Search results

Title: Genetics of Serum BDNF: Meta-analysis of the Val66Met and Genome-wide Association Study.
Creator: Terracciano, Antonio, Piras, Maria, Lobina, Monia, Mulas, Antonella, Meirelles, Osorio, Sutin, Angelina, Chan, Wayne, Sanna, Serena, Uda, Manuela, Crisponi, Laura, Schlessinger,...
Show moreTerracciano, Antonio, Piras, Maria, Lobina, Monia, Mulas, Antonella, Meirelles, Osorio, Sutin, Angelina, Chan, Wayne, Sanna, Serena, Uda, Manuela, Crisponi, Laura, Schlessinger, David
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Abstract/Description: Abstract Objectives. Lower levels of serum brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is one of the best known biomarkers of depression. To identify genetic variants associated with serum BDNF, we tested the Val66Met (rs6265) functional variant and conducted a genome-wide association scan (GWAS). Methods. In a community-based sample (N = 2054; aged 19-101, M = 51, SD = 15) from Sardinia, Italy, we measured serum BDNF concentration and conducted a GWAS. Results. We estimated the heritability of...
Show moreAbstract Objectives. Lower levels of serum brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is one of the best known biomarkers of depression. To identify genetic variants associated with serum BDNF, we tested the Val66Met (rs6265) functional variant and conducted a genome-wide association scan (GWAS). Methods. In a community-based sample (N = 2054; aged 19-101, M = 51, SD = 15) from Sardinia, Italy, we measured serum BDNF concentration and conducted a GWAS. Results. We estimated the heritability of serum BDNF to be 0.48 from sib-pairs. There was no association between serum BDNF and Val66Met in the SardiNIA sample and in a meta-analysis of published studies (k = 13 studies, total n = 4727, P = 0.92). Although no genome-wide significant associations were identified, some evidence of association was found in the BDNF gene (rs11030102, P = 0.001) and at two loci (rs7170215, P = 4.8 × 10(-5) and rs11073742 P = 1.2 × 10(-5)) near and within NTRK3 gene, a neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor. Conclusions. Our study and meta-analysis of the literature indicate that the BDNF Val66Met variant is not associated with serum BDNF, but other variants in the BDNF and NTRK3 genes might regulate the level of serum BDNF.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0014, 10.3109/15622975.2011.616533
Format: Citation

Title: Genome-Wide Association Scan of Trait Depression.
Creator: Terracciano, Antonio, Tanaka, Toshiko, Sutin, Angelina, Sanna, Serena, Deiana, Barbara, Lai, Sandra, Uda, Manuela, Schlessinger, David, Abecasis, Gonçalo, Ferrucci, Luigi, Costa...
Show moreTerracciano, Antonio, Tanaka, Toshiko, Sutin, Angelina, Sanna, Serena, Deiana, Barbara, Lai, Sandra, Uda, Manuela, Schlessinger, David, Abecasis, Gonçalo, Ferrucci, Luigi, Costa, Paul
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Abstract/Description: BACKGROUND: Independent of temporal circumstances, some individuals have greater susceptibility to depressive affects, such as feelings of guilt, sadness, hopelessness, and loneliness. Identifying the genetic variants that contribute to these individual differences can point to biological pathways etiologically involved in psychiatric disorders. METHODS: Genome-wide association scans for the depression scale of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory in community-based samples from a...
Show moreBACKGROUND: Independent of temporal circumstances, some individuals have greater susceptibility to depressive affects, such as feelings of guilt, sadness, hopelessness, and loneliness. Identifying the genetic variants that contribute to these individual differences can point to biological pathways etiologically involved in psychiatric disorders. METHODS: Genome-wide association scans for the depression scale of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory in community-based samples from a genetically homogeneous area of Sardinia, Italy (n = 3972) and from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging in the United States (n = 839). RESULTS: Meta-analytic results for genotyped or imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms indicate that the strongest association signals for trait depression were found in RORA (rs12912233; p = 6 × 10⁻⁷·), a gene involved in circadian rhythm. A plausible biological association was also found with single nucleotide polymorphisms within GRM8 (rs17864092; p = 5 × 10⁻⁶), a metabotropic receptor for glutamate, a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest shared genetic basis underlying the continuum from personality traits to psychopathology.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0023, 10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.06.030
Format: Citation

Title: The Limits of Evidence Based Medicine and Its Application to Mental Health Evidence-Based Practice. (Part One).
Creator: Gomory, Tomi
Abstract/Description: The present article outlines the major limitations of Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) and through a close review demonstrates that the three component EBM process model is a pseudo-scientific tool. Its "objective" component is the collection, systematic analysis, and listing of "effective" treatments applying a research hierarchy from most rigorous (systematic reviews of randomized control trials) to least rigorous (expert opinion). Its two subjective components are the clinical judgment of...
Show moreThe present article outlines the major limitations of Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) and through a close review demonstrates that the three component EBM process model is a pseudo-scientific tool. Its "objective" component is the collection, systematic analysis, and listing of "effective" treatments applying a research hierarchy from most rigorous (systematic reviews of randomized control trials) to least rigorous (expert opinion). Its two subjective components are the clinical judgment of helping professionals about which "evidence-based" treatment to select and the specific and unique relevant personal preferences of the potential recipients regarding treatment. This procedural mishmash provides no more rigor in choosing "best practice" than has been provided by good clinical practitioners in the past since both turn out to be subjective and authority based. The article also discusses EBM's further methodological dilution in the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) endorsed Evidence Based Mental Health Practice (EBP) movement. In EBP the allegedly rigorous EBM protocol is altered. Instead of systematic expert protocol driven EBM reviews of randomized controlled trials, NIMH sanctioned expert consensus panels decide "evidence-based practices." This further problematizes the development of best practices in mental health by converting it to a political process. The article concludes with some observations on these issues. In a second article (part two) forthcoming, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is examined as an example of an EBP that fails as a scientifically effective treatment despite its EBP certification and general popularity among practitioners.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_csw_faculty_publications-0031
Format: Citation

