Personality Correlates of Midlife Cardiometabolic Risk: The Explanatory Role of Higher-Order Factors of the Five-Factor Model

Physical multimorbidity in psychiatric patients with personality disorders: Insights within the ICD-11 framework

OBJECTIVE

Recent research has revealed poor physical health among individuals with personality disorders (PDs). We aimed to compare chronic physical illnesses (CPI) and chronic physical multimorbidity (CPM) prevalence between the general population (GEP) and PD patients, and to explore the relationship between CPM and various aspects of PD, predominantly within the ICD-11 framework.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 126 PD patients and 126 matched controls from the GEP. Patients were evaluated for the ICD-11 PD severity and maladaptive personality domains, subjective emptiness, and reflective functioning. CPI was assessed using a standardized self-report questionnaire.

RESULTS

PD patients had a higher mean number of CPIs (2.05 vs. 1.02) and a more frequent CPM occurrence (49.2% vs. 26.2%) compared to the matched controls (p < .001). The ICD-11 PD severity (OR = 1.143, p = .007) and maladaptive domain Negative affectivity (OR = 4.845, p = .002), and poor reflective functioning (OR = 1.694, p = .007) were significant predictors of CPM, independent of sociodemographic, clinical and lifestyle factors. Negative affectivity showed the most robust effect on CPM, while smoking did not significantly mediate these relationships.

CONCLUSION

Our study found increased CPM burden in PD patients and a link between CPM and various PD aspects under the ICD-11 framework, highlighting the need for more integrated healthcare.

Borderline personality disorder and the diagnostic co-occurrence of mental health disorders and somatic diseases: A controlled prospective national register-based study

OBJECTIVE

Information on borderline personality disorder (BPD) and its comorbidities is often limited to concentrate on a few diagnoses. The aim of the study was to use national register data to investigate all diagnostic co-occurring mental health disorders and somatic diseases 3 years before and after initial BPD diagnosis compared with a matched control group.

METHOD

The study was a register-based cohort of 2756 patients with incident BPD (ICD F60.3) and 11,024 matched controls, during 2002-2016. Comorbidity data were classified into main disease groups, in accordance with the World Health Organization ICD-10 criteria.

RESULTS

Almost half the patients had been diagnosed with mental and behavioral disorders before the BPD diagnosis as compared to 3% in the control group. Further, the co-occurrence of diseases due to external causes of morbidity, including injury, self-harm, and poisoning were more represented in the BPD group before diagnosis as compared to the control group. In addition, co-occurring morbidity related to diseases in the circulatory, the respiratory, the digestive, the musculoskeletal, and the genitourinary system was more represented in the BPD group. After diagnosis, the proportion of patients with co-occurring morbidity increased further in all main disease groups in the BPD group. As many as 87% of patients had mental and behavioral co-occurring morbidity and 15% nervous diseases as compared with 3% and 4%, respectively, in the control group. Also, comorbidities related to external causes of morbidity, including for example, injury and self-harm were more represented in the BPD group. The BPD group had more somatic co-occurring morbidity, especially digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and endocrine diseases. Finally, the mortality over 12 years was statistically significantly higher in people with BPD than in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Patients with BPD have higher odds for multiple physical health conditions and co-occurrence of mental health disorders.

Engineering Virtuous health habits using Emotion and Neurocognition: Flexibility for Lifestyle Optimization and Weight management (EVEN FLOW)

Interventions to preserve functional independence in older adults are critically needed to optimize 'successful aging' among the large and increasing population of older adults in the United States. For most aging adults, the management of chronic diseases is the most common and impactful risk factor for loss of functional independence. Chronic disease management inherently involves the learning and adaptation of new behaviors, such as adopting or modifying physical activity habits and managing weight. Despite the importance of chronic disease management in older adults, vanishingly few individuals optimally manage their health behavior in the service of chronic disease stabilization to preserve functional independence. Contemporary conceptual models of chronic disease management and health habit theory suggest that this lack of optimal management may result from an underappreciated distinction within the health behavior literature: the behavioral domains critical for initiation of new behaviors (Initiation Phase) are largely distinct from those that facilitate their maintenance (Maintenance Phase). Psychological factors, particularly experiential acceptance and trait levels of openness are critical to engagement with new health behaviors, willingness to make difficult lifestyle changes, and the ability to tolerate aversive affective responses in the process. Cognitive factors, particularly executive function, are critical to learning new skills, using them effectively across different areas of life and contextual demands, and updating of skills to facilitate behavioral maintenance. Emerging data therefore suggests that individuals with greater executive function are better able to sustain behavior changes, which in turn protects against cognitive decline. In addition, social and structural supports of behavior change serve a critical buffering role across phases of behavior change. The present review attempts to address these gaps by proposing a novel biobehavioral intervention framework that incorporates both individual-level and social support system-level variables for the purpose of treatment tailoring. Our intervention framework triangulates on the central importance of self-regulatory functioning, proposing that both cognitive and psychological mechanisms ultimately influence an individuals' ability to engage in different aspects of self-management (individual level) in the service of maintaining independence. Importantly, the proposed linkages of cognitive and affective functioning align with emerging individual difference frameworks, suggesting that lower levels of cognitive and/or psychological flexibility represent an intermediate phenotype of risk. Individuals exhibiting self-regulatory lapses either due to the inability to regulate their emotional responses or due to the presence of executive functioning impairments are therefore the most likely to require assistance to preserve functional independence. In addition, these vulnerabilities will be more easily observable for individuals requiring greater complexity of self-management behavioral demands (e.g. complexity of medication regimen) and/or with lesser social support. Our proposed framework also intuits several distinct intervention pathways based on the profile of self-regulatory behaviors: we propose that individuals with intact affect regulation and impaired executive function will preferentially respond to 'top-down' training approaches (e.g., strategy and process work). Individuals with intact executive function and impaired affect regulation will respond to 'bottom-up' approaches (e.g., graded exposure). And individuals with impairments in both may require treatments targeting caregiving or structural supports, particularly in the context of elevated behavioral demands.

The personality meta-trait of stability and carotid artery atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND

Several personality traits increase the risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Because many of these traits are correlated, their associations with disease risk could reflect shared variance, rather than unique contributions of each trait. We examined a higher-order personality trait of Stability as related to preclinical atherosclerosis and tested whether any such relationship might be explained by correlated variation in cardiometabolic risk factors.

METHOD

Among 798 community volunteers, lower-order traits of Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness were modeled as latent variables (from self- and informant ratings) and used to estimate the second-order factor, Stability. Cardiometabolic risk was similarly modeled from indicators of glycemic control, blood pressure, adiposity, and lipids. Carotid artery atherosclerosis was measured as intima-media thickness (IMT) by duplex ultrasonography.

RESULT

A structural equation model incorporating direct and indirect effects showed lower Stability associated with greater IMT, and this relationship was accounted for by the indirect pathway via cardiometabolic risk. Secondary analyses showed that: (1) Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness were unrelated to IMT independent of Stability; and (2) Stability predicted variation in IMT when estimated from informant-, but not self-rated, traits.

CONCLUSION

Personality traits may associate with atherosclerotic burden through their shared, rather than unique, variance, as reflected in Stability.

Baseline Differences in Long-term Survivors and Nonsurvivors of the Colorado/Columbia Fetal Implant Trial

OBJECTIVE

This study is based on long-term follow-up of participants in a randomized double-blind sham surgery-controlled trial (1995-1999) designed to determine the effectiveness of implantation of human embryonic mesencephalic tissue containing dopamine neuron precursors into the brains of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated differences between long-term survivors and nonsurvivors at baseline in order to contribute to information regarding optimal patient selection for upcoming stem cell trials.

METHOD

Forty participants were randomly assigned to receive either neural implantation or sham surgery. Thirty-four patients who ultimately received the implant were followed periodically with the most recent assessment occurring in 2015-2016. Demographic information, neurological measures, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, neuropsychological assessments, and a personality assessment were included in the current analyses. T-tests were used to compare survivors and nonsurvivors. Logistic regression analyses examined predictors of survivorship.

RESULTS

Five of six survivors were female. They were younger than nonsurvivors (p = .03) and more neuropsychologically "intact" across a broad range of cognitive areas (significance levels ranged from <.001 to .045). There were no differences between survivors and nonsurvivors off medications at baseline on neurological or PET assessments. Survivors reported more "Openness to Experience" (p = .004) than nonsurvivors. Using empirically derived predictor variables, results of logistic regression analyses indicated that Animal Naming (cognitive task) and Openness to Experience (personality variable) were the strongest predictors of survivorship.

CONCLUSIONS

Variables to consider when selecting participants for future cell-based therapies include being "intact" neuropsychologically, level of Openness to Experience, younger age, and inclusion of women.

Systemic Inflammation Contributes to the Association Between Childhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Midlife Cardiometabolic Risk

BACKGROUND

Childhood socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with increased risk for chronic inflammation and cardiometabolic disease at midlife.

PURPOSE

As it is presently unknown whether inflammation mediates the relationship between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and adulthood cardiometabolic risk, we investigated associations between retrospectively reported childhood SES, circulating levels of inflammatory markers, and a latent construct of cardiometabolic risk in midlife adults.

METHODS

Participants were 1,359 healthy adults aged 30-54 (Adult Health and Behavior I&II; 52% women, 17% Black) who retrospectively reported childhood SES (parental education, occupational grade). Measures included plasma interleukin (IL)-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), and cardiometabolic risk factors. Structural equation modeling was conducted, with cardiometabolic risk modeled as a second-order latent variable with adiposity, blood lipids, glucose control, and blood pressure as first-order components.

RESULTS

Lower childhood SES was associated with greater risk for cardiometabolic disease at midlife (β = -0.08, CI[-0.04, -0.01], p = .01) in models adjusted for demographics, but this association was attenuated in models that adjusted for adulthood SES and health behaviors. In fully-adjusted models, the relationship between lower childhood SES and adult cardiometabolic risk was partially explained by higher circulating levels of CRP (β = -0.05, CI[-0.02, -0.01], p = .001), but not by IL-6. In an exploratory model, lower adulthood SES was also found to independently contribute to the association between childhood SES and adult cardiometabolic risk (β = -0.02, CI[-0.01, -0.001], p = .02).

CONCLUSIONS

The current study provides initial evidence that systemic inflammation may contribute to childhood socioeconomic disparities in cardiometabolic risk in midlife. Future work would benefit from prospective investigation of these relationships.

Conscientiousness and Cardiometabolic Risk: A Test of the Health Behavior Model of Personality Using Structural Equation Modeling

BACKGROUND

High trait conscientiousness is associated with lower cardiometabolic risk, and health behaviors are a putative but relatively untested pathway that may explain this association.

PURPOSE

To explore the role of key health behaviors (diet, physical activity, substance use, and sleep) as links between conscientiousness and cardiometabolic risk.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional analysis of 494 healthy, middle-aged working adults (mean age = 42.7 years, 52.6% women, 81.0% White), participants provided self-reports of conscientiousness, physical activity, substance use, diet, and sleep, and wore monitors over a 7-day monitoring period to assess sleep (Actiwatch-16) and physical activity (SenseWear Pro3). Cardiometabolic risk was expressed as a second-order latent variable from a confirmatory factor analysis involving insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, obesity, and blood pressure. Direct, indirect, and specific indirect effect pathways linking conscientiousness to health behaviors and cardiometabolic risk were examined. Unstandardized indirect effects for each health behavior class were computed separately using bootstrapped samples.

RESULTS

After controlling for demographics (sex, age, race, and education), conscientiousness showed the predicted, inverse association with cardiometabolic risk. Among the examined health behaviors, objectively-assessed sleep midpoint variability (b = -0.003, p = .04), subjective sleep quality (b = -0.003, p = .025), and objectively-assessed physical activity (b = -0.11, p = .04) linked conscientiousness to cardiometabolic risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Physical activity and sleep partially accounted for the relationship between conscientiousness and cardiometabolic risk.

When belongingness backfires: experienced discrimination predicts increased cardiometabolic risk among college students high in social belonging

Research implicates experiences of discrimination in exacerbating cardiometabolic disease (CMD) risk. Belongingness has been suggested as a buffer against the adverse effects of discrimination. However, when discrimination occurs in an environment to which one feels they belong, then the potential benefits of belongingness may dissipate or even exacerbate the effects of discrimination. In the present study, we examined these competing hypotheses on how campus belonging might moderate the relationship between discrimination experienced on campus and CMD risk. College students (n = 160, 60.9% Latino/a/x) reported the frequency of on-campus discrimination and campus belongingness, and then completed items assessing risk for CMD. More frequent discrimination related to higher comparative CMD risk among those who reported high campus belongingness, even after adjusting for relevant covariates. These findings highlight the complicated nature of belongingness in the context of physical health. Future research is needed to better understand the role of environment when considering morbidity among college students.

Impulsivity and midlife cardiometabolic risk: The role of maladaptive health behaviors

OBJECTIVE

The present study evaluated distinct facets of impulsivity related to cardiometabolic risk (CMR) to identify specific behavioral mechanisms driving these relationships.

METHOD

Community adults (N = 1,295) between 30 and 54 years old (53% female, 84% White) completed a battery of impulsivity measures, reported their engagement in health behaviors over the past week (i.e., cigarette smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, and dietary intake), and were assessed for CMR factors (i.e., blood pressure, insulin resistance, adiposity, and blood lipids). Structural equation modeling was used to estimate previously established hierarchical models of distinct facets of impulsivity and CMR. Indirect effects through the observed health behaviors were examined for each association between the latent impulsivity factors identified and the latent CMR factor.

RESULTS

Neuroticism/negative emotionality was the only latent impulsivity factor directly related to heightened CMR (β = 0.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.01, 0.16], p = .020). Extraversion/positive emotionality indirectly related to lower CMR through greater physical activity (β = -0.04, 95% CI [-0.06, -0.02], p < .001), and measures of inhibition (β = 0.02, 95% CI [0.001, 0.04], p = .045) and delay discounting (β = 0.08, 95% CI [0.001, 0.15], p = .049) indirectly related to CMR through saturated fat intake.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that distinct facets of impulsivity differentially relate to CMR through varied behavioral pathways and identify physical activity and saturated fat intake as being particularly important health behaviors to target when tailoring treatment approaches to the unique behavioral characteristics of individuals high on certain facets of impulsivity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Depressive symptomatology and personality traits in patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic peripheral arterial disease

Background

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of depressive symptomatology and personality traits with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Methods

The sample of this cross-sectional study comprised of 300 individuals (M_age = 65.3 ± 8.7 years, 61.0% female) recruited from the offices of 33 general practitioners. Based on at-rest ankle-brachial index (ABI) values and claudication symptoms, four subsamples were formed: clear PAD-positive, clear PAD-negative, ABI-negative but symptomatic, and a non-compressible-artery group. The concurrent role of depression (assessed by a shortened version of the Beck Depression Inventory) and personality traits (measured by the Big Five Inventory) in predicting PAD status was examined using multinomial logistic regression – controlled for sex, age, hypertonia, diabetes, smoking, hazardous drinking, and body mass index.

Results

Depressive symptomatology was significant in predicting peripheral arterial disease status even after controlling for both traditional risk factors and personality traits. Among the Big Five personality traits, neuroticism showed a significant, positive relationship with PAD – independently of depression.

Conclusions

Patients with PAD – even those with asymptomatic forms of the disease – are at higher risk for suffering from depression compared to individuals without PAD, independently of neuroticism, other Big Five personality dimensions or traditional risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.

Personality, Chrono-nutrition and Cardiometabolic Health: A Narrative Review of the Evidence

Growing evidence suggests that personality traits play a role in obesity and cardiometabolic health. In addition, irregularity of food intake has emerged as a potential risk factor for obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome. Recent studies suggest that when we eat, termed "chrono-nutrition," may be as important to what we eat. This concept covers 3 aspects: 1) irregularity of energy intake in meals (varying amounts of energy intake throughout the day and at different times from one day to the next), 2) frequency (number of meals per day), and 3) timing of food intake (actual time of day). A narrative review was conducted to identify literature evaluating the effect of personality on chrono-nutrition and subsequently obesity and cardiometabolic health. The search focused on research published since 2000 in MEDLINE using the search terms "personality," "chrono-nutrition," "cardiometabolic," "BMI," "obesity," and "metabolic rate." Findings indicate an inverse relation between conscientiousness and obesity, with people who are more conscientious having a lower risk of obesity. Furthermore, time of day of energy intake has been linked to obesity, since meals consumed in the evening have been associated with lower resting metabolic rate. Inconsistent timing and frequency of meals have also been linked to increased body weight and worse cardiometabolic health. Together, the data indicate that eating meals at the same time every day at regular intervals might be the reason why those who score high in conscientiousness are able to maintain a healthier weight. Despite the reviewed observational evidence, there is an apparent gap in the existing literature on the interplay between personality, chrono-nutrition, and obesity and particularly on how dietary interventions should be designed considering different personality traits. Future research is needed to clarify this association and how it interacts with other factors, thus elucidating the role of chrono-nutrition in health.

