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Psychoneuroendocrinology Jul 2023An aging-related immune phenotype (ARIP) has been defined as a decrease in naïve T cells (T) relative to the accumulation of memory T cells (T). Recent research...
An aging-related immune phenotype (ARIP) has been defined as a decrease in naïve T cells (T) relative to the accumulation of memory T cells (T). Recent research implicates ARIP measures, such as CD4 +T/T and CD8 +T/T ratios, in multimorbidity and mortality. This study examined whether psychological dispositions that assess how people think, feel, and behave are related to CD4 +T/T and CD8 +T/T. Participants were adults aged 50-104 years (N = 4798; 58% women, Mean Age= 67.95, SD= 9.56) from the Health and Retirement Study. Data on CD4 +T/T and CD8 +T/T were obtained in 2016. Data on personality, demographic factors, and potential clinical (body mass index, disease burden), behavioral (smoking, alcohol, physical activity), psychological (depressive symptoms, stress), and biological (cytomegalovirus IgG antibodies) mediating factors were obtained in 2014/2016. Controlling for demographic factors, higher conscientiousness was related to higher CD4 +T/T and CD8 +T/T. To a lesser extent, higher neuroticism and lower extraversion were associated with lower CD4 +T/T Physical activity, and to a lesser extent BMI and disease burden, were the most robust mediators between personality and ARIP measures. Cytomegalovirus IgG level mediated the association between conscientiousness and both CD4 +T/T and CD8 +T/T. This study provides novel evidence that personality is related to ARIP. Higher conscientiousness and, to a lesser extent, higher extraversion may be protective against age-related immunophenotype change, whereas neuroticism may be a risk factor.
Topics: Female; Male; Humans; Personality; Personality Disorders; Neuroticism; Immunoglobulin G
PubMed: 37120948
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106113 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Sep 2023Homelessness is an economic and social crisis. In a cluster-randomized controlled trial, we address a core cause of homelessness-lack of money-by providing a one-time... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Homelessness is an economic and social crisis. In a cluster-randomized controlled trial, we address a core cause of homelessness-lack of money-by providing a one-time unconditional cash transfer of CAD$7,500 to each of 50 individuals experiencing homelessness, with another 65 as controls in Vancouver, BC. Exploratory analyses showed that over 1 y, cash recipients spent fewer days homeless, increased savings and spending with no increase in temptation goods spending, and generated societal net savings of $777 per recipient via reduced time in shelters. Additional experiments revealed public mistrust toward the ability of homeless individuals to manage money and demonstrated interventions to increase public support for a cash transfer policy using counter-stereotypical or utilitarian messaging. Together, this research offers a new approach to address homelessness and provides insights into homelessness reduction policies.
Topics: Humans; Ill-Housed Persons; Social Problems; Income; Motivation; Policy
PubMed: 37643214
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2222103120 -
Biological Psychiatry Oct 2023Schizophrenia is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder with significant differences in the incidence and symptomology between cisgender men and women. In recent years,... (Review)
Review
Schizophrenia is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder with significant differences in the incidence and symptomology between cisgender men and women. In recent years, considerably more attention has been on the inclusion of sex and gender in schizophrenia research. However, the majority of this research has failed to consider gender outside of the socially constructed binary of men and women. As a result, little is known about schizophrenia in transgender and gender-nonconforming populations. In this review, we present evidence showing that transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals have elevated risk of developing schizophrenia, and we discuss minority stress theory and other potential factors that may contribute to this risk. The need for inclusion of transgender and gender-nonconforming communities in schizophrenia research is emphasized, alongside a discussion on considerations and challenges associated with this type of research. Finally, we offer specific strategies to make research on schizophrenia, and research on other neuropsychiatric disorders, more inclusive of those populations that do not fall within the socially constructed gender binary. If we are to succeed in the development of more personalized therapeutic approaches for all, a better understanding of the variability of the human brain is needed.
Topics: Male; Humans; Female; Schizophrenia; Gender Identity; Transgender Persons
PubMed: 37003472
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.03.018 -
Nature Human Behaviour Sep 2023Personality and cognitive function are heritable mental traits whose genetic foundations may be distributed across interconnected brain functions. Previous studies have...