Title: Longevity Candidate Genes and Their Association with Personality Traits in the Elderly.
Creator: Luciano, Michelle, Lopez, Lorna, de Moor, Marleen, Harris, Sarah, Davies, Gail, Nutile, Teresa, Krueger, Robert F., Esko, Tönu, Schlessinger, David, Toshiko, Tanaka, Derringer,...
Show moreLuciano, Michelle, Lopez, Lorna, de Moor, Marleen, Harris, Sarah, Davies, Gail, Nutile, Teresa, Krueger, Robert F., Esko, Tönu, Schlessinger, David, Toshiko, Tanaka, Derringer, Jaime, Realo, Anu, Hansell, Narelle, Pergadia, Michele, Pesonen, Anu-Katriina, Sanna, Serena, Terracciano, Antonio, Madden, Pamela, Penninx, Brenda, Spinhoven, Philip, Hartman, Catherina, Oostra, Ben A., Janssens, A., Eriksson, Johan, Starr, John M., Cannas, Alessandra, Ferrucci, Luigi, Metspalu, Andres, Wright, Margeret, Heath, Andrew, van Duijn, Cornelia, Bierut, Laura, Raikkonen, Katri, Martin, Nicholas G., Ciullo, Marina, Rujescu, Dan, Boomsma, Dorret, Deary, Ian J.
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Abstract/Description: Human longevity and personality traits are both heritable and are consistently linked at the phenotypic level. We test the hypothesis that candidate genes influencing longevity in lower organisms are associated with variance in the five major dimensions of human personality (measured by the NEO-FFI and IPIP inventories) plus related mood states of anxiety and depression. Seventy single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in six brain expressed, longevity candidate genes (AFG3L2, FRAP1, MAT1A,...
Show moreHuman longevity and personality traits are both heritable and are consistently linked at the phenotypic level. We test the hypothesis that candidate genes influencing longevity in lower organisms are associated with variance in the five major dimensions of human personality (measured by the NEO-FFI and IPIP inventories) plus related mood states of anxiety and depression. Seventy single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in six brain expressed, longevity candidate genes (AFG3L2, FRAP1, MAT1A, MAT2A, SYNJ1, and SYNJ2) were typed in over 1,000 70-year old participants from the Lothian Birth Cohort of 1936 (LBC1936). No SNPs were associated with the personality and psychological distress traits at a Bonferroni corrected level of significance (P < 0.0002), but there was an over-representation of nominally significant (P < 0.05) SNPs in the synaptojanin-2 (SYNJ2) gene associated with agreeableness and symptoms of depression. Eight SNPs which showed nominally significant association across personality measurement instruments were tested in an extremely large replication sample of 17,106 participants. SNP rs350292, in SYNJ2, was significant: the minor allele was associated with an average decrease in NEO agreeableness scale scores of 0.25 points, and 0.67 points in the restricted analysis of elderly cohorts (most aged >60 years). Because we selected a specific set of longevity genes based on functional genomics findings, further research on other longevity gene candidates is warranted to discover whether they are relevant candidates for personality and psychological distress traits.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_geriatrics_faculty_publications-0013, 10.1002/ajmg.b.32013
Format: Citation

Title: The Limits of Evidence Based Medicine and Its Application to Mental Health Evidence-Based Practice. (Part Two): Assertive Community Treatment assertively reviewed.
Creator: Gomory, Tomi
Abstract/Description: This article is the second of two published in EHPP, the first appeared in the current spring 2013 volume. The first article argued the very serious limitations of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) and its very popular mental health offshoot Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)(Gomory, in press). The present article is meant to be a consolidation and update of a 1999 analysis of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), the best "validated" mental health EBP according the National Institute of Mental Health ...
Show moreThis article is the second of two published in EHPP, the first appeared in the current spring 2013 volume. The first article argued the very serious limitations of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) and its very popular mental health offshoot Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)(Gomory, in press). The present article is meant to be a consolidation and update of a 1999 analysis of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), the best "validated" mental health EBP according the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and academic researchers. The present analysis reconfirms the failure of ACT as a treatment modality and a platform for successfully reducing hospitalization its touted consistent effect accept when ACT can apply administrative coercion to keep its clients out of the hospital or quickly discharge them. When ACT fails to have such administrative coercive control it does no better than other community mental health delivery systems. The use of ACT coercion begun over forty-years ago, the article further argues, set the table for conventionalizing psychiatric coercion as evidence-based best practice.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_csw_faculty_publications-0033
Format: Citation

Title: Madness or Mental Illness?: Revisiting Historians of Psychiatry.
Creator: Gomory, Tomi, Cohen, David, Kirk, Stuart A.
Abstract/Description: Is madness medical disease, problems in living, or social labeling of deviance? Does the word merely refer to behavior peculiar enough to be disturbing? Are the mad mad because of mental, physical, or environmental vulnerabilities? No one knows the answers to these questions because there is no scientific validation for any theory or specific causes of madness. Nonetheless, a view of madness as medical/bodily disease has been receiving concrete and rhetorical support from the government...
Show moreIs madness medical disease, problems in living, or social labeling of deviance? Does the word merely refer to behavior peculiar enough to be disturbing? Are the mad mad because of mental, physical, or environmental vulnerabilities? No one knows the answers to these questions because there is no scientific validation for any theory or specific causes of madness. Nonetheless, a view of madness as medical/bodily disease has been receiving concrete and rhetorical support from the government mental health bureaucracy, Big Pharma, mental health lobby groups, the organized profession of psychiatry, hundreds of thousands of providers of mental health services and countless books and articles. This article explores the role that medicalized language and its use by seven noted historians of psychiatry (Norman Dain, Albert Deutsch, Gerald Grob, Roy Porter, Charles Rosenberg, Andrew Scull, and Edward Shorter) might have played in shaping the contemporary view of madness as mental illness. The evidence we uncover suggests that historical "facts" about madness, much as psychiatric "facts" supporting the disease model, are shaped by belief, bias, error or ambiguous rhetoric rather than the facts of the matter.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_csw_faculty_publications-0041, 10.1007/s12144-013-9168-3
Format: Citation

