Dinne Skjaerlund Christensen1,2, Trine Flensborg-Madsen1,2, Ellen Garde1,2,3, Åse Marie Hansen4,5, Erik Lykke Mortensen1,2. 1. a Section of Environmental Health , Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark. 2. b Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark. 3. c Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre , Copenhagen , Denmark. 4. d Section of Social Medicine , Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark. 5. e National Research Centre for the Working Environment , Copenhagen , Denmark.
Abstract
Objective: To examine the cross-sectional associations of Big Five personality traits with midlife allostatic load, including the role of sex, socio-demographic factors and health-related behaviours. Design: Cross-sectional analyses of 5512 members of the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank, aged 49-63 years, 69% men. Main outcome measure: Allostatic load (AL) based on 14 biomarkers representing the inflammatory, cardiovascular and metabolic system. Results: Due to significant sex × trait interactions, analyses were stratified by sex. Openness and Conscientiousness were inversely associated with AL in both sexes, and Extraversion was positively associated with AL in men. Adjusting for socio-demographic factors significantly attenuated the association of Openness in both sexes and of Extraversion in men, for whom the inverse association of Agreeableness with AL was strengthened. Further adjusting for health-related behaviours, the Conscientiousness-AL association was attenuated but remained significant, and Agreeableness remained significantly associated with AL in men. Conclusion: Results imply that higher levels of Agreeableness (in men) and Conscientiousness are associated with lower levels of AL above and beyond socio-demographic factors and health-related behaviours. The study further contributes by demonstrating the relevance of sex × trait and trait × trait interactions in the personality-health literature.
Objective: To examine the cross-sectional associations of Big Five personality traits with midlife allostatic load, including the role of sex, socio-demographic factors and health-related behaviours. Design: Cross-sectional analyses of 5512 members of the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank, aged 49-63 years, 69% men. Main outcome measure: Allostatic load (AL) based on 14 biomarkers representing the inflammatory, cardiovascular and metabolic system. Results: Due to significant sex × trait interactions, analyses were stratified by sex. Openness and Conscientiousness were inversely associated with AL in both sexes, and Extraversion was positively associated with AL in men. Adjusting for socio-demographic factors significantly attenuated the association of Openness in both sexes and of Extraversion in men, for whom the inverse association of Agreeableness with AL was strengthened. Further adjusting for health-related behaviours, the Conscientiousness-AL association was attenuated but remained significant, and Agreeableness remained significantly associated with AL in men. Conclusion: Results imply that higher levels of Agreeableness (in men) and Conscientiousness are associated with lower levels of AL above and beyond socio-demographic factors and health-related behaviours. The study further contributes by demonstrating the relevance of sex × trait and trait × trait interactions in the personality-health literature.
Entities:
Keywords:
Big Five model; allostatic load; education; health-related behaviours; occupational social status; physiological dysregulation
Authors: Paul A Sandifer; Robert-Paul Juster; Teresa E Seeman; Maureen Y Lichtveld; Burton H Singer Journal: Psychoneuroendocrinology Date: 2022-03-14 Impact factor: 4.693
Authors: Dinne S Christensen; Nadya Dich; Trine Flensborg-Madsen; Ellen Garde; Åse M Hansen; Erik L Mortensen Journal: Brain Behav Date: 2019-08-25 Impact factor: 2.708