - Grace Lordan
- London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Health inequalities, risky behaviours and protective factors in adolescents: an analysis of secondary survey data from the UK. Public Health 2019; 170:133-139. [DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Revised: 02/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
|
7
|
Collado A, Felton JW, Taylor H, Eure A, Yi R. Conscientiousness explains the link between childhood neglect and cigarette smoking in adults from a low-income, urban area-the differential effects of sex. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2019; 88:152-158. [PMID: 30508683 PMCID: PMC6333503 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Revised: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Cigarette smoking represents the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the US and understanding its risk factors remains a critical public health endeavor. Low-income individuals and individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment are at heightened risk for cigarette smoking, yet the underlying factors between this association are understudied. Conscientiousness is one construct with potential explanatory relevance to both smoking and childhood neglect. The current investigation examined the association between childhood physical and emotional neglect with smoking (i.e., self-reported cigarette smoking and breath carbon monoxide levels) via conscientiousness. The sample was comprised of 115 adults (Mage = 50.46, SDage = 5.86; 76.4% Black) recruited from a community center serving low-income and homeless individuals. Mediation analyses showed the indirect effect of childhood emotional neglect on cigarette smoking through conscientiousness; for physical neglect, this relationship was only present among males. The current study provides preliminary evidence that conscientiousness may be a particularly important vulnerability factor when examining the association between childhood neglect and smoking.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anahi Collado
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Kansas- Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment.
| | - Julia W Felton
- Division of Public Health, Michigan State University, United States
| | - Hailey Taylor
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, United States
| | - Ashley Eure
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, United States
| | - Richard Yi
- Department of Psychology, University of Kansas- Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Interactive Effects of Trait Self-Control and Stress Appraisals on Blood Pressure Responses to a Laboratory Stressor. Int J Behav Med 2017; 24:602-612. [PMID: 28150066 PMCID: PMC5509813 DOI: 10.1007/s12529-017-9632-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Purpose Stress may play a role in explaining part of the conscientiousness-longevity relationship. Conscientiousness (C) is associated with the appraisals of stressors and its lower-order facets have been shown to differentially moderate the experience of stress in daily life. This study investigated whether the lower-order facet, self-control (SC), moderated the relationship between stress appraisals and blood pressure responses to a laboratory stressor. Methods Ninety participants (selected from the upper and lower quartiles for C scores from a sample of 679 participants) were invited to complete the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were assessed throughout the stress task. Stress appraisals were assessed at baseline. Results Blood pressure responses to the MAST were similar in participants who scored high and low in SC. However, primary appraisals were negatively associated with BP reactivity and recovery in the high SC group but not in the low SC group. Moreover, SC was found to moderate the relationship between primary appraisals and SBP and DBP reactivity values, such that higher primary appraisals were associated with lower BP reactivity in individuals high in SC but not in those low in SC. In addition, lower SBP recovery values were observed in the high SC group compared to their low SC counterparts. Conclusions These findings indicate that SC may influence health status by modifying the relationship between perceived demands and blood pressure. Moreover, having a greater stake in stressors may yield health benefits in the longer term for individuals high in SC.
Collapse
|
9
|
Green JA, O’Connor DB, Gartland N, Roberts BW. The Chernyshenko Conscientiousness Scales. Assessment 2015; 23:374-85. [DOI: 10.1177/1073191115580639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The current research sought to validate the Chernyshenko Conscientiousness Scales (CCS), a novel measure designed to assess six facets of conscientiousness. Data from 7,569 U.S. participants and 649 U.K. participants were analyzed to assess the internal reliability and factorial structure of the scales. Test–retest reliability, convergent and divergent validity, and criterion-related validity were also evaluated using a separate U.K. sample ( n = 118; n = 80 for test–retest). The results showed that those items designed to measure industriousness, order, self-control, traditionalism, and virtue were best represented by a five-factor structure, broadly consistent with the five scales. However, the content and structure of the responsibility scale requires further investigation. Overall, the CCS has the potential to be a useful alternative to the faceted measures of conscientiousness that are currently available. However, future research is required to refine a number of problematic items and to clarify which facets can be better described as interstitial dimensions between conscientiousness and other Big Five domains.
Collapse
|
10
|
Gartland N, O'Connor DB, Lawton R, Ferguson E. Investigating the effects of conscientiousness on daily stress, affect and physical symptom processes: a daily diary study. Br J Health Psychol 2013; 19:311-28. [PMID: 24237707 DOI: 10.1111/bjhp.12077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Revised: 10/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Higher conscientiousness (C) predicts better health outcomes. Recent research suggests that stress may play an important role in explaining this relationship. The current study aimed to establish whether C moderates the relationship between daily hassle appraisals, daily affect, and physical symptoms. DESIGN AND METHODS A daily diary design was used, where participants (N = 103) completed a baseline measure of C followed by a 14-day daily diary, providing daily details of hassles (primary and secondary appraisals) experienced as well as positive and negative affect and physical symptoms. RESULTS Hierarchical linear modelling revealed that Total C (as well as two facets of C: Order and Industriousness) moderated the relationship between stress appraisals and positive affect. Specifically, the negative association between the daily appraisal of hassles as stressful (i.e., where perceived demands outweighed perceived resources) and positive affect was stronger for lower and average levels of C, Order, and Industriousness. No significant moderated effects were found for negative affect or physical symptoms. The Order facet was also found to be an important factor predicting attrition. CONCLUSIONS The current study provided evidence that C and two of its facets can moderate the relationship between hassle appraisal and positive affect. C may exert part of its influence on health by modifying the effects of daily stressors. STATEMENT OF CONTRIBUTION What is already known on this subject? Conscientiousness has a significant positive effect on longevity and health status. While the performance of health behaviours may partially account for this relationship, evidence suggests that it does not fully mediate the effect. Research has begun to look at stress as a possible additional explanatory variable, and there is evidence that Conscientiousness moderates the relationship between stress and health behaviours. What does this study add? Shows that Conscientiousness and two of its facets (Order and Industriousness) moderate the relationship between hassle appraisal and positive affect. Highlights the importance of studying lower order facets of personality in health research. Suggests that Conscientiousness may exert part of its influence on health by modifying the effects of daily stressors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Gartland
- Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds, UK
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking in a representative sample of English school pupils: cross-sectional and longitudinal associations. Prev Med 2013; 56:304-8. [PMID: 23438762 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2012] [Revised: 01/11/2013] [Accepted: 02/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking, in a representative sample of English pupils. METHOD Data from 13,635 school pupils in the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) on usage of cigarettes from 2004 (typical age 14) to 2006 (age 16) and alcohol from 2004 to 2007 (age 17), analyzed with latent growth curve models. RESULTS The weighted percentage of pupils drinking alcohol increased from 26% at age 14 to 71% by age 17, smoking from 12% to 27% by age 16. Pupils with lower socio-economic status were more likely to smoke but less likely to drink alcohol regularly. Both behaviors were positively correlated at age 14, adjusted for several confounding factors. The rate of increase over time was also positively correlated. CONCLUSION Cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking are already correlated by age 14, are socio-economically patterned, and 'move together' during adolescence. Future studies and interventions should be targeted at a younger age range, to identify early smoking and potentially hazardous alcohol drinking patterns.
Collapse
|