Title: Impulsivity-Related Traits Are Associated with Higher White Blood Cell Counts.
Creator: Sutin, Angelina, Milaneschi, Yuri, Cannas, Alessandra, Ferrucci, Luigi, Uda, Manuela, Schlessinger, David, Zonderman, Alan, Terracciano, Antonio
Abstract/Description: A chronically elevated white blood cell (WBC) count is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality. The present research tests whether facets of impulsivity-impulsiveness, excitement-seeking, self-discipline, and deliberation-are associated with chronically elevated WBC counts. Community-dwelling participants (N = 5,652) from Sardinia, Italy, completed a standard personality questionnaire and provided blood samples concurrently and again 3 years later. Higher scores on impulsivity, in...
Show moreA chronically elevated white blood cell (WBC) count is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality. The present research tests whether facets of impulsivity-impulsiveness, excitement-seeking, self-discipline, and deliberation-are associated with chronically elevated WBC counts. Community-dwelling participants (N = 5,652) from Sardinia, Italy, completed a standard personality questionnaire and provided blood samples concurrently and again 3 years later. Higher scores on impulsivity, in particular impulsiveness and excitement-seeking, were related to higher total WBC counts and higher lymphocyte counts at both time points. Impulsiveness was a predictor of chronic inflammation: for every standard deviation difference in this trait, there was an almost 25% higher risk of elevated WBC counts at both time points (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.10-1.38). These associations were mediated, in part, by smoking and body mass index. The findings demonstrate that links between psychological processes and immunity are not limited to acute stressors; stable personality dispositions are associated with a chronic inflammatory state.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0013, 10.1007/s10865-011-9390-0
Format: Citation

Title: The Neural Correlates of Neuroticism Differ by Sex Prospectively Mediate Depressive Symptoms Among Older Women.
Creator: Sutin, Angelina, Beason-Held, Lori, Dotson, Vonetta, Resnick, Susan M., Costa, Paul
Abstract/Description: BACKGROUND: Mood disorders in old age increase the risk of morbidity and mortality for individuals and healthcare costs for society. Trait Neuroticism, a strong risk factor for such disorders into old age, shares common genetic variance with depression, but the more proximal biological mechanisms that mediate this connection are not well understood. Further, whether sex differences in the neural correlates of Neuroticism mirror sex differences in behavioral measures is unknown. The present...
Show moreBACKGROUND: Mood disorders in old age increase the risk of morbidity and mortality for individuals and healthcare costs for society. Trait Neuroticism, a strong risk factor for such disorders into old age, shares common genetic variance with depression, but the more proximal biological mechanisms that mediate this connection are not well understood. Further, whether sex differences in the neural correlates of Neuroticism mirror sex differences in behavioral measures is unknown. The present research identifies sex differences in the stable neural activity associated with Neuroticism and tests whether this activity prospectively mediates Neuroticism and subsequent depressive symptoms. METHODS: A total of 100 (46 female) older participants (>55years) underwent a resting-state PET scan twice, approximately two years apart, and completed measures of Neuroticism and depressive symptoms twice. RESULTS: Replicating at both time points, Neuroticism correlated positively with resting-state regional cerebral blood-flow activity in the hippocampus and midbrain in women and the middle temporal gyrus in men. For women, hippocampal activity mediated the association between Neuroticism at baseline and depressive symptoms at follow-up. The reverse mediational model was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Neuroticism was associated with stable neural activity in regions implicated in emotional processing and regulation for women but not men. Among women, Neuroticism prospectively predicted depressive symptoms through greater activity in the right hippocampus, suggesting one neural mechanism between Neuroticism and depression for women. Identifying responsible mechanisms for the association between Neuroticism and psychiatric disorders may help guide research on pharmacological interventions for such disorders across the lifespan.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0021, 10.1016/j.jad.2010.06.004
Format: Citation

Title: Neuroticism, Depressive Symptoms, and Serum BDNF.
Creator: Terracciano, Antonio, Lobina, Monia, Piras, Maria, Mulas, Antonella, Cannas, Alessandra, Meirelles, Osorio, Sutin, Angelina, Zonderman, Alan, Uda, Manuela, Crisponi, Laura,...
Show moreTerracciano, Antonio, Lobina, Monia, Piras, Maria, Mulas, Antonella, Cannas, Alessandra, Meirelles, Osorio, Sutin, Angelina, Zonderman, Alan, Uda, Manuela, Crisponi, Laura, Schlessinger, David
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Abstract/Description: OBJECTIVE: Animal models and clinical studies suggest that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in the pathophysiology of depression. We test whether serum and plasma levels of BDNF are associated with trait neuroticism and its facets and with state measures of depressive symptoms. METHODS: In a community-based cohort (N = 2099), we measured serum and plasma BDNF concentrations and administered the Revised NEO Personality Inventory and the Center for Epidemiological Studies...
Show moreOBJECTIVE: Animal models and clinical studies suggest that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in the pathophysiology of depression. We test whether serum and plasma levels of BDNF are associated with trait neuroticism and its facets and with state measures of depressive symptoms. METHODS: In a community-based cohort (N = 2099), we measured serum and plasma BDNF concentrations and administered the Revised NEO Personality Inventory and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Covariates included age, sex, cigarette smoking, obesity, and antidepressant use. RESULTS: Serum BDNF concentrations were inversely related to neuroticism (r = -0.074, p < .001), in particular the depression facet (r = -0.08, p < .001). Lower BDNF concentrations were also associated with severe depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale ≥ 28; odds ratio = 0.906; 95% confidence interval = 0.851-0.965). The association of serum BDNF with neuroticism was independent of depressive symptoms, indicating that serum BDNF might represent a biological correlate of neuroticism and not just of transient depressive states. Plasma BDNF was not associated with measures of depression. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that lower serum BDNF is associated with both a dispositional vulnerability to depression and acute depressive states in the general population.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0019, 10.1097/PSY.0b013e3182306a4f
Format: Citation

Title: Coercion: The Only Constant In Psychiatric Practice?.
Creator: Gomory, Tomi, Cohen, David, Kirk, Stuart A.
Abstract/Description: In the Western world, since at least the 15th century, state-sanctioned force has been employed to control those who disturb others by their violent or existentially destabilizing behaviors such as threatening or inflicting self-harm. Coercing the mad into madhouses, separating and detaining them from the rest of society, and forcing them to comply with their keepers' wishes, occurred before physicians became involved in theorizing about the meaning or origins of madness, and it continues to...
Show moreIn the Western world, since at least the 15th century, state-sanctioned force has been employed to control those who disturb others by their violent or existentially destabilizing behaviors such as threatening or inflicting self-harm. Coercing the mad into madhouses, separating and detaining them from the rest of society, and forcing them to comply with their keepers' wishes, occurred before physicians became involved in theorizing about the meaning or origins of madness, and it continues to distinguish psychiatric practice to this day. It is widely recognized that the mad used to be confined, beaten, tied, shocked or whirled into submission, but it seems less appreciated today by scholars, practitioners, and the general public that the physical control of "dangerous" mental patients remains a central function, and perhaps the only constant function, of public mental health systems.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_csw_faculty_publications-0042
Format: Citation

