Personality change associated with chronic diseases: pooled analysis of four prospective cohort studies. Issue 12 (September 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jokela, M.; Hakulinen, C.; Singh-Manoux, A.; Kivimäki, M.
• Is Part Of: Psychological medicine. Volume 44:Issue 12(2014)
• Page Start: 2629
• Page End: 2640
• Publication Date: 2014-09
• Subjects: Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Medicine and psychology -- Periodicals; Clinical psychology -- Periodicals; 616.89
• DOI: 10.1017/S0033291714000257
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-2917

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="normal"> <title> <x content-type="archive" xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="sec_a1"> <title>Background</title> <p>Common chronic conditions, such as heart disease and cancer, are associated with increased psychological distress, functional limitations and shortened life expectancy, but whether these diseases alter aspects of personality remains unclear.</p> </sec> <sec id="sec_a2" sec-type="methods"> <title>Method</title> <p>To examine whether the onset of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, arthritis and respiratory disease is associated with subsequent changes in personality traits of the five-factor model, we pooled data from the Health and Retirement Study, the Midlife in the United States Survey, and the graduate and sibling samples of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study for an individual-participant meta-analysis (total <italic>n</italic> = 17 493; mean age at baseline 55.8 years).</p> </sec> <sec id="sec_a3" sec-type="results"> <title>Results</title> <p>After adjustment for age, we observed consistent decreases in extraversion [−0.25 T-scores per one disease; 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.40 to −0.10], emotional stability (−0.40, 95% CI −0.61 to −0.19), conscientiousness (−0.44, 95% CI −0.57 to −0.30) and openness to experience (−0.25, 95% CI −0.37 to −0.13) but not in agreeableness (−0.05, 95% CI −0.19 to 0.08) after the onset of chronic diseases. The onset of each additional chronic disease accelerated the average age-related personality change by 2.5 years in decreasing extraversion, 5.5 years in decreasing conscientiousness, and 1.6 years in decreasing openness to experience, and attenuated the increasing levels of emotional stability by 1.9 years. Co-morbid conditions were associated with larger changes than single diseases, suggesting a dose–response association between morbidity and personality change.</p> </sec> <sec id="sec_a4" sec-type="conclusion"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>These results support the hypothesis that chronic diseases influence personality development in adulthood.</p> </sec> </abstract>