Personality and cognitive function are heritable mental traits whose genetic foundations may be distributed across interconnected brain functions. Previous studies have typically treated these complex mental traits as distinct constructs. We applied the 'pleiotropy-informed' multivariate omnibus statistical test to genome-wide association studies of 35 measures of neuroticism and cognitive function from the UK Biobank (n = 336,993). We identified 431 significantly associated genetic loci with evidence of abundant shared genetic associations, across personality and cognitive function domains. Functional characterization implicated genes with significant tissue-specific expression in all tested brain tissues and brain-specific gene sets. We conditioned independent genome-wide association studies of the Big 5 personality traits and cognitive function on our multivariate findings, boosting genetic discovery in other personality traits and improving polygenic prediction. These findings advance our understanding of the polygenic architecture of these complex mental traits, indicating a prominence of pleiotropic genetic effects across higher order domains of mental function such as personality and cognitive function.
Topics: Humans; Genome-Wide Association Study; Personality; Phenotype; Multifactorial Inheritance; Cognition
PubMed: 37365406
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01630-9 -
Journal of the American Medical... Oct 2023Clinical observations and studies of retrospective observer ratings point to changes in personality in persons with cognitive impairment or dementia. The timing and... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
OBJECTIVES
Clinical observations and studies of retrospective observer ratings point to changes in personality in persons with cognitive impairment or dementia. The timing and magnitude of such changes, however, are unclear. This study used prospective self-reported data to examine the trajectories of personality traits before and during cognitive impairment.
DESIGN
Longitudinal observational cohort study.
SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS
Older adults from the United States in the Health and Retirement Study were assessed for cognitive impairment and completed a measure of the 5 major personality traits every 4 years from 2006 to 2020 (N = 22,611; n = 5507 with cognitive impairment; 50,786 personality and cognitive assessments).
METHODS
Multilevel modeling examined changes before and during cognitive impairment, accounting for demographic differences and normative age-related trajectories.
RESULTS
Before cognitive impairment was detected, extraversion (b = -0.10, SE = 0.02), agreeableness (b = -0.11, SE = 0.02), and conscientiousness (b = -0.12, SE = 0.02) decreased slightly; there was no significant change in neuroticism (b = 0.04, SE = 0.02) or openness (b = -0.06, SE = 0.02). During cognitive impairment, faster rates of change were found for all 5 personality traits: neuroticism (b = 0.10, SE = 0.03) increased, and extraversion (b = -0.14, SE = 0.03), openness (b = -0.15, SE = 0.03), agreeableness (b = -0.35, SE = 0.03), and conscientiousness (b = -0.34, SE = 0.03) declined.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Cognitive impairment is associated with a pattern of detrimental personality changes across the preclinical and clinical stages. Compared with the steeper rate of change during cognitive impairment, the changes were small and inconsistent before impairment, making them unlikely to be useful predictors of incident dementia. The study findings further indicate that individuals can update their personality ratings during the early stages of cognitive impairment, providing valuable information in clinical settings. The results also suggest an acceleration of personality change with the progression to dementia, which may lead to behavioral, emotional, and other psychological symptoms commonly observed in people with cognitive impairment and dementia.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Retrospective Studies; Prospective Studies; Personality; Cognitive Dysfunction; Dementia
PubMed: 37330217
DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2023.05.011 -
Computer Methods and Programs in... Dec 2023When agents (e.g. a person and a social robot) perform a joint activity to achieve a joint goal, they require sharing a relevant group intention, which has been defined...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
When agents (e.g. a person and a social robot) perform a joint activity to achieve a joint goal, they require sharing a relevant group intention, which has been defined as a We-intention. In forming We-intentions, breakdown situations due to conflicts between internal and "external" intentions are unavoidable, particularly in healthcare scenarios. To study such We-intention formation and "reparation" of conflicts, this paper has a two-fold objective: introduce a general computational mechanism allowing We-intention formation and reparation in interactions between a social robot and a person; and exemplify how the formal framework can be applied to facilitate interaction between a person and a social robot for healthcare scenarios.
