Personality and Health in Later Life: Psychosocial and Biological Mechanisms

描述（由申请人提供）：这项纵向研究将确定负责人格与晚年健康之间联系的特定途径。它将采用增强的评估方法，包括线人报告，访谈和自我报告的适应性以及适应不良的人格特质的变化措施。我们将调查心理社会因素，生物途径，以及与主观健康，特定医学疾病的诊断和治疗以及死亡率相关的个性变化。人格特质将被认为是既在他们的保护（例如，有害行为和健康行为）和有害功能（例如，神经质和紧张的生活事件）。在社会心理层面的分析，三种机制将被视为重要的中介和调节因素：健康行为（例如，使用烟草和酒精）;暴露于环境逆境（例如，创伤、忽视和持续的压力性生活事件）;以及社会融合（例如亲密关系、社交网络和社区参与）。在生物学层面的分析中，将考虑另外三种机制：神经内分泌功能（皮质醇）;免疫系统功能（炎症）;染色体稳定性（端粒长度）。人格和健康之间的途径将被认为是稳定的特质水平以及人格变化。我们的数据将使我们能够检查健康差异，测试各种 关于风险和弹性的假设。例如，我们将研究人格特征（例如，不信任和冲动）在缓和环境逆境和慢性病之间的关系中发挥作用。这项研究将从2007年开始扩大数据收集范围，对已经研究了六年的参与者进行抽样调查。参与者形成了一个具有代表性的，种族多样的（33%的非洲裔美国人），以社区为基础的样本，年龄在55岁至64岁之间（进入研究时）的1,630人-那些接近晚年生活的挑战。所有参与者在基线时完成了个性，健康和社会适应的综合评估。然后在定期六个月的随访评估中监测压力性生活事件、社会适应和健康变化，然后在基线后2.5年进行第二次人格评估。在第二阶段（下一个项目期间），我们将再进行两次人格评估：第三次将在第二次评估后三年进行，第四次将在第三次评估后两年进行。我们还将收集血液样本，用于在第三和第四次人格评估时测量生物标志物。在第三次评估后，将继续以4次定期6个月的间隔完成对健康、健康行为、压力性生活事件和社会功能的定期随访评估。该项目填补了有关解释人格与健康之间联系的机制的知识空白。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This longitudinal study will identify specific pathways that are responsible for the link between personality and health in later life. It will employ enhanced assessment methods, including informant reports, interviews, and self-report measures of adaptive as well as maladaptive variants of personality traits. We will investigate psychosocial factors, biological pathways, and personality changes in relation to subjective health, diagnosis and treatment for specific medical disorders, and mortality. Personality traits will be considered both in terms of their protective (e.g., conscientiousness and health behaviors) and harmful functions (e.g., neuroticism and stressful life events). At the psychosocial level of analysis, three mechanisms will be examined as important mediators and moderators: health behaviors (e.g., use of tobacco and alcohol); exposure to environmental adversity (e.g., trauma, neglect, and on-going stressful life events); and social integration (e.g. intimate relationships, social networks, and community involvement). At the biological level of analysis, three additional mechanisms will be considered: neuroendocrine functioning (cortisol); immune system functioning (inflammation); and chromosomal stability (telomere length). Pathways between personality and health will be considered in terms of stable trait levels as well as personality change. Our data will allow us to examine health disparities, testing a variety of hypotheses concerned with both risk and resilience. For example, we will study the role that personality characteristics (e.g., mistrust and impulsivity) play in moderating the relation between environmental adversity and chronic illness. The study will extend data collection with a sample of participants that has already been studied for six years, beginning in 2007. The participants form a representative, ethnically diverse (33 percent African-American), community-based sample of 1,630 persons between the ages of 55 and 64 (when entering the study) ---those approaching the challenges of later life. All participants completed comprehensive assessments of personality, health, and social adjustment at baseline. Stressful life events, social adjustment, and changes in health were then monitored at regular six-month follow-up assessments, leading up to a second assessment of personality, which was conducted 2.5 years after baseline. During Phase II (the next project period), we will conduct two more personality assessments: the third will occur three years after the second, and the fourth will occur two years after the third. We will also collect blood samples to be used for measuring biomarkers at the time personality assessments three and four. Regular follow-up assessments of health, health behaviors, stressful life events, and social functioning will continue to be completed at four regular 6-month intervals following the third assessment. This project fills an important gap in knowledge regarding mechanisms that explain the connection between personality and health.