BIS and BAS Sensitivities at Different Levels of Personality Description: A Latent-Variable Approach with Self- and Informant-Ratings

We examine the structural overlap of the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) and the Behavioral Approach System (BAS) with Stability and Plasticity, the two higher-order factors encompassing the Big Five. Carver and White's BIS/BAS and the Big Five Inventory were administered to a sample of 330 adults, serving both as targets and informants. Self- and other-ratings were modeled by using the Correlated Trait-Correlated Method model. BIS and BAS correlated highly with metatraits, after method variance and measurement error were partialled out: BIS was positively related to Stability, while BAS was positively related to Plasticity and negatively related to Stability. After the higher-order factors were controlled, the BIS was highly and positively related to Emotional stability, whereas the BAS had a small but significant relationship with Extraversion. Findings are discussed with regard to the most appropriate level of generality/specificity at which the personality correlates of BIS and BAS can be investigated.

Borderline personality disorder traits associate with midlife cardiometabolic risk

There is growing interest in relationships between borderline personality disorder (BPD) pathology and physical health outcomes. Diagnostic BPD and BPD-related traits, for instance, have been shown to associate with self-reported cardiovascular disease and various cardiometabolic risk factors. However, potential confounding of these associations by comorbid depression, which itself contributes to risk for heart disease, remains unresolved, and previous research is limited by nearly uniform reliance on self-reported health status. In the present study, we examine the association of BPD traits and contemporaneously assessed depressive mood with instrumented measures of cardiometabolic risk in a midlife community sample (N = 1,295). BPD pathology was measured using dimensional, multi-informant trait measures; depressive symptomology was self-reported; and cardiometabolic risk was indexed via multiple indicators of insulin resistance, adiposity, dyslipidemia, and blood pressure. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the effects of BPD traits and depressive symptoms on aggregated cardiometabolic risk, adjusting for their shared variance. Results showed both BPD features and depressive symptomatology related to the extent of cardiometabolic risk; when examined simultaneously, only BPD associated independently with risk indicators. In further supporting a link between BPD pathology and cardiovascular disease risk, these findings warrant future work to elucidate intervening behavioral and biological mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Personality, cardiovascular, and cortisol reactions to acute psychological stress in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study

Recent research has suggested that diminished, as well as elevated reactivity to acute psychological stress is maladaptive. These differences in stress reactions have been hypothesized to relate to the Big Five personality traits, which are said to be biologically-based and stable across adulthood; however, findings have been inconclusive. This study sought to replicate the findings of the largest study conducted to date (Bibbey et al., 2013), with a sample of participants from the Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS), aged between 35 and 84 years (M = 56.33, SD = 10.87). Participants (N = 817) undertook a standardized, laboratory-based procedure during which their cardiovascular and neuroendocrine reactivity to acute stress was measured. In contrast to Bibbey et al. (2013), associations between neuroticism and blunted reactivity did not withstand adjustment for confounding variables. Further, following adjustment for multiple tests, no significant positive association between agreeableness and HR reactivity was observed. Methodological differences between the studies, which may account in part for the contrasting findings, are discussed. Further conceptual replication research is needed to clarify associations between the Big Five personality traits and stress reactivity, across the lifespan.

Neurobiological Functioning and the Personality-Trait Hierarchy: Central Serotonergic Responsivity and the Stability Metatrait

Trait domains of the five-factor model are not orthogonal, and two metatraits have often been estimated from their covariation. Here, we focus on the stability metatrait, which reflects shared variance in conscientiousness, agreeableness, and (inversely) neuroticism. It has been hypothesized that stability manifests, in part, because of individual differences in central serotonergic functioning. We explored this possibility in a community sample (N = 441) using a multiverse analysis of (a) multi-informant five-factor-model traits and (b) stability as a predictor of individual differences in central serotonergic functioning. Differences in serotonergic functioning were assessed by indexing change in serum prolactin concentration following intravenous infusion of citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Results were mixed, showing that trait neuroticism, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, as well as the stability metatrait, were significantly associated with prolactin response but that these findings were contingent on a number of modeling decisions. Specifically, these effects were nonlinear, emerging most strongly for participants with the highest levels (or lowest, for neuroticism) of the component traits.

Immediate and 15-Week Correlates of Individual Commitment to a "Green Monday" National Campaign Fostering Weekly Substitution of Meat and Fish by Other Nutrients

Promoting healthier and more sustainable diets by decreasing meat consumption represents a significant challenge in the Anthropocene epoch. However, data are scarce regarding the effects of nationwide meat reduction campaigns. We described and analyzed the correlates of a national campaign in France (called “Green Monday”, GM) promoting the weekly substitution of meat and fish by other nutrients. Two cross-sectional online surveys were compared: a National Comparison sample (NC) of the French general population and a self-selected sample of participants who registered for the Green Monday campaign. A follow-up study was carried out in the GM sample, in which participants were asked during 15 weeks whether or not they had substituted meat and fish. There were 2005 participants aged 18–95 (47.7% females) in the NC sample and 24,507 participants aged 18–95 (77.5% females) in the GM sample. One month after the beginning of the campaign, 51.2% of the respondents reported they had heard about Green Monday in the NC sample, and 10.5% indicated they had already started to apply Green Monday. Logistic regression analysis showed that compared to the NC sample, participants belonging to the GM sample displayed a higher rate of females, Odds Ratio (OR) = 4.26, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 3.86–4.71, were more educated, OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.28–1.36, had higher self-rated affluence, OR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.42–1.58 and the size of their vegetarian network was greater, OR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.41–1.58. They reported a slightly higher frequency of meat consumption, OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01–1.10, while their frequency of fish consumption was lower, OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.76–0.87. Finally, the personality dimension Openness was more strongly endorsed by participants in the GM sample, OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.65–1.93. A multiple regression analysis indicated that Openness also predicted the number of participation weeks in the GM Sample (beta = 0.03, p < 0.009). In conclusion, specific demographic and personality profiles were more responsive to the national campaign, which could inform and help to shape future actions aiming at changing food habits.

Prospective Associations of Adolescent Conscientiousness With Psychological Resources and Metabolic Syndrome in Black and White Men

OBJECTIVE

Conscientiousness predicts better psychological resources as well as lower cardiovascular mortality and lower metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk. However, the benefits of conscientiousness might be amplified, disabled, or reversed in disadvantaged groups. This study is the first to test these competing hypotheses for prospective associations between adolescent conscientiousness and adult psychological resources and MetS.

METHOD

Participants were 220 men (54.6% black) from the Pittsburgh Youth Study. Adolescent conscientiousness (M [SD] age = 16 [1]) was rated by participants and their parents. Adult (M [SD] age = 32 [1]) socioeconomic status (SES; occupation and education), psychological resources (composite of positive affect, purpose in life, optimism, self-mastery, and self-esteem), and MetS scores (glucose, lipids, waist circumference, and blood pressure) were measured. Hierarchical regressions were used to evaluate the association of conscientiousness with adult psychological resources and MetS scores, with testing of moderation by race and SES.

RESULTS

Self- and parent-reported conscientiousness were associated with better psychological resources (βs = 0.23-0.29, ps ≤ .015), with no moderation by race or socioeconomic status. In the full sample, a three-way interaction of self-reported conscientiousness, race, and SES was obtained for MetS (β = 0.12, p = .093). Subgroup analysis indicated that self-reported conscientiousness was related to higher MetS scores in low SES black men (βint = -0.22, p = .022), but there was no comparable linear (βs ≤ 0.08, ps ≥ .50) or interaction (βs ≤ -0.13 ps ≥ .25) pattern in white men.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescent conscientiousness was beneficial for adult psychological resources, regardless of race or SES. However, there may be physiological costs of conscientiousness for black men from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Influence of Home and School Environments on Children's Diet and Physical Activity, and Body Mass Index: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

Introduction The home and school environments play important roles in influencing children's health behaviours. However, their simultaneous influence on childhood obesity has not yet been examined. We explore the relationship of the home and school environments with childhood obesity, to determine whether this relationship is mediated by children's fruit and vegetable intake and physical behaviours. Methods This study uses baseline data from 9 to 11 year old children, their parents and school principals (matched data n = 2466) from the Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle Project. Child-reported behaviours, parent-reported home environment and principal-reported school environment data were collected via questionnaires. Trained researchers measured children's height and weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI, kg/m²) was calculated. Structural equation modelling was used to assess the relationship of the home and school environments with children's fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity behaviours, and children's BMI. Result The home diet environment was positively associated with child diet (β = 0.18, p < 0.001). The home physical activity environment had the largest inverse association with BMI (β = - 0.11, p < 0.001), indirectly through child physical activity (β = 0.28 ,p < 0.001). Schools' healthy eating policy implementation was significantly associated with child diet (β = 0.52, p < 0.05), but physical activity policy was not associated with child activity (β = - 0.007, p > 0.05). The school environment was not associated with child BMI. Discussion The home environment had a stronger association with healthier child behaviours, compared to the school environment. These findings suggest that future childhood obesity interventions targeting healthier home environments and supporting parents can promote healthier child eating and physical activity behaviours.

