Abstract
Data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety were used and included patients with a depression and/or anxiety disorder and healthy controls. Overall, 2936 persons (18-65 years, 66% female) had data on LTL at baseline and 1883 persons had LTL at 6-year follow-up. The Big Five personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) and Type D personality were assessed. Neuroticism was negatively (B = -2.11, p = 0.03) and agreeableness was positively (B = 3.84, p = 0.03) related to LTL measured across two time points, which became just non-significant after adjusting for somatic health, lifestyle factors, and recent life stress (B = -1.99, p = 0.06; and B = 3.01, p = 0.10). Type D personality was negatively (B = -50.16, p < 0.01) related to LTL across two time points, which still remained statistically significant after full adjustment (B = -47.37, p = 0.01). Associations did not differ by age, gender, and current psychiatric status. The Big Five traits high neuroticism and low agreeableness, and Type D personality were associated with shorter LTL measured across a 6-year period. Associations with the Big Five traits became non-significant after controlling for somatic health, lifestyle factors, and recent life stress, yet similar trends were observed. Type D personality remained independently associated with shorter LTL after full adjustment.
Highlights
Personality can be defined in various ways, but the most widely accepted personality framework is the Five Factor Model (John et al 2008)
Because short LTL is associated with psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders (Verhoeven et al 2014; Verhoeven et al 2015a), we examined whether the relation between personality and LTL differed by depression and/or anxiety disorder status by adding the interaction term personality × psychiatric disorder
For the Big Five personality traits, we found a significant relation for neuroticism (B = −2.11, p = 0.03) and a positive relation for agreeableness (B = 3.84, p = 0.03) with LTL, after adjustment for sociodemographics
Summary
Personality can be defined in various ways, but the most widely accepted personality framework is the Five Factor Model (John et al 2008). This model consists of the following five personality traits: neuroticism (emotionally unstable and anxious), extraversion (outgoing), conscientiousness (efficient and organized), agreeableness (friendly and compassioned), and openness to experience (inventive and curious), the so-called ‘Big Five’. The Big Five personality traits high neuroticism and low conscientiousness have been related to adverse cardiac events among cardiac patients (Jokela et al 2014; McCann, 2014)
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