Personality traits and polypharmacy: meta-analysis of five samples.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The present study examined the prospective relationship between personality traits and the risk of polypharmacy.

Methods and measures

Participants (age range: 16-101 years; N > 15,000) were from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), the Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS), the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study of Aging (WLS), and the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences (LISS). In each sample, personality traits and demographic factors were assessed at baseline. Number of medications was obtained from 2 to 20 years later.

Results

Random-effect meta-analyses revealed that higher neuroticism was related to a higher risk of polypharmacy (Odd Ratio = 1.30; 95% CI 1.17-1.46) and excessive

SUBMITTER: Stephan Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11573927 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature