Five-factor personality traits and subjective health among caregivers: the role of caregiver strain and self-efficacy

This study examined the association among caregivers' five-factor personality traits and subjective health with particular emphasis on the role of two theoretically implicated mediators: multi-domain self-efficacy and caregiver strain. The sample comprised 536 informal caregivers (mean age = 62.9 years, SD = 19.9, 72% female, 98% White) of community-dwelling older adults with multiple functional impairments. Both physical health and mental health were negatively associated with neuroticism and positively associated with extraversion and conscientiousness. Agreeableness and openness were associated with better subjective mental health and physical health, respectively. Multiple mediation analyses indicated that self-efficacy mediated all observed associations between personality and subjective health, whereas caregiver strain selectively mediated the associations of neuroticism and agreeableness with mental health.     

Differences between caregivers and noncaregivers in psychological health and physical health: a meta-analysis

Providing care for a frail older adult has been described as a stressful experience that may erode psychological well-being and physical health of caregivers. In this meta-analysis, the authors integrated findings from 84 articles on differences between caregivers and noncaregivers in perceived stress, depression, general subjective well-being, physical health, and self-efficacy. The largest differences were found with regard to depression (g = .58), stress (g = .55), self-efficacy (g = .54), and general subjective well-being (g = -.40). Differences in the levels of physical health in favor of noncaregivers were statistically significant, but small (g = .18). However, larger differences were found between dementia caregivers and noncaregivers than between heterogeneous samples of caregivers and noncaregivers. Differences were also influenced by the quality of the study, relationship of caregiver to the care recipient, gender, and mean age of caregivers.     

The role of familism in stress and coping processes among African American and White dementia caregivers: effects on mental and physical health.

OBJECTIVE: To explore how familism, burden, and coping styles mediate the relationships between ethnicity and the mental and physical health of caregivers. DESIGN: A probability sample of 65 White and 95 African Americans respondents caring for an older family member with dementia was used to test hypotheses from a sociocultural stress and coping model using path analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measures of caregivers' health included subjective health, self-reported diseases, blood pressure, and heart rate. Mental health measures included self-reported depression and psychological symptoms. RESULTS: Contrary to the hypothesis, familism had an adverse effect on outcomes and was related to low education levels rather than to African American ethnicity. A buffering effect of active coping between being African American and diastolic blood pressure was found even after controlling for levels of education. CONCLUSIONS: Findings supported a core stress and coping model in which more behavior problems of care recipients were associated with poorer mental health of caregivers via greater burden and more use of avoidant coping. Results also demonstrate that this core model can be extended to physical health.     

The role of personality factors in predicting the reported physical health symptoms of Turkish college students

This study investigates the role of optimism, health control beliefs, perceived health competence, and medical help-seeking variables in predicting the frequency of reported physical symptoms. A total of 345 college students (207 male and 138 female) were presented with the Life Orientation Test, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control, Perceived Health Competence Scale, and Physical Symptom Checklist. Separate stepwise multiple regression analyses were applied to the data obtained from males, females, and the total group of students. Results showed that optimism, medical help seeking, chance health locus of control, and internal health locus of control predicted the reported physical symptom scores of the total sample. Also revealed were the different patterns for males and females. While optimism and internal health locus of control best predicted physical health for males, optimism and chance health locus of control best predicted the physical health symptoms of females.     

Gender-linked personality and mental health: The role of trait emotional intelligence

The present study examined the role of the emotion-related personality dimension, or trait emotional intelligence (EI), in the relationship between gender-linked personality (GLP) traits and internalizing mental health difficulties (IMHDs). GLP traits were measured as Agency and Communion, due to conceptual advantages over other semantic representations (e.g., masculinity, femininity) in the literature. IMHDs as the outcome variable were conceptualized as a latent composite of anxiety, stress, and emotion-oriented coping. A moderate relationship between Agency and IMHDs was fully mediated by trait EI. Trait EI also divided an overall non-significant effect of Communion on IMHDs into an indirect, protective effect via trait EI and a direct, adverse effect. The results suggest that Agency and Communion subsume different sets of trait EI facets, which may account for much of the differential protective effects of these GLP traits on IMHDs. Discussion focuses on implications of the results for sex differences in mental health.     

Consensual validity parameters of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman personality questionnaire: evidence from self-reports and spouse reports

One way of validating questionnaire responses is correlating them with ratings made by external assessors who know the ratee well: This is known as consensual validity. In this study, we assessed the consensual validity of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ; Zuckerman, 2002; Zuckerman, Kuhlman, Joireman, Teta, & Kraft, 1993). A multitrait-multimethod matrix of self-reported and spouse reported personality ratings was used to establish convergent and discriminant validity by means of Campbell and Fiske's (1959) evaluative criteria. Self-reports of 86 men and 85 women were correlated with their spouses' reports. Intraclass correlations ranged from .47 to .63 for the 5 dimensions, providing strong evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. The results obtained favor the use of the ZKPQ as a valid self-report measure of personality traits.     