Title: Chronic Inflammation and Quality of Life in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Biomarkers to Predict Emotional and Relational Outcomes.
Creator: Nowakowski, Alexandra
Abstract/Description: BACKGROUND: This study explores relationships between chronic inflammation and quality of life, making a case for biopsychosocial modeling of these associations. It builds on research from social and clinical disciplines connecting chronic conditions, and inflammatory conditions specifically, to reduced quality of life. METHODS: Data from Wave I of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project are modeled using ordinal logistic and ordinary least-squares regression techniques....
Show moreBACKGROUND: This study explores relationships between chronic inflammation and quality of life, making a case for biopsychosocial modeling of these associations. It builds on research from social and clinical disciplines connecting chronic conditions, and inflammatory conditions specifically, to reduced quality of life. METHODS: Data from Wave I of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project are modeled using ordinal logistic and ordinary least-squares regression techniques. Inflammation is measured using C-reactive protein; quality of life is conceptualized as happiness with life overall as well as intimate relationships specifically. RESULTS: For most NSHAP participants, chronic inflammation significantly predicts lower odds of reporting high QoL on both emotional and relational measures. Social structural factors do not confound these associations. Inconsistent results for participants with very high (over 6 mg/L) CRP measurements suggest additional social influences. CONCLUSIONS: Findings echo strong theoretical justification for investigating relationships between CRP and QoL in greater detail. Further research should explore possible mediation of these associations by sociomedical sequelae of chronic disease as well as social relationship dynamics. Elaboration is also needed on the mechanisms by which social disadvantage may cause chronic inflammation.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0043, 10.1186/s12955-014-0141-0
Format: Citation

Title: Personality and Obesity Across the Adult Life Span.
Creator: Sutin, Angelina, Ferrucci, Luigi, Zonderman, Alan, Terracciano, Antonio
Abstract/Description: Personality traits contribute to health outcomes, in part through their association with major controllable risk factors, such as obesity. Body weight, in turn, reflects our behaviors and lifestyle and contributes to the way we perceive ourselves and others. In this study, the authors use data from a large (N = 1,988) longitudinal study that spanned more than 50 years to examine how personality traits are associated with multiple measures of adiposity and with fluctuations in body mass index ...
Show morePersonality traits contribute to health outcomes, in part through their association with major controllable risk factors, such as obesity. Body weight, in turn, reflects our behaviors and lifestyle and contributes to the way we perceive ourselves and others. In this study, the authors use data from a large (N = 1,988) longitudinal study that spanned more than 50 years to examine how personality traits are associated with multiple measures of adiposity and with fluctuations in body mass index (BMI). Using 14,531 anthropometric assessments, the authors modeled the trajectory of BMI across adulthood and tested whether personality predicted its rate of change. Measured concurrently, participants higher on Neuroticism or Extraversion or lower on Conscientiousness had higher BMI; these associations replicated across body fat, waist, and hip circumference. The strongest association was found for the impulsivity facet: Participants who scored in the top 10% of impulsivity weighed, on average, 11Kg more than those in the bottom 10%. Longitudinally, high Neuroticism and low Conscientiousness, and the facets of these traits related to difficulty with impulse control, were associated with weight fluctuations, measured as the variability in weight over time. Finally, low Agreeableness and impulsivity-related traits predicted a greater increase in BMI across the adult life span. BMI was mostly unrelated to change in personality traits. Personality traits are defined by cognitive, emotional, and behavioral patterns that likely contribute to unhealthy weight and difficulties with weight management. Such associations may elucidate the role of personality traits in disease progression and may help to design more effective interventions.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0016, 10.1037/a0024286
Format: Citation

Title: Personality and Metabolic Syndrome.
Creator: Sutin, Angelina, Costa, Paul, Uda, Manuela, Ferrucci, Luigi, Schlessinger, David, Terracciano, Antonio
Abstract/Description: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome has paralleled the sharp increase in obesity. Given its tremendous physical, emotional, and financial burden, it is of critical importance to identify who is most at risk and the potential points of intervention. Psychological traits, in addition to physiological and social risk factors, may contribute to metabolic syndrome. The objective of the present research is to test whether personality traits are associated with metabolic syndrome in a large...
Show moreThe prevalence of metabolic syndrome has paralleled the sharp increase in obesity. Given its tremendous physical, emotional, and financial burden, it is of critical importance to identify who is most at risk and the potential points of intervention. Psychological traits, in addition to physiological and social risk factors, may contribute to metabolic syndrome. The objective of the present research is to test whether personality traits are associated with metabolic syndrome in a large community sample. Participants (N = 5,662) from Sardinia, Italy, completed a comprehensive personality questionnaire, the NEO-PI-R, and were assessed on all components of metabolic syndrome (waist circumference, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting glucose). Logistic regressions were used to predict metabolic syndrome from personality traits, controlling for age, sex, education, and current smoking status. Among adults over age 45 (n = 2,419), Neuroticism and low Agreeableness were associated with metabolic syndrome, whereas high Conscientiousness was protective. Individuals who scored in the top 10% on Conscientiousness were approximately 40% less likely to have metabolic syndrome (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.41-0.92), whereas those who scored in the lowest 10% on Agreeableness were 50% more likely to have it (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.09-2.16). At the facet level, traits related to impulsivity and hostility were the most strongly associated with metabolic syndrome. The present research indicates that those with fewer psychological resources are more vulnerable to metabolic syndrome and suggests a psychological component to other established risk factors.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0020, 10.1007/s11357-010-9153-9
Format: Citation

Title: Personality Traits Prospectively Predict Verbal Fluency in a Lifespan Sample.
Creator: Sutin, Angelina, Terracciano, Antonio, Kitner-Triolo, Melissa, Uda, Manuela, Schlessinger, David, Zonderman, Alan
Abstract/Description: In a community-dwelling sample (N = 4,790; age range 14-94), we examined whether personality traits prospectively predicted performance on a verbal fluency task. Open, extraverted, and emotionally stable participants had better verbal fluency. At the facet level, dispositionally happy and self-disciplined participants retrieved more words; those prone to anxiety and depression and those who were deliberative retrieved fewer words. Education moderated the association between conscientiousness...
Show moreIn a community-dwelling sample (N = 4,790; age range 14-94), we examined whether personality traits prospectively predicted performance on a verbal fluency task. Open, extraverted, and emotionally stable participants had better verbal fluency. At the facet level, dispositionally happy and self-disciplined participants retrieved more words; those prone to anxiety and depression and those who were deliberative retrieved fewer words. Education moderated the association between conscientiousness and fluency such that participants with lower education performed better on the fluency task if they were also conscientious. Age was not a moderator at the domain level, indicating that the personality-fluency associations were consistent across the life span. A disposition toward emotional vulnerability and being less open, less happy, and undisciplined may be detrimental to cognitive performance.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0015, 10.1037/a0024276
Format: Citation

