Personality traits and physical functioning: a cross-sectional multimethod facet-level analysis

The relationships between emerging adults self-efficacy and motivation levels and physical activity: a cross-sectional study based on the self-determination theory

Objectives

The study aims to examine the associations between exercise self-efficacy, motivation, physical activity, and body composition among emerging adults.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Methods

A convenience sample of 147 emerging adults participated in the Releasing Weight (RELEW) project. The InBody720 analyzer was used to measure body composition, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short, the Shortened Physical Activity Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire were used to measure self-reported physical activity, self-efficacy, and motivation. Structural Equation Modeling was used to exam the complex relationships among multiple variables. in this study. The Partial least squares structural equation modeling analysis with bootstrapping in Smart PLS 3 was employed to explore the path coefficients and t-values for the relationships that were thought to exist. Significance was determined using a threshold of p < 0.05.

Results

The mean age of 147 participants was 18.5 ± 1.87, of whom 51.7% were female, recruited for this study. Exercise self-efficacy has a significant positive correlation with exercise motivation (r = 0.220, p = 0.008) and physical activity (r = 0.279, p < 0.001). Exercise motivation does not demonstrate significant associations with physical activity (r = 0.094, p = 0.298). Utilizing SEM, the model explained 9.2% of exercise self-efficacy, 11.8% of physical activity, and 68.3% of body composition variance. Mediation analysis revealed that exercise self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between exercise motivation and physical activity (β = 0.106, t = 2.538, p < 0.05), and physical activity partially mediated the relationship between exercise self-efficacy and body composition (β = -0.296, t = 4.280, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study sheds light on the complex relationships among motivation, self-efficacy, physical activity and body composition during emerging adulthood. Our results highlight the mediating role of self-efficacy and its impact on physical activity behaviors, offering valuable insights for targeted interventions and policy development to improve health outcomes in this demographic.

Multiple sclerosis and personality traits: associations with depression and anxiety

BACKGROUND

Depression and anxiety are commonly observed in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). There is a growing body of literature supporting the hypothesis that personality traits can influence the mood disorders. This study aimed to investigate the personality traits and their relationships with depression and anxiety among pwMS.

METHODS

234 pwMS were involved in this cross-sectional study. Personality traits, depression, and anxiety were assessed using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), respectively. Pearson's correlation coefficient and generalized linear model were employed to evaluate the relationships between demographic and clinical characteristics, NEO-FFI, and HADS subscales.

RESULTS

In pwMS, longer disease duration was significantly associated with lower level of conscientiousness (β = - 0.23, p = 0.008) and agreeableness (β = - 0.2, p = 0.01). Moreover, higher expanded disability status scale (EDSS) of pwMS had a significant relationship with higher level of neuroticism (β = 0.89, p = 0.01). Increased level of neuroticism was significantly correlated with lower level of extraversion (r = - 0.28, p < 0.001), openness (r = - 0.37, p < 0.001), agreeableness (r = - 0.31, p < 0.001), and conscientiousness (r = - 0.45, p < 0.001). PwMS with higher level of conscientiousness showed more extraversion (r = 0.23, p < 0.001), openness (r = 0.61, p < 0.001), and agreeableness (r = 0.41, p < 0.001). Elevated level of neuroticism was significantly associated with higher level of anxiety (β = 0.47, p < 0.001) and depression (β = 0.11, p < 0.001) among pwMS.

CONCLUSION

The co-occurrence of depression and anxiety is probably associated with neuroticism among pwMS. Additionally, the impact of personality traits extends to influencing key disease aspects such as physical disability and disease duration in MS.

Influence of daily physical activity on fine motor skills of adults around a Fitts task

INTRODUCTION

Achieving our daily tasks depends on the speed-accuracy conflict. Physical activity plays a role in the development of our motor skills. However, the relationship between physical activity level (PAL) and fine motor skills remains largely unexplored.

Genotype determining aerobic exercise capacity associates with behavioral plasticity in middle-aged rats

Good aerobic fitness associates positively with cognitive performance and brain health and conversely, low aerobic fitness predisposes to neurodegenerative diseases. To study how genotype together with exercise, started at older age, affects brain and behavior, we utilized rats that differ in inherited aerobic fitness. Rats bred for Low Capacity for Running (LCR) are shown to display less synaptic plasticity and more inflammation in the hippocampus and perform worse than rats bred for a High Capacity for Running (HCR) in tasks requiring flexible cognition. Here we used middle-aged (∼ 16 months) HCR and LCR rats to study how genotype and sex associate with anxiety and neural information filtering, termed sensory gating. Further, we assessed how inherited aerobic capacity associates with hippocampus-dependent learning, measured with contextual fear conditioning task. In females, we also investigated the effects of voluntary wheel running (5 weeks) on these characteristics. Our results indicate that independent of sex or voluntary running, HCR rats were more anxious in open-field tasks, exhibited lower sensory gating and learned more efficiently in contextual fear conditioning task than LCR rats. Voluntary running did not markedly affect innate behavior but slightly decreased the differences between female LCR and HCR rats in fear learning. In conclusion, inherited fitness seems to determine cognitive and behavioral traits independent of sex. Although the traits proved to be rather resistant to change at adult age, learning was slightly improved following exercise in LCR females, prone to obesity and poor fitness.