METHOD
The formal computational framework for managing We-intentions was defined in terms of Answer set programming and a Belief-Desire-Intention control loop. We exemplify the formal framework based on earlier theory-based user studies consisting of human-robot dialogue scenarios conducted in a Wizard of Oz setup, video-recorded and evaluated with 20 participants. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. N=20 participants (women n=12, men=8, age range 23-72) were part of the study. Two age groups were established for the analysis: younger participants (ages 23-40) and older participants (ages 41-72).
RESULTS
We proved four theoretical propositions, which are well-desired characteristics of any rational social robot. In our study, most participants suggested that people were the cause of breakdown situations. Over half of the young participants perceived the social robot's avoidant behavior in the scenarios.
CONCLUSIONS
This work covered in depth the challenge of aligning the intentions of two agents (for example, in a person-robot interaction) when they try to achieve a joint goal. Our framework provides a novel formalization of the We-intentions theory from social science. The framework is supported by formal properties proving that our computational mechanism generates consistent potential plans. At the same time, the agent can handle incomplete and inconsistent intentions shared by another agent (for example, a person). Finally, our qualitative results suggested that this approach could provide an acceptable level of action/intention agreement generation and reparation from a person-centric perspective.
Topics: Male; Humans; Female; Young Adult; Adult; Middle Aged; Aged; Intention; Robotics; Social Interaction; Motivation; Social Behavior
PubMed: 37813056
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2023.107817 -
BMC Psychiatry Mar 2024Personality disorders (PDs) are associated with an inferior quality of life, poor health, and premature mortality, leading to heavy clinical, familial, and societal... (Review)
Review
Personality disorders (PDs) are associated with an inferior quality of life, poor health, and premature mortality, leading to heavy clinical, familial, and societal burdens. The International Classification of Diseases-11 (ICD-11) makes a thorough, dramatic paradigm shift from the categorical to dimensional diagnosis of PD and expands the application into adolescence. We have reviewed the recent literature on practical implications, and severity and trait measures of ICD-11 defined PDs, by comparing with the alternative model of personality disorders in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), by mentioning the relevance in forensic and social concerns, and by referencing the developmental implication of life span, especially in adolescence. Study results strongly support the dimensional utility of ICD-11 PD diagnosis and application in adolescence which warrants early detection and intervention. More evidence-based research is needed along the ICD-11 PD application, such as its social relevance, measurement simplification, and longitudinal design of lifespan observation and treatment.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; International Classification of Diseases; Quality of Life; Personality Disorders; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Mortality, Premature; Personality
PubMed: 38454364
DOI: 10.1186/s12888-024-05640-3 -
BMC Psychiatry Oct 2023Healthcare providers frequently help traumatized people and are regularly exposed to indirect trauma from their work, resulting in negative psychological responses, such...
BACKGROUND
Healthcare providers frequently help traumatized people and are regularly exposed to indirect trauma from their work, resulting in negative psychological responses, such as secondary traumatic stress. Empathy has been associated with patient's quality of care and secondary traumatic stress among healthcare providers. However, the relationship between dispositional empathy and secondary traumatic stress has not been fully elucidated. This study used person- and variable-centered approaches to explore the nature of this relationship.
METHODS
A total of 1,006 Japanese public health nurses working in the Tohoku region and Saitama prefecture completed questionnaires that included scales assessing dispositional empathy, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout. First, we examined predictors of secondary traumatic stress using multiple linear regression analysis. Then, we conducted a latent profile analysis to classify participants into unique groups based on four subscales of dispositional empathy (i.e., empathic concern, perspective taking, personal distress, fantasy) and secondary traumatic stress. Finally, we compared the mean values of the study variables across these groups.
RESULTS
The multiple regression indicated that in those working in Saitama prefecture, lifetime traumatic experiences, work-related distress, and personal distress were positively related to secondary traumatic stress, but perceived support was negatively related to secondary traumatic stress. Latent profile analysis extracted four unique subgroups. Group 1 displayed the highest secondary traumatic stress levels. Group 2 was characterized by the highest level of empathic concern, personal distress, and fantasy and the lowest perspective taking. Group 3 had a moderate secondary traumatic stress level. Group 4 had the lowest secondary traumatic stress and personal distress scores. In these four groups, the burnout scale (exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy) showed a pattern similar to the secondary traumatic stress scale.