Title: Personality and Career Success: Concurrent and Longitudinal Relations.
Creator: Sutin, Angelina, Costa, Paul, Miech, Richard, Eaton, William W.
Abstract/Description: The present research addresses the dynamic transaction between extrinsic (occupational prestige, income) and intrinsic (job satisfaction) career success and the Five-Factor Model of personality. Participants (N = 731) completed a comprehensive measure of personality and reported their job title, annual income, and job satisfaction; a subset of these participants (n = 302) provided the same information approximately 10 years later. Measured concurrently, emotionally stable and conscientious...
Show moreThe present research addresses the dynamic transaction between extrinsic (occupational prestige, income) and intrinsic (job satisfaction) career success and the Five-Factor Model of personality. Participants (N = 731) completed a comprehensive measure of personality and reported their job title, annual income, and job satisfaction; a subset of these participants (n = 302) provided the same information approximately 10 years later. Measured concurrently, emotionally stable and conscientious participants reported higher incomes and job satisfaction. Longitudinal analyses revealed that, among younger participants, higher income at baseline predicted decreases in Neuroticism and baseline Extraversion predicted increases in income across the 10 years. Results suggest that the mutual influence of career success and personality is limited to income and occurs early in the career.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0036, 10.1002/per.704
Format: Citation

Title: Perceived Weight Discrimination and Obesity.
Creator: Sutin, Angelina, Terracciano, Antonio
Abstract/Description: Weight discrimination is prevalent in American society. Although associated consistently with psychological and economic outcomes, less is known about whether weight discrimination is associated with longitudinal changes in obesity. The objectives of this research are (1) to test whether weight discrimination is associated with risk of becoming obese (Body Mass Index≥30; BMI) by follow-up among those not obese at baseline, and (2) to test whether weight discrimination is associated with risk...
Show moreWeight discrimination is prevalent in American society. Although associated consistently with psychological and economic outcomes, less is known about whether weight discrimination is associated with longitudinal changes in obesity. The objectives of this research are (1) to test whether weight discrimination is associated with risk of becoming obese (Body Mass Index≥30; BMI) by follow-up among those not obese at baseline, and (2) to test whether weight discrimination is associated with risk of remaining obese at follow-up among those already obese at baseline. Participants were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative longitudinal survey of community-dwelling US residents. A total of 6,157 participants (58.6% female) completed the discrimination measure and had weight and height available from the 2006 and 2010 assessments. Participants who experienced weight discrimination were approximately 2.5 times more likely to become obese by follow-up (OR = 2.54, 95% CI = 1.58–4.08) and participants who were obese at baseline were three times more likely to remain obese at follow up (OR = 3.20, 95% CI = 2.06–4.97) than those who had not experienced such discrimination. These effects held when controlling for demographic factors (age, sex, ethnicity, education) and when baseline BMI was included as a covariate. These effects were also specific to weight discrimination; other forms of discrimination (e.g., sex, race) were unrelated to risk of obesity at follow-up. The present research demonstrates that, in addition to poorer mental health outcomes, weight discrimination has implications for obesity. Rather than motivating individuals to lose weight, weight discrimination increases risk for obesity.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0009, 10.1371/journal.pone.0070048
Format: Citation

Title: Perceptions of Aging Across 26 Cultures and Their Culture-Level Associates.
Creator: Löckenhoff, Corinna, De Fruyt, Filip, Terracciano, Antonio, McCrae, Robert R., De Bolle, Marleen, Costa, Paul, Aguilar-Vafaie, Maria, Ahn, Chang-kyu, Ahn, Hyun-nie, Alcalay,...
Show moreLöckenhoff, Corinna, De Fruyt, Filip, Terracciano, Antonio, McCrae, Robert R., De Bolle, Marleen, Costa, Paul, Aguilar-Vafaie, Maria, Ahn, Chang-kyu, Ahn, Hyun-nie, Alcalay, Lidia, Allik, Jüri, Avdeyeva, Tatyana, Barbaranelli, Claudio, Benet-Martínez, Verónica, Blatný, Marek, Bratko, Denis, Cain, Thomas, Crawford, Jarret, Lima, Margarida, Ficková, Emília, Gheorghiu, Mirona, Halberstadt, Jamin, Hrebícková, Martina, Jussim, Lee J., Klinkosz, Waldemar, Knezević, Goran, de Figueroa, Nora, Martin, Thomas, Marusić, Iris, Mastor, Khairul, Miramontez, Daniel, Nakazato, Katsuharu, Nansubuga, Florence, Pramila, V., Realo, Anu, Rolland, Jean-Pierre, Rossier, Jerome, Schmidt, Vanina, Sekowski, Andrzej, Shakespeare-Finch, Jane, Shimonaka, Yoshiko, Simonetti, Franco, Siuta, Jerzy, Smith, Peter Bevington, Szmigielska, Barbara, Wang, Lei, Yamaguchi, Mami, Yik, Michelle
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Abstract/Description: College students (N=3,435) in 26 cultures reported their perceptions of age-related changes in physical, cognitive, and socioemotional areas of functioning and rated societal views of aging within their culture. There was widespread cross-cultural consensus regarding the expected direction of aging trajectories with (a) perceived declines in societal views of aging, physical attractiveness, the ability to perform everyday tasks, and new learning; (b) perceived increases in wisdom, knowledge,...
Show moreCollege students (N=3,435) in 26 cultures reported their perceptions of age-related changes in physical, cognitive, and socioemotional areas of functioning and rated societal views of aging within their culture. There was widespread cross-cultural consensus regarding the expected direction of aging trajectories with (a) perceived declines in societal views of aging, physical attractiveness, the ability to perform everyday tasks, and new learning; (b) perceived increases in wisdom, knowledge, and received respect; and (c) perceived stability in family authority and life satisfaction. Cross-cultural variations in aging perceptions were associated with culture-level indicators of population aging, education levels, values, and national character stereotypes. These associations were stronger for societal views on aging and perceptions of socioemotional changes than for perceptions of physical and cognitive changes. A consideration of culture-level variables also suggested that previously reported differences in aging perceptions between Asian and Western countries may be related to differences in population structure.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_geriatrics_faculty_publications-0021, 10.1037/a0016901
Format: Citation

