Childhood conscientiousness relates to objectively measured adult physical health four decades later.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Many life span personality-and-health models assume that childhood personality traits result in life-course pathways leading through morbidity to mortality. Although childhood conscientiousness in particular predicts mortality, there are few prospective studies that have investigated the associations between childhood personality and objective health status in adulthood. The present study tested this crucial assumption of life span models of personality and health using a comprehensive assessment of the Big Five traits in childhood (M age = 10 years) and biomarkers of health over 40 years later (M age = 51 years).

Methods

Members of the Hawaii Personality and Health Cohort (N = 753; 368 men, 385 women) underwent a medical examination at mean age 51. Their global he

SUBMITTER: Hampson SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3754851 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature