Higher USA State Resident Neuroticism Is Associated With Lower State Volunteering Rates

Who Volunteers? Results From an Internet-Based Cognitive Monitoring Study of Community-Based Older Adults

Objectives. Volunteering promotes well-being and may provide added purpose to life after retirement. Limited evidence exists regarding the characteristics and study adherence among those who participate in longitudinal studies while also volunteering outside the study. We assessed characteristics and adherence of older adults who volunteered outside of participation in a regular monthly cognitive monitoring study. Method. All 124 participants with complete data were included. Participants were from a regular cognitive monitoring study that required completion of a 15-min monthly online cognitive assessment. Analysis of covariance and logistic regression analysis were performed to examine differences between volunteers and nonvolunteers. Results. Those who volunteered outside the study were significantly less likely to be college-educated (although all participants were highly educated) but the two groups were cognitively similar. Volunteers had significantly lower scores for neuroticism. Those who volunteered also were significantly less likely to drop out but had poorer study adherence. The most frequent type of volunteering was religious activities. Volunteers were motivated mainly by altruism, although most reported multiple reasons. Conclusion. Older adults who enroll in a longitudinal research study and volunteer outside the study have similar personal characteristics as those who opt out of additional volunteering, with somewhat less education and more favorable personality traits. However, they may be more likely to drop out and need more reminders. Therefore, those who volunteer outside a study may need more attention from study administrators and potentially a more individualized schedule that works around their volunteer obligations.

State resident volunteering and health are unrelated when neuroticism is controlled: Nomothetic evidence using the 50 states of the USA as analytical units

This research challenges the claim that engaging in formal volunteering improves health. Using data for the 50 American states pertaining to 2015-2016, multiple regression equations with differing control and entry order demonstrated the capacity of state resident neuroticism to eliminate relations between state volunteering rates and state health outcomes. In Study 1, with state SES, White population percent, urban population percent, and health environment considered and controlled, volunteering accounted for 11.5% of state health variance. However, with neuroticism entered between the demographic controls and volunteering, neuroticism accounted for 18.0% but additional variance accounted for by volunteering was reduced to 0.7%. Similarly, in Study 2, with data for those 65 and older, the results were replicated. It is speculated that higher neuroticism produces social anxiety that discourages volunteering and fosters poorer health at both the individual and the state level for the general population and for those 65 and over.

The relation of neuroticism and social anxiety to willingness to volunteer

Relations between neuroticism, social anxiety, and generic and specific willingness to volunteer were examined among psychology undergraduates (N = 196). Based on previous research and speculation, with each of the willingness to volunteer criteria, and either without or with statistical control for age, sex, and international student status, the following hypotheses were tested: (1) Neuroticism negatively correlates with willingness to volunteer; (2) Social anxiety negatively correlates with willingness to volunteer; (3) Controlling for social anxiety substantially reduces or eliminates the relation between neuroticism and willingness to volunteer; and (4) Controlling for neuroticism does not substantially reduce or eliminate the relation between social anxiety and willingness to volunteer. For generic willingness to volunteer, Hypotheses 1 and 2 were supported with but not without the three demographic controls. For specific willingness to volunteer, both hypotheses were confirmed with or without demographic controls. Hypotheses 3 and 4 also were supported with each criterion.