Predictors of burden in spouse caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease

This study used the following model of distress: Distress = [Exposure to Stress + Vulnerability]/[Psychological and Social Resources]. The constructs in the model were operationalized as (a) distress in response to caregiver experiences (burden); (b) exposure to stress (care recipient functional impairment in activities of daily living [ADLs]); (c) vulnerability (caregiver health problems, anger, and anxiety); and (d) resources (coping, outlook on life, and social supports). Long-term burden (15-18 months after entry) was predicted by several baseline variables: burden, care recipient ADLs, vulnerability and resource variables, and specific interactions of burden, ADLs, vulnerability, and resource variables. The interactions showed that caregivers with high vulnerability and low resources had higher burden scores than caregivers with other combinations of these variables.     

Five-factor personality traits and age trajectories of self-rated health: the role of question framing

We examined the influence of personality traits on mean levels and age trends in 4 single‐item measures of self‐rated health: general rating, comparison to age peers, comparison to past health, and expectations for future health. Community‐dwelling participants (N = 1,683) completed 7,474 self‐rated health assessments over a period of up to 19 years. In hierarchical linear modeling analyses, age‐associated declines differed across the 4 health items. Across age groups, high Neuroticism and low Conscientiousness, low Extraversion, and low Openness were associated with worse health ratings, with notable differences across the 4 health items. Furthermore, high Neuroticism predicted steeper declines in health ratings involving temporal comparisons. We consider theoretical implications regarding the mechanisms behind associations among personality traits and self‐rated health.     

Level of agreement between self and spouse in the assessment of personality pathology

Informant reports can provide important information regarding the presence of pathological personality traits, and they can serve as useful supplements to self-report instruments. Ratings from a spouse may be a particularly valuable source of personality assessment because spouses are very well acquainted with the target person, have typically known the person for a long time, and witness behaviors across a variety of situations. In the current study, self- and spouse report measures based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) personality disorder criteria were collected from a nonclinical sample of 82 couples (N = 164). Agreement between self- and spouse report for several pathological personality factors was significant and somewhat higher than has been found for self and peer agreement. Nevertheless, the magnitude of self-spouse agreement was still moderate in size (mean r = .36). Findings are discussed with regard to using spouse report in the assessment of personality pathology.     

A one-year prospective investigation of Type D personality and self-reported physical health

Objective: Type D personality is characterised by negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI), and is often associated with poorer physical and psychological health. However, the underlying mechanisms are unclear and the literature lacks longitudinal assessment. Therefore, the aim was to prospectively examine the relationships between Type D and physical symptoms, in addition to aspects of retrospective health.

Design: An online questionnaire-based study (N?=?535) with a one-year follow-up (N?=?160) was conducted with healthy individuals (18–65 years). Type D was assessed as both a categorical and dimensional construct.

Main outcome measures: Participants completed the Type D scale-14 (DS14), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Cohen–Hoberman Inventory of Physical Symptoms (CHIPS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) at both phases. Retrospective health questions and the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) were also completed at follow-up.

Results: Type D was independently related to cardiac/sympathetic, metabolic, vasovagal, muscular and headache symptoms at baseline. At follow-up stressful events and anxiety mediated the relationships between Type D and particular symptoms. Type Ds were more likely to report poorer health, increased minor illnesses, work absences, and medical information seeking.

Conclusions: Type D is associated with symptoms often linked to stress. Although the relationships appear to be primarily driven by NA, these findings support the theory of a stress-related mechanism potentially underpinning the Type D-health relationship. These findings contribute to the literature continuing to highlight Type D personality as a risk factor for negative health outcomes.     

Quality spaces: Mental and physical

Perceptual-role theories of mental qualities hold that we can discover the nature of a being’s mental qualities by investigating that being’s capacity to make perceptual discriminations. Many advocates of perceptual-role theories hold that the best explanation of these capacities is that mental quality spaces are homomorphic to the spaces of the physical properties that they help to discriminate. This paper disputes this thesis on largely empirical grounds, and offers an alternative. The alternative explains interesting patterns in our perception of color differences and similarities across edges, emphasizing the importance of visual discontinuities. Further, it provides a simple explanation of the intransitivity of indiscriminability. The homomorphism thesis can explain this intransitivity only with the addition of an independently unsupported empirical hypothesis. Also, in contrast to the homomorphism thesis, the alternative view is perfectly consistent with empirical data that suggest (a) that the visual system uses the dynamic allocation of a limited range of responses in order to discriminate a wider range of physical stimuli and (b) that we are much better at detecting changes in relative luminance than changes in absolute luminance. Moreover, it does all this while using a more efficient strategy for encoding sensory information.     

The contribution of personality characteristics to the relationship between social support and perceived physical health

Although a great deal of research has been conducted on the relationship between social support and physical health, the contribution of personality characteristics to this relationship has rarely been assessed. Structural equation modeling was employed to derive and test a model of the direct and indirect relationships between personality characteristics, social network size, the perceived availability of support, socially supportive behaviors, and perceived physical health with a sample of Pennsylvania adults. Significant paths indicate that individuals who perceive themselves as affiliative and as help seekers and help givers report larger social networks, receive more socially supportive behaviors, and perceive that more support is available to them. The perception that support is available shared a direct relationship with perceived physical health. The utility of including multiple measures of social support and personality characteristics related to receiving support in investigations of the relationship between social support and physical health is discussed.     

Gender role orientation and physical health: A study among young adults

The purpose to this study was to examine the relationship between gender role orientation and physical health among young adults. One hundred forty-five undergraduates (103 females, 42 males) completed a measure of gender role orientation (Bem Sex Role Inventory), self-reported physical health (Personal Health Questionnaire), health related behaviors (Health Behaviors Inventory), and neuroticism (Eysenck Personality Inventory). The sample consisted of European-American (89%), African-American (8%), and Asian-American (3%) individuals. Results showed that gender role orientation was significantly related to health-related behaviors (e.g., smoking, exercise), but not to self-reported physical health (e.g., upper respiratory infections). Overall, androgynous individuals had better health-related behaviors than masculine, feminine, and undifferentiated individuals.We thank Karen Hooker and Randall Jorgensen for their useful advice regarding this article. We also thank Sue Rosenberg Zalk and an anonymous reviewer for their comments on previous drafts of this article. This work was supported in part by the Graduate Student Committee of the Psychology Department at Syracuse University.     

Alcohol consumption, alcohol abuse, personality and female perpetrated spouse abuse

As part of the Winnipeg Health and Drinking Survey, this study examined the problem of female perpetrated spouse abuse and its relationship to alcohol consumption and personality. Subjects were drawn from a random sample of Winnipeg residents (N = 1257) between the ages of 18 and 65 years. For this study, data from the subsample of female subjects who were married or cohabiting (N = 452) were analyzed. Results show that more than 39% of female subjects participated in some form of spouse abuse with their male partners. Being young and having high scores on Eysenck's psychoticism scale, the Neuroticism Index and the MacAndrew Scale were found to be significant risk factors in the occurence of partner abuse among females. Also, the interaction between alcohol consumption and Eysenck's psychoticism scale was found to be a weak but significant predictor for this form of violence.     

Posttraumatic stress and physical health among adults: The role of coping mechanisms

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether coping mechanisms predict physical health, after controlling for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters in a non-clinical sample of adults. Data were collected from 483 adults through an online survey. Most of the participants (66.7%) reported lifetime exposure to at least one traumatic event. The final sample of this study included 319 trauma-exposed individuals. Results indicated that PTSD symptoms on the avoidance and hyperarousal clusters had significant positive relationships with self-reported physical health symptoms. After controlling for gender and PTSD, denial, behavioral disengagement, and self-blame significantly and positively predicted physical health symptoms.     

The nature of irrational beliefs in different personality clusters of spouse abusers

Previous research has shown that a majority of spouse abusers have personality characteristics which are consistent with personality disorder and show symptoms of depression and anger expression. Irrational beliefs have been associated with the same emotions in nonabuser populations. The current study assessed the nature of irrational beliefs in a sample of spouse abusers. The results showed that abusers with personality disorder held more irrational beliefs than abusers without personality disorder. Labile symptoms were associated with three categories of irrational beliefs only in the abusers with personality disorder. The implications for the characterization of spouse abusers and the modification of spouse abuse are discussed.Jeffrey M. Lohr, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. His research interests are in the assessment of irrational beliefs and their association with dysphoric motivational statesL. Kevin Hamberger, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Family Practice Department of the Medical College of Wisconsin. His clinical and research interests are in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of male spouse abusers.Dennis Bonge, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. His research and teaching interests are in multivariate analysis and the assessment of irrational beliefsPortions of this paper presented at the 33rd Annual Convention of the Southeastern Psychological Association, Atlanta, GA, March, 1987.This research was supported by the Marie Wilson Howells Fund.     

Two studies of personality: male graduate students in physical education.

In Study I, scores for 100 male graduate students in physical education were compared to the norms for the general population on the 1962 16 PF test: Ss were higher in Intelligence, Ego-strength, Dominance, and Tenseness, and lower on Imaginativeness, Shrewdness, and Self-sufficiency. Centiles derived from the raw scores deviated markedly only on Intelligence, Dominance, and Shrewdness. In Study II, scores of 96 similar Ss were compared to the norms for the 1970 16 PF test; Ss were higher on Intelligence, Dominance, Enthusiasm, and Tenseness, and lower on Imaginativeness, Shrewdness, Apprehensiveness, and Radicalness. No marked centile deviations were found.