Does Personality Moderate the Efficacy of Physical and Cognitive Training Interventions? A 12-month Randomized Controlled Trial in Older Adults

This study investigated whether personality traits moderate the effects of a 12-month physical or combined physical and cognitive training interventions on physical and cognitive functioning. Participants were community-dwelling 70-85-year-old adults (n=314). They were randomly assigned to physical training (weekly supervised walking/balance and strength/balance training, home exercises 2-3x/wk and moderate aerobic activity) or to a physical and cognitive training group (the same physical training and computer training on executive functions 3-4x/wk). The outcomes assessed at baseline and post-intervention were physical (maximum gait speed, six-minute walking distance, dual-task cost on gait speed) and cognitive functioning (Stroop, Trail-Making Test-B, verbal fluency, CERAD total score). Personality traits (NEO-PI-3, n=239) were assessed post-intervention. Personality traits did not moderate intervention effects on physical functioning. Higher openness was associated with greater improvement in CERAD scores, especially in the physical and cognitive training group (group×time×trait B=-.08, p=.038). Lower neuroticism (time×trait B=-.04, p=.021) and higher conscientiousness (time×trait B=.04, p=.027) were associated with greater improvement in CERAD scores in both groups. Personality traits had mostly null moderating effects across physical and cognitive outcomes, with the possible exception of CERAD score. Individuals with more adaptive personality traits gained more on global cognitive scores during a 12-month training intervention.

Individual and country-level factors associated with self-reported and accelerometer-based physical activity in old age: a cross-national analysis of European countries

This study aimed to investigate associations between individual-level (personality traits, quality of life) and country-level (gross domestic product per capita, number of policies and action plans for physical activity) factors with self-reported and accelerometer-based physical activity and cross-level interactions among European countries. Based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) from 2019-2020, self-reported physical activity (N = 46,617 from 27 countries) and accelerometer-based average acceleration and intensity gradient (N = 855 from 10 countries) were analyzed. Mixed-model regressions with two levels (individuals nested within countries) were used for analyses. Between countries differences accounted for relatively small portions of the variability in self-reported physical activity (intraclass correlation, ICC = 7.5%), average acceleration (ICC = 3.5%), and intensity gradient (ICC = 1.9%). There were more associations between individual- and country-level factors and self-reported physical activity than with accelerometer-based physical activity. The association between individual-level variables and accelerometer-based physical activity did not differ between countries. Cross-level interactions suggested that associations between some personality traits and self-reported physical activity were stronger in countries with lower GDP. Both individual- and country-level factors are related to participation in more intensive physical activities. Adults with less resilient personality traits living in countries with lower resources are at the highest risk for physical inactivity.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10433-022-00737-8.

Relationship Between Personality Measures and Perceived Mental Fatigability

OBJECTIVE

Examine the association between personality measures and perceived mental fatigability.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional analysis in N=1670 men, age 84.3±4.1 years. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the covariate adjusted association between personality measures (conscientiousness, optimism, goal reengagement, and goal disengagement) and perceived mental fatigability (measured with the validated 10-item Pittsburgh Fatigability Scale, PFS).

RESULTS

One standard deviation lower conscientiousness (β=-0.91, p<.0001) and optimism (β=-0.63, p<.0001), and higher goal reengagement (β=0.51, p=.01) scores were independently associated with higher PFS Mental scores adjusted for age, cognitive function, self-reported health status, depressive symptoms, sleep disturbance, physical activity, and goal disengagement.

DISCUSSION

Lower conscientiousness, optimism, and higher goal reengagement were linked with more severe perceived mental fatigability in older men. Personality traits may potentially contribute to early risk assessment for fatigability in later life. Future work should be longitudinal in nature and include personality assessments to confirm the temporality of the relationships observed.

