Objective: We assessed associations between specific personality factors and health, and tested whether specific personality factors were related to health outcomes independent of each other.
Method: We performed cross-sectional analyses of personality and health among a sample of community-dwelling older men (n = 613, M age = 81.4, SD = 5.04 years) living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Results: Personality factors (dispositional optimism, conscientiousness, and goal adjustment) were crudely related to both physical and mental health, but adjusting for other personality factors completely attenuated several of these associations. Conscientiousness remained uniquely related to every physical and mental health outcome. Optimism remained uniquely related to all health outcomes, except physical activity (which was more highly related to conscientiousness and goal adjustment). Associations between goal adjustment and probable depression appeared to be explained by conscientiousness and optimism.
Discussion: Correlations among multiple aspects of personality may mask unique associations of specific personality aspects with successful aging.
Keywords: conscientiousness; disability; dispositional optimism; goal adjustment; personality.
© The Author(s) 2015.