Title: Depressive Symptoms Are Associated with Weight Gain Among Women.
Creator: Sutin, Angelina, Zonderman, Alan
Abstract/Description: BACKGROUND: Many studies have linked depression and obesity; few have more than two assessments of depressive symptoms and adiposity to address the potential bidirectional relationship between adiposity and depressive symptoms from young adulthood through old age. We tested whether baseline depressive symptoms are associated with changes in weight, whether baseline adiposity is associated with changes in depressive symptoms, and whether these associations vary by sex.MethodParticipants (n...
Show moreBACKGROUND: Many studies have linked depression and obesity; few have more than two assessments of depressive symptoms and adiposity to address the potential bidirectional relationship between adiposity and depressive symptoms from young adulthood through old age. We tested whether baseline depressive symptoms are associated with changes in weight, whether baseline adiposity is associated with changes in depressive symptoms, and whether these associations vary by sex.MethodParticipants (n=2251; 47% female) were from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) on 30 years of data, the trajectory of adiposity and depressive symptoms over adulthood was estimated from >10 000 observations (mean=4.5 assessments per participant) of body mass index (BMI; kg/m2), waist circumference and hip circumference and >10 000 observations (mean=4.5 assessments per participant) of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Baseline depressive symptoms and adiposity were then tested as predictors of the trajectory of adiposity and depressive symptoms respectively. Additional analyses tested for sex-specific associations. RESULTS: Sex moderated the association between depressive symptoms and weight gain such that women who experienced depressed affect had greater increases in BMI (binteraction=0.12, s.e.=0.04), waist (binteraction=0.22, s.e.=0.10) and hip circumference (binteraction=0.20, s.e.=0.07) across the adult lifespan, controlling for relevant demographic and behavioral covariates. Baseline adiposity was unrelated to the trajectory of depressive symptoms (median b=0.00) for both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: Women who experience symptoms of depression tend to gain more weight across adulthood than men who experience such symptoms. Whether an individual was normal weight or overweight was unrelated to changes in depressive symptoms across adulthood.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0012, 10.1017/S0033291712000566
Format: Citation

Title: Correlates of HPV Knowledge in the Era of HPV Vaccination: A Study of Unvaccinated Young Adult Women.
Creator: Gerend, Mary, Shepherd, Janet
Abstract/Description: Until recently, awareness of the sexually transmitted infection human papillomavirus (HPV)—the virus that causes cervical cancer—was relatively low. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with HPV knowledge now that HPV vaccines have become widely available. Young adult women (n = 739; aged 18-26 years) attending Florida State University who had not yet initiated HPV vaccination completed a survey between March-August 2009. The survey assessed HPV awareness, HPV...
Show moreUntil recently, awareness of the sexually transmitted infection human papillomavirus (HPV)—the virus that causes cervical cancer—was relatively low. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with HPV knowledge now that HPV vaccines have become widely available. Young adult women (n = 739; aged 18-26 years) attending Florida State University who had not yet initiated HPV vaccination completed a survey between March-August 2009. The survey assessed HPV awareness, HPV knowledge, demographics, socio-political variables, sexual history, and health history variables. Over 97% of participants were aware of HPV prior to study enrollment; however, knowledge of HPV was only moderate. A multivariate regression analysis examining factors related to HPV knowledge revealed five independent correlates: Latina ethnicity, premarital sex values, number of lifetime sexual partners, history of cervical dysplasia, and HIV testing. These variables accounted for 14% of the variance in HPV knowledge. Less knowledge was observed for Latinas and women opposed to premarital sex. Greater knowledge was observed for women who had been tested for HIV and women with more sexual partners or a history of cervical dysplasia. These findings can inform future HPV vaccination campaigns and may be particularly useful in developing interventions for individuals with the largest deficits in HPV knowledge.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0008, 10.1080/03630242.2011.540744
Format: Citation

Title: Cross-Cultural Studies of Personality Traits and Their Relevance to Psychiatry.
Creator: Terracciano, Antonio, McCrae, Robert R.
Abstract/Description: AIMS: This article provides a brief review of recent cross-cultural research on personality traits at both individual and culture levels, highlighting the relevance of recent findings for psychiatry. METHOD: In most cultures around the world, personality traits can be clearly summarized by the five broad dimensions of the Five-Factor Model (FFM), which makes it feasible to compare cultures on personality and psychopathology. RESULTS: Maturational patterns and sex differences in personality...
Show moreAIMS: This article provides a brief review of recent cross-cultural research on personality traits at both individual and culture levels, highlighting the relevance of recent findings for psychiatry. METHOD: In most cultures around the world, personality traits can be clearly summarized by the five broad dimensions of the Five-Factor Model (FFM), which makes it feasible to compare cultures on personality and psychopathology. RESULTS: Maturational patterns and sex differences in personality traits generally show cultural invariance, which generates the hypothesis that age of onset, clinical evolution, and sex differences in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders might follow similar universal patterns. The average personality profiles from 51 cultures show meaningful geographical distributions and associations with culture-level variables, but are clearly unrelated to national character stereotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Aggregate personality scores can potentially be related to epidemiological data on psychiatric disorders, and dimensional personality models have implications for psychiatric diagnosis and treatment around the world.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: FSU_migr_geriatrics_faculty_publications-0034
Format: Citation

Title: Autobiographical Memory Phenomenology and Content Mediate Attachment Style and Psychological Distress.
Creator: Sutin, Angelina, Gillath, Omri
Abstract/Description: In two studies, the present research tested the phenomenology and content of autobiographical memory as distinct mediators between attachment avoidance and anxiety and depressive symptoms. In Study 1, participants (N = 454) completed measures of attachment and depressive symptoms in one session, and retrieved and rated two self-defining memories of romantic relationships in a separate session. In Study 2, participants (N = 534) were primed with attachment security, attachment insecurity, or a...
Show moreIn two studies, the present research tested the phenomenology and content of autobiographical memory as distinct mediators between attachment avoidance and anxiety and depressive symptoms. In Study 1, participants (N = 454) completed measures of attachment and depressive symptoms in one session, and retrieved and rated two self-defining memories of romantic relationships in a separate session. In Study 2, participants (N = 534) were primed with attachment security, attachment insecurity, or a control prime and then retrieved and rated a self-defining relationship memory. Memory phenomenology, specifically memory coherence and emotional intensity, mediated the association between attachment avoidance and depressive symptoms, whereas the negative affective content of the memory mediated the association between attachment anxiety and depressive symptoms. Priming attachment security led to retrieval of a more coherent relationship memory, whereas insecurity led to the retrieval of a more incoherent relationship memory. Discussion focuses on the construction and recollection of memories as underlying mechanisms of adult attachment and psychological distress, the importance of memory coherence, and the implications for counseling research and practice.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0034
Format: Citation