Validation of a Model Predicting That Physical Activities Improve Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Japanese Adults with Pain, Dysesthesia, and Kinesiophobia after Lumbar Surgery: Structural Equation Modeling

Objectives. This study assessed the validity of a hypothesized model predicting that physical activity improves health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in older Japanese adults with pain, dysesthesia, and kinesiophobia following lumbar surgery. Methods. We included 431 elderly patients who underwent surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis at two hospitals. The frequency of physical activity, pain, dysesthesia, kinesiophobia (somatic focus and activity avoidance), and HRQOL were investigated using a questionnaire. Missing values were complemented by the stochastic regression imputation. We constructed the following model. (i) physical activity affects pain, dysesthesia, and kinesiophobia. (ii) pain, dysesthesia, and kinesiophobia separately affect HRQOL. This hypothetical model was tested by structural equation modeling. The model was improved based on a modified index. Results. Of the 431 respondents, 297 (median age 72 years, range 65–91 years; 158 men and 139 women) were analyzed (68.9%). The fit of the model improved based on the modification index and was acceptable comparative fit index, 0.948; Tucker–Lewis index, 0.919; root mean square error of approximation, 0.048 (90% confidence interval, 0.026–0.069), and standardized root mean square residual (0.046). The paths by which physical activities reduced pain or dysesthesia (standardized pass coefficients, −0.406) and somatic focus (−0.301) and consequently improved HRQOL were significant (pain/dysesthesia, −0.684; somatic focus, −0.218). Discussion. Our hypothesized model predicting that physical activity improves HRQOL in terms of pain, dysesthesia, and kinesiophobia in older Japanese adults after lumbar surgery was validated using cross-sectional data. Interventional studies on physical activity based on this model are required to establish the model.

Facets of Personality and Risk of Cognitive Impairment: Longitudinal Findings in a Rural Community from Sardinia

Background: Few studies have examined the associations between personality facets and dementia risk and rarely included individuals from rural settings or with low education. Objective: To examine the association between personality and the risk of cognitive impairment. Methods: Participants (N = 1,668; age 50 to 94 at baseline; 56.4% women; 86.5% less than high school diploma) were from a rural region of Sardinia (Italy) who completed the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) during the first wave (2001–2004) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at waves two to five (2005–2021). Cox regression was used to test personality and covariates as predictors of cognitive impairment based on MMSE education-adjusted cutoffs. Results: During the up to 18-year follow-up (M = 10.38; SD = 4.76), 187 individuals (11.2%) scored as cognitively impaired. Participants with higher neuroticism (particularly the depression facet [HR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.06–1.40]), and lower agreeableness (particularly the modesty facet [HR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.71–0.97]) and lower conscientiousness (particularly the dutifulness facet [HR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.67–0.92]) were at higher risk of cognitive impairment. Lower warmth ([HR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.65–0.87], facet of extraversion) and ideas ([HR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.65–0.89], facet of openness) were also associated with increased risk of impairment. These associations were virtually unchanged in models that accounted for other risk factors, including smoking, depression, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 carrier status. Across the five domains, sex and the APOE variant did not moderate the associations. Conclusion: In a sample with demographic characteristics underrepresented in dementia research, this study identifies personality domains and facets most relevant to the risk of cognitive impairment.

Facets of conscientiousness and motoric cognitive risk syndrome

Conscientiousness is related to a lower risk of motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), a pre-dementia syndrome characterized by slow gait speed and cognitive complaints. The present study examines which facets of conscientiousness are related to concurrent and incident MCR. Participants were dementia-free older adults aged 65-99 years (N = 6001) from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Baseline data on conscientiousness facets and MCR (cognitive complaints and gait speed) were collected in 2008/2010, along with the covariates: demographic factors, cognition, physical activity, disease burden, depressive symptoms, and body mass index (BMI). MCR was assessed again in 2012/2014 and 2016/2018. Controlling for demographic factors, higher industriousness was related to a nearly 30% lower likelihood of concurrent MCR (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.75, 95%CI: 0.67-0.85, p < .001) and to about 60% reduced risk of incident MCR (Hazard ratio [HR] = 0.63, 95%CI: 0.56-0.71, p < .001). Self-control, order, and responsibility were also associated with a lower likelihood of concurrent (OR range: 0.82-0.88) and incident (HR range: 0.72-0.82) MCR. Traditionalism (HR = 0.84, 95%CI: 0.75-0.93, p < .01) and virtue (HR = 0.84, 95%CI: 0.75-0.93, p < .01) were related to a lower risk of incident MCR. Cognition, physical activity, disease burden, depressive symptoms, and BMI partially accounted for these associations. Industriousness is the facet of conscientiousness with the strongest association with risk of MCR. This facet could be targeted in interventions to reduce MCR and, ultimately, dementia.

Association of personality traits with physical function, cognition, and mood in multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Growing literature supports the hypothesis that personality influences health outcomes. Few studies have examined the association between personality traits and key clinical manifestations in persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS).

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether personality traits are associated with physical function, cognition, and depression in persons with MS.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from two cohorts (UPMC, n = 365 and CUIMC, n = 129). Participants completed a personality scale (assessing neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) and validated surveys measuring physical function, cognition, and depression. Stepwise linear regressions were used to evaluate associations between personality traits and outcome measures.

RESULTS

Consistently across cohorts, higher extraversion was associated with better physical function, whereas higher neuroticism was associated with worse depression. In the first cohort, higher extraversion was associated with better cognition, while higher neuroticism was associated with greater risk for memory impairment in the second cohort. Relationships were independent of age and disease duration.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest a potentially protective role of extraversion, and a harmful role of neuroticism, in MS-specific patient-reported clinical outcomes. Increased understanding of the interplay between personality and health outcomes may inform risk models for physical decline, cognitive impairment, and depression in pwMS.

Personality Associations With Amyloid and Tau: Results From the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness are risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, but the underlying neuropathological correlates remain unclear. Our aim was to examine whether personality traits are associated with amyloid and tau neuropathology in a new sample and meta-analyses.

METHODS

Participants from the BLSA (Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging) completed the Revised NEO Personality Inventory and underwent amyloid (11C-labeled Pittsburgh compound B) and tau (18F-flortaucipir) positron emission tomography.

RESULTS

Among cognitively normal BLSA participants, neuroticism was associated with higher cortical amyloid burden (odds ratio 1.68, 95% CI 1.20-2.34), and conscientiousness was associated with lower cortical amyloid burden (odds ratio 0.61, 95% CI 0.44-0.86). These associations remained significant after accounting for age, sex, education, depressive symptoms, hippocampal volume, and APOE ε4. Similar associations were found with tau in the entorhinal cortex. Random-effects meta-analyses of 12 studies found that higher neuroticism (N = 3015, r = 0.07, p = .008) and lower conscientiousness (N = 2990, r = -0.11, p < .001) were associated with more amyloid deposition. Meta-analyses of 8 studies found that higher neuroticism (N = 2231, r = 0.15, p < .001) and lower conscientiousness (N = 2206, r = -0.14, p < .001) were associated with more tau pathology. The associations were moderated by cognitive status, with stronger effects in cognitively normal compared with heterogeneous samples, suggesting that the associations between personality and proteopathies are not phenomena that emerge with neuropsychiatric clinical symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

By aggregating results across samples, this study advances knowledge on the association between personality and neuropathology. Neuroticism and conscientiousness may contribute to resistance against amyloid and tau neuropathology.

The Role of Personality in the Mental and Physical Health of World Trade Center Responders: Self- versus Informant-Reports

Personality is linked to important health outcomes, but most prior studies have relied on self-reports, making it possible that shared-method variance explains the associations. The present study examined self- versus informant-reports of personality and multi-method outcomes. World Trade Center (WTC) responders and informants, 283 pairs, completed five-factor model personality measures and multi-method assessments of stressful events, functioning, mental disorders, 9/11-related treatment costs, BMI, and daily activity across three years. Self-reports were uniquely related to stressful events and functioning. Both self-reports and informant-reports showed incremental validity over one another for mental disorder diagnoses and treatment costs. For objective outcomes daily activity and BMI, informant-reports showed incremental validity over self-reports, accounting for all self-report variance and more. The findings suggest that informant-reports of personality provide better validity for objective health outcomes, which has implications for understanding personality and its role in mental and physical health.

Personality traits are consistently associated with blood mitochondrial DNA copy number estimated from genome sequences in two genetic cohort studies

Background

Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) in tissues and blood can be altered in conditions like diabetes and major depression and may play a role in aging and longevity. However, little is known about the association between mtDNAcn and personality traits linked to emotional states, metabolic health, and longevity. This study tests the hypothesis that blood mtDNAcn is related to personality traits and mediates the association between personality and mortality.

Methods

We assessed the big five personality domains and facets using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R), assessed depressive symptoms with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), estimated mtDNAcn levels from whole-genome sequencing, and tracked mortality in participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Results were replicated in the SardiNIA Project.

Results

We found that mtDNAcn was negatively associated with the Neuroticism domain and its facets and positively associated with facets from the other four domains. The direction and size of the effects were replicated in the SardiNIA cohort and were robust to adjustment for potential confounders in both samples. Consistent with the Neuroticism finding, higher depressive symptoms were associated with lower mtDNAcn. Finally, mtDNAcn mediated the association between personality and mortality risk.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first study to show a replicable association between mtDNAcn and personality. Furthermore, the results support our hypothesis that mtDNAcn is a biomarker of the biological process that explains part of the association between personality and mortality.

Funding

Support for this work was provided by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Aging (Z01-AG000693, Z01-AG000970, and Z01-AG000949) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health. AT was also supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health Grant R01AG068093.