The association of omega-3 fatty acid levels with personality and cognitive reactivity

OBJECTIVE

Low omega (n)-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels have been found in patients with various major psychiatric disorders. This study aims to identify whether psychological vulnerabilities (personality and cognitive reactivity) underlying these psychiatric conditions are also associated with n-3 PUFA blood levels.

METHODS

Data was used from 2912 subjects (mean age 41.9 years, 66.4% female) from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). Five personality dimensions (NEO Five Factor Inventory) and cognitive reactivity measures (Leiden Index of Depression Sensitivity-Revised and Anxiety Sensitivity Index) were assessed. Plasma n-3 PUFA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels (as ratios against total fatty acids; mmol%) were assessed using a nuclear magnetic resonance platform.

RESULTS

Low n-3 PUFA and DHA levels were associated with high neuroticism (Standardized beta (Beta) = -0.045, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = -0.079 to -0.010, p = 0.011; Beta = -0.058, 95%CI = -0.093 to -0.022, p = 0.001), low extraversion (Beta = 0.065, 95%CI = 0.031 to 0.099, p < 0.001; Beta = 0.074, 95%CI = 0.039 to 0.109, p < 0.001) and low conscientiousness (Beta = 0.060, 95%CI = 0.027 to 0.093, p < 0.001; Beta = 0.074, 95%CI = 0.039 to 0.108, p < 0.001). Low n-3 PUFA and DHA levels were related to high hopelessness/suicidality (Beta = -0.059, 95%CI = -0.096 to -0.023, p = 0.001; Beta = -0.078, 95%CI = -0.116 to -0.041, p < 0.001), but not with other cognitive reactivity measures. Directions of associations were generally consistent in subjects with and without a current depressive disorder.

CONCLUSION

Low n-3 PUFA and DHA levels are associated with personality (high neuroticism, low extraversion and low conscientiousness) and cognitive reactivity (high hopelessness/suicidality). Effect sizes were rather small, but in line with previous research on personality and chronic diseases. Future research should examine which lifestyle and/or biological pathways underlie these associations.

Recent advances in understanding physical health problems in personality disorders

Personality disorders are associated with a range of adverse health outcomes, contributing to the high healthcare utilization seen in patients with these disorders. A growing literature supports a robust association of personality disorders and health problems. The primary aim of this article is to summarize the most recent research documenting the associations between personality disorders and health conditions. Extending past reviews, we discuss the association of personality disorders with chronic physical illnesses, sleep disturbances, pain conditions, and obesity. We provide recommendations for future research in this area.

The Role of Personality Traits in Young Adult Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

This project investigated how individual differences in the big-five personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, conscientiousness, and agreeableness) predicted plant-food consumption in young adults. A total of 1073 participants from two samples of young adults aged 17–25 reported their daily servings of fruits, vegetables, and two unhealthy foods for comparison purposes using an Internet daily diary for 21 or 13 days (micro-longitudinal, correlational design). Participants also completed the Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) measure of personality, and demographic covariates including gender, age, ethnicity, and body mass index (BMI). Analyses used hierarchical regression to predict average daily fruit and vegetable consumption as separate dependent variables from the demographic covariates (step 1) and the five personality traits (step 2). Results showed that young adults higher in openness and extraversion, and to some extent conscientiousness, ate more fruits and vegetables than their less open, less extraverted, and less conscientious peers. Neuroticism and agreeableness were unrelated to fruit and vegetable consumption. These associations were unique to eating fruit and vegetables and mostly did not extend to unhealthy foods tested. Young adult women also ate more fruit and vegetables than young adult men. Results suggest that traits associated with greater intellect, curiosity, and social engagement (openness and extraversion), and to a lesser extent, discipline (conscientiousness) are associated with greater plant-food consumption in this population. Findings reinforce the importance of personality in establishing healthy dietary habits in young adulthood that could translate into better health outcomes later in life.