Title: The Effect of Birth Cohort on Well-Being: The Legacy of Economic Hard Times.
Creator: Sutin, Angelina, Terracciano, Antonio, Milaneschi, Yuri, An, Yang, Ferrucci, Luigi, Zonderman, Alan
Abstract/Description: In the present research, we examined the effects of age, cohort, and time of measurement on well-being across adulthood. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of two independent samples-one with more than 10,000 repeated assessments across 30 years (mean assessments per participant = 4.44, SD = 3.47) and one with nationally representative data-suggested that well-being declines with age. This decline, however, reversed when we controlled for birth cohort. That is, once we accounted for...
Show moreIn the present research, we examined the effects of age, cohort, and time of measurement on well-being across adulthood. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of two independent samples-one with more than 10,000 repeated assessments across 30 years (mean assessments per participant = 4.44, SD = 3.47) and one with nationally representative data-suggested that well-being declines with age. This decline, however, reversed when we controlled for birth cohort. That is, once we accounted for the fact that older cohorts had lower levels of well-being, all cohorts increased in well-being with age relative to their own baseline. Participants tested more recently had higher well-being, but time of measurement, unlike cohort, did not change the shape of the trajectory. Although well-being increased with age for everyone, cohorts that lived through the economic challenges of the early 20th century had lower well-being than those born during more prosperous times.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0010, 10.1177/0956797612459658
Format: Citation

Title: Variants of the Serotonin Transporter Gene and NEO-PI-R Neuroticism: No Association in the BLSA and SardiNIA Samples.
Creator: Terracciano, Antonio, Balaci, Lenuta, Thayer, Jason, Scally, Matthew, Kokinos, Sarah, Ferrucci, Luigi, Tanaka, Toshiko, Zonderman, Alan, Sanna, Serena, Olla, Nazario, Zuncheddu,...
Show moreTerracciano, Antonio, Balaci, Lenuta, Thayer, Jason, Scally, Matthew, Kokinos, Sarah, Ferrucci, Luigi, Tanaka, Toshiko, Zonderman, Alan, Sanna, Serena, Olla, Nazario, Zuncheddu, Maria, Naitza, Silvia, Busonero, Fabio, Uda, Manuela, Schlessinger, David, Abecasis, Gonçalo, Costa, Paul
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Abstract/Description: The polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene promoter region (5-HTTLPR) is by far the most studied variant hypothesized to influence Neuroticism-related personality traits. The results of previous studies have been mixed and appear moderated by the personality questionnaire used. Studies that used the TCI to assess Harm Avoidance or the EPQ to assess Neuroticism have found no association with the 5-HTTLPR. However, studies that used the NEO-PI-R or related instruments (NEO-PI, NEO-FFI)...
Show moreThe polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene promoter region (5-HTTLPR) is by far the most studied variant hypothesized to influence Neuroticism-related personality traits. The results of previous studies have been mixed and appear moderated by the personality questionnaire used. Studies that used the TCI to assess Harm Avoidance or the EPQ to assess Neuroticism have found no association with the 5-HTTLPR. However, studies that used the NEO-PI-R or related instruments (NEO-PI, NEO-FFI) to measure Neuroticism have found some evidence of association. This study examines the association of variants in the serotonin transporter gene in a sample from a genetically isolated population within Sardinia (Italy) that is several times larger than previous samples that used the NEO-PI-R (N = 3,913). The association was also tested in a sample (N = 548) from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), in which repeated NEO-PI-R assessments were obtained. In the SardiNIA sample, we found no significant association of the 5-HTTLPR genotypes with Neuroticism or its facets (Anxiety, Angry-Hostility, Depression, Self-Consciousness, Impulsiveness, and Vulnerability). In the BLSA sample, we found lower scores on Neuroticism traits for the heterozygous group, which is inconsistent with previous studies. We also examined eight SNPs in the SardiNIA (N = 3,972) and nine SNPs in the BLSA (N = 1,182) that map within or near the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4), and found no association. Along with other large studies that used different phenotypic measures and found no association, this study substantially increases the evidence against a link between 5-HTT variants and Neuroticism-related traits.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_geriatrics_faculty_publications-0022, 10.1002/ajmg.b.30932
Format: Citation

Title: What Are the Most Effective Methods for Managing General Psychosocial Stress?.
Creator: Rodby, Katherine, Rodríguez, Jose
Abstract/Description: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), cognitive-behavioral stress reduction (CBSR), and somatic relaxation are all effective therapies for psychosocial stress. Exercise also reduces stress and improves mental health (SOR B, based on small randomized controlled trials [RCTs]). Anxiolytic agents and antidepressants may be used in refractory cases. (SOR C, expert opinion.)
Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_fmr-0011
Format: Citation

Title: Plasma BDNF Concentration, Val66Met Genetic Variant and Depression-Related Personality Traits.
Creator: Terracciano, Antonio, Martin, B., Ansari, D., Tanaka, Toshiko, Ferrucci, Luigi, Maudsley, S., Mattson, M., Costa, Paul
Abstract/Description: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis, and BDNF plasma and serum levels have been associated with depression, Alzheimer's disease, and other psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. In a relatively large community sample, drawn from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), we examine whether BDNF plasma concentration is associated with the Val66Met functional polymorphism of the BDNF gene (n = 335) and with depression-related...
Show moreBrain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis, and BDNF plasma and serum levels have been associated with depression, Alzheimer's disease, and other psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. In a relatively large community sample, drawn from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), we examine whether BDNF plasma concentration is associated with the Val66Met functional polymorphism of the BDNF gene (n = 335) and with depression-related personality traits assessed with the NEO-PI-R (n = 391). Plasma concentration of BDNF was not associated with the Val66Met variant in either men or women. However, in men, but not in women, BDNF plasma level was associated with personality traits linked to depression. Contrary to the notion that low BDNF is associated with negative outcomes, we found lower plasma levels in men who score lower on depression and vulnerability to stress (two facets of Neuroticism) and higher on Conscientiousness and Extraversion. These findings challenge the prevailing hypothesis that lower peripheral levels of BDNF are a marker of depression.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_geriatrics_faculty_publications-0016, 10.1111/j.1601-183X.2010.00579.x
Format: Citation