CONCLUSIONS
Our person-centered approach showed that this sample of public health nurses could be classified into four unique groups based on their empathy and secondary traumatic stress scores. Although this group of public health nurses was not large, one group displayed high personal distress levels and high secondary traumatic stress levels. Further research is needed to determine effective interventions for this group.
Topics: Humans; Burnout, Professional; Compassion Fatigue; East Asian People; Empathy; Job Satisfaction; Nurses, Public Health; Surveys and Questionnaires; Public Health Nursing
PubMed: 37784052
DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05198-6 -
European Heart Journal. Cardiovascular... Oct 2023To evaluate the relationship between neuroticism personality traits and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) measures of cardiac morphology and function, considering...
AIMS
To evaluate the relationship between neuroticism personality traits and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) measures of cardiac morphology and function, considering potential differential associations in men and women.
METHODS AND RESULTS
The analysis includes 36 309 UK Biobank participants (average age = 63.9 ± 7.7 years; 47.8% men) with CMR available and neuroticism score assessed by the 12-item Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Form. CMR scans were performed on 1.5 Tesla scanners (MAGNETOM Aera, Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany) according to pre-defined protocols and analysed using automated pipelines. We considered measures of left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) structure and function, and indicators of arterial compliance. Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate association of neuroticism score with individual CMR metrics, with adjustment for age, sex, obesity, deprivation, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, alcohol use, exercise, and education. Higher neuroticism scores were associated with smaller LV and RV end-diastolic volumes, lower LV mass, greater concentricity (higher LV mass to volume ratio), and higher native T1. Greater neuroticism was also linked to poorer LV and RV function (lower stroke volumes) and greater arterial stiffness. In sex-stratified analyses, the relationships between neuroticism and LV stroke volume, concentricity, and arterial stiffness were attenuated in women. In men, association (with exception of native T1) remained robust.
CONCLUSION
Greater tendency towards neuroticism personality traits is linked to smaller, poorer functioning ventricles with lower LV mass, higher myocardial fibrosis, and higher arterial stiffness. These relationships are independent of traditional vascular risk factors and are more robust in men than women.
Topics: Male; Humans; Female; Middle Aged; Aged; Ventricular Function, Left; Neuroticism; Biological Specimen Banks; Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine; Stroke Volume; Heart Ventricles; Personality; United Kingdom
PubMed: 37440761
DOI: 10.1093/ehjci/jead166 -
Brain and Behavior Nov 2023In myasthenia gravis (MG), depression and anxiety have frequently been reported as comorbidities. However, little is known about personality characteristics in MG...
INTRODUCTION
In myasthenia gravis (MG), depression and anxiety have frequently been reported as comorbidities. However, little is known about personality characteristics in MG patients. We aimed to characterise personality traits in MG and to correlate them with disease severity and disease course.
METHODS
The Big Five Inventory data questionnaire was used to investigate personality traits in 44 MG patients and 45 healthy controls similar in age and gender. In 28 MG patients, a caregiver was also available for patient assessments to limit bias associated with social desirability in patients' responses. Patients were assessed with regard to premorbid personality (before manifestation of MG) and to present condition. In addition, anxiety and depression scales (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Beck Anxiety Inventory) were applied.
RESULTS
Compared to controls, MG patients showed significantly higher levels of neuroticism, whereas openness and extraversion were significantly lower. Agreeableness and conscientiousness did not differ between groups. Neuroticism was influenced by disease severity such as generalization of weakness, presence of thymoma, and bulbar involvement as well as disease duration. Neuroticism correlated with premorbid level of neuroticism but also with depression and anxiety scores.
CONCLUSION
A personality profile of increased neuroticism and lower openness and extraversion in MG patients may contribute considerably to the perception of disease severity. It may also be related to frequent comorbidities such as anxiety and depression. Although premorbid levels of neuroticism were increased, this characteristic may also increase considerably during the course of the disease. The data indicate that muscle weakness in MG is accompanied or even complicated by psychological aspects. Therefore, a psychological and behavioral intervention in addition to the specific pharmacological therapy might be of particular value.
Topics: Humans; Prospective Studies; Personality; Anxiety Disorders; Neuroticism; Myasthenia Gravis; Personality Inventory
PubMed: 37608592
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3228