Abstract
BackgroundThe question of whether personality traits influence health has long been a focus for research and discussion. Therefore, this study was undertaken to examine possible associations between personality traits and mortality in women.MethodsA population-based sample of women aged 38, 46, 50 and 54 years at initial examination in 1968–69 was followed over the course of 40 years. At baseline, 589 women completed the Cesarec-Marke Personality Schedule (the Swedish version of the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule) and the Eysenck Personality Inventory. Associations between personality traits and mortality were tested using Cox proportional hazards models.ResultsNo linear associations between personality traits or factor indices and mortality were found. When comparing the lowest (Q1) and highest quartile (Q4) against the two middle quartiles (Q2 + Q3), the personality trait Succorance Q1 versus Q2 + Q3 showed hazard ratio (HR) = 1.37 (confidence interval (CI) = 1.08-1.74), and for the factor index Aggressive non-conformance, both the lowest and highest quartiles had a significantly higher risk of death compared to Q2 + Q3: for Q1 HR = 1.32 (CI = 1.03-1.68) and for Q4 HR = 1.36 (CI = 1.06-1.77). Neither Neuroticism nor Extraversion predicted total mortality.ConclusionsPersonality traits did not influence long term mortality in this population sample of women followed for 40 years from mid- to late life. One explanation may be that personality in women becomes more circumscribed due to the social constraints generated by the role of women in society.
Highlights
The question of whether personality traits influence health has long been a focus for research and discussion
Among the 38year-old women, those born on day 12 of each month and day 18 of each odd month participated; among 46- and 50-year-olds, all women born on days 12, 18, 24 and 30 of each month participated; and among 54-year-olds, all women born on day 12 of each month participated [24]
The CesarecMarke Personality Schedule (CMPS) and Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) were not introduced until the investigation had been underway for 2.5 months, which resulted in a data absence of 22% for women born in the early months of the year
Summary
The question of whether personality traits influence health has long been a focus for research and discussion. This study was undertaken to examine possible associations between personality traits and mortality in women. Since the studies in the 1970s by Friedman and Rosenman claiming that persons with a type A personality are likely to suffer from coronary heart disease, several prospective population-based studies have been carried out [1,2]. One study surprisingly found a protective effect of type A behaviour for women [3]. The Five-Factor Model of personality has been recognised as a reference for studies of personality and health outcomes [13]. There are still no published population-based studies in this field with a time span of more than a decade [11,14]
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