Title: Sex-Specific Correlates of Walking Speed in a Wide Age-Ranged Population.
Creator: Tolea, Magdalena, Costa, Paul, Terracciano, Antonio, Griswold, Michael, Simonsick, Eleanor M., Najjar, Samer, Scuteri, Angelo, Deiana, Barbara, Orrù, Marco, Masala, Marco, Uda,...
Show moreTolea, Magdalena, Costa, Paul, Terracciano, Antonio, Griswold, Michael, Simonsick, Eleanor M., Najjar, Samer, Scuteri, Angelo, Deiana, Barbara, Orrù, Marco, Masala, Marco, Uda, Manuela, Schlessinger, David, Ferrucci, Luigi
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Abstract/Description: The goals of this cross-sectional study were to explore correlates of walking speed in a large wide age-ranged population and to identify factors affecting lower walking speed at older ages. Participants were 3,872 community-dwelling adults in the first follow-up of the SardiNIA study who completed a 4-m walking test. Sex-specific correlates of walking speed included marital status, height, waist circumference, pulse wave velocity, comorbidity, subjective health, strength, and personality....
Show moreThe goals of this cross-sectional study were to explore correlates of walking speed in a large wide age-ranged population and to identify factors affecting lower walking speed at older ages. Participants were 3,872 community-dwelling adults in the first follow-up of the SardiNIA study who completed a 4-m walking test. Sex-specific correlates of walking speed included marital status, height, waist circumference, pulse wave velocity, comorbidity, subjective health, strength, and personality. Effect modifiers of the age-walking speed association included extraversion (<55 >years, p = .019) and education (<55 >years, p = .021; > or =55 years, p = .012) in women, and openness (<55 >years, p = .005), waist circumference (<55 >years, p = .010), and subjective health (<55 >years, p = .014) in men. The strong impact of personality suggests that certain personality traits may be associated with behaviors that affect physical performance and condition the reduced mobility mostly at younger ages. If these patterns are confirmed in longitudinal studies, personality may be an important target for prevention.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_geriatrics_faculty_publications-0020, 10.1093/geronb/gbp130
Format: Citation

Title: Trait Antagonism and the Progression of Arterial Thickening: Women with Antagonistic Traits Have Similar Carotid Arterial Thickness as Men.
Creator: Sutin, Angelina, Scuteri, Angelo, Lakatta, Edward, Tarasov, Kirill, Ferrucci, Luigi, Costa, Paul, Schlessinger, David, Uda, Manuela, Terracciano, Antonio
Abstract/Description: A large body of evidence links antagonism-related traits with cardiovascular outcomes, but less is known about how psychological traits are associated with intermediate markers of cardiovascular disease. Using a large, community-based sample from Sardinia, Italy (n=5614), this study examined how trait antagonism (low agreeableness) and its facets are associated with carotid artery intima-media thickness, a measure of arterial thickening. Controlling for demographic and cardiovascular risk...
Show moreA large body of evidence links antagonism-related traits with cardiovascular outcomes, but less is known about how psychological traits are associated with intermediate markers of cardiovascular disease. Using a large, community-based sample from Sardinia, Italy (n=5614), this study examined how trait antagonism (low agreeableness) and its facets are associated with carotid artery intima-media thickness, a measure of arterial thickening. Controlling for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors, low agreeableness and, in particular, low straightforwardness and low compliance, were associated with greater carotid thickening, measured concurrently and prospectively, and with increases in intima-media thickness over 3 years. Indeed, those in the bottom 10% of agreeableness had a 40% increase in risk for elevated intima-media thickness. Although men have thicker arterial walls, women with antagonistic traits had similar carotid thickening as antagonistic men. Antagonistic individuals, especially those who are manipulative and aggressive, have greater increases in arterial thickening, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0022, 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.110.155317
Format: Citation

Title: Trait Dissociation and the Subjective Affective, Motivational, and Phenomenological Experience of Self-Defining Memories.
Creator: Sutin, Angelina, Stockdale, Gary
Abstract/Description: The present research reports 2 studies that examine the relation between nonpathological trait dissociation and the subjective affect, motivation, and phenomenology of self-defining memories. In Study 1 (N=293), participants retrieved and rated the emotional and motivational experience of a general and a positive and negative achievement-related memory. Study 2 (N=449) extended these ratings to relationship-related memories and the phenomenological experience of the memory. Dissociation was...
Show moreThe present research reports 2 studies that examine the relation between nonpathological trait dissociation and the subjective affect, motivation, and phenomenology of self-defining memories. In Study 1 (N=293), participants retrieved and rated the emotional and motivational experience of a general and a positive and negative achievement-related memory. Study 2 (N=449) extended these ratings to relationship-related memories and the phenomenological experience of the memory. Dissociation was associated with incongruent affect in valenced memories (e.g., positive affect in a negative memory) and memories that were visually incoherent and saturated with power motivation, hubristic pride, and shame, regardless of valence or domain. The present findings demonstrate that autobiographical memories, which integrate emotional, motivational, and phenomenological components, reflect the emotional and motivational processes inherent to dissociation.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_mhs-0017, 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2010.00708.x
Format: Citation

Title: Smoking and the Five-Factor Model of Personality.
Creator: Terracciano, Antonio, Costa, Paul
Abstract/Description: AIMS: Investigating the association between personality traits and smoking status using a comprehensive model of personality, the Five-Factor Model (FFM). DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. Setting Baltimore, MD, USA. Participants Adult elderly Americans (n = 1638). MEASUREMENTS: A self-administered survey on cigarette smoking and the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R). FINDINGS: Current smokers scored higher than never smokers on neuroticism and lower on agreeableness and...
Show moreAIMS: Investigating the association between personality traits and smoking status using a comprehensive model of personality, the Five-Factor Model (FFM). DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. Setting Baltimore, MD, USA. Participants Adult elderly Americans (n = 1638). MEASUREMENTS: A self-administered survey on cigarette smoking and the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R). FINDINGS: Current smokers scored higher than never smokers on neuroticism and lower on agreeableness and conscientiousness; former smokers scