Relationship between personality and physical capacities in older adults: The mediating role of subjective age, aging attitudes and physical self-perceptions

Walking speed and muscular strength are two main markers of health in adulthood. Previous studies have shown that personality traits may predict these two outcomes. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying these relationships. Thus, the present study examined whether personality traits are associated with walking speed and muscular strength through the mediating role of subjective age (how young or old individuals experience themselves to be), attitudes toward aging and physical self-perceptions. Community-dwelling older women (N = 243; M_age = 73.0; SD_age = 6.5) were recruited. For reasons of recruitment feasibility, participants were only older women. They were requested to complete a questionnaire measuring personality, subjective age, attitudes toward aging and physical self-perceptions. Following this, their walking speed and their muscular strength were investigated. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. In line with the literature, we extended the associations between extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness and walking speed and between conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness and muscular strength. Physical self-perceptions appear to be a robust mediator between personality traits and walking speed whereas attitudes toward aging and subjective age mediated the personality traits/muscular strength relationship. This study provides evidence, for the first time, that the associations between personality traits and physical capacities are different according to the physical capacities investigated. Based on these results, it could be interesting to adapt physical activity interventions to the psychological profile of older adults.