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Personality and the perception of health in the general population

Goodwin, R and Engström, Gunnar LU (2002) In Psychological Medicine 32(2). p.325-332
Abstract
Background. Several population-based studies have shown that self-perceived health is a powerful predictor of health outcomes. The extent to which self-perceived health is associated with personality characteristics is, however, largely unknown. We aimed to study the relationship between self-perceived health and personality among adults in the community. Method. Data were drawn from the Midlife Development in the United States Survey, a representative sample of adults age 25-74. MANOVA was used to determine the relationship between self perception of health and personality using the five-factor model. Results. Personality factors were significantly associated with perception of poor health. Among those without self-reported medical... (More)
Background. Several population-based studies have shown that self-perceived health is a powerful predictor of health outcomes. The extent to which self-perceived health is associated with personality characteristics is, however, largely unknown. We aimed to study the relationship between self-perceived health and personality among adults in the community. Method. Data were drawn from the Midlife Development in the United States Survey, a representative sample of adults age 25-74. MANOVA was used to determine the relationship between self perception of health and personality using the five-factor model. Results. Personality factors were significantly associated with perception of poor health. Among those without self-reported medical problems (N = 834), openness to experience, extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with perception of good health, while neuroticism was associated with the perception of poor health. In subjects with self-reported medical problems (N = 2772), high scores on agreeableness, openness to experience, extraversion and conscientiousness, and low neuroticism scores were associated with perception of good health. These associations remained significant after adjustments for age, gender, race, marital status and education. Conclusions. Self-perceived health is strongly associated with personality characteristics, both in subjects with and without self-reported medical problems. It is suggested that personality characteristics could contribute to the previously reported associations between self-perceived health and health outcomes. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Psychological Medicine
volume
32
issue
2
pages
325 - 332
publisher
Cambridge University Press
external identifiers
  • wos:000173990900014
  • pmid:11866326
  • scopus:0036171377
ISSN
1469-8978
DOI
10.1017/S0033291701005104
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7af4b930-27d7-408f-8262-ecd313a74473 (old id 893746)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:04:02
date last changed
2022-04-13 05:32:30
@article{7af4b930-27d7-408f-8262-ecd313a74473,
  abstract     = {{Background. Several population-based studies have shown that self-perceived health is a powerful predictor of health outcomes. The extent to which self-perceived health is associated with personality characteristics is, however, largely unknown. We aimed to study the relationship between self-perceived health and personality among adults in the community. Method. Data were drawn from the Midlife Development in the United States Survey, a representative sample of adults age 25-74. MANOVA was used to determine the relationship between self perception of health and personality using the five-factor model. Results. Personality factors were significantly associated with perception of poor health. Among those without self-reported medical problems (N = 834), openness to experience, extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with perception of good health, while neuroticism was associated with the perception of poor health. In subjects with self-reported medical problems (N = 2772), high scores on agreeableness, openness to experience, extraversion and conscientiousness, and low neuroticism scores were associated with perception of good health. These associations remained significant after adjustments for age, gender, race, marital status and education. Conclusions. Self-perceived health is strongly associated with personality characteristics, both in subjects with and without self-reported medical problems. It is suggested that personality characteristics could contribute to the previously reported associations between self-perceived health and health outcomes.}},
  author       = {{Goodwin, R and Engström, Gunnar}},
  issn         = {{1469-8978}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{325--332}},
  publisher    = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  series       = {{Psychological Medicine}},
  title        = {{Personality and the perception of health in the general population}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0033291701005104}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/S0033291701005104}},
  volume       = {{32}},
  year         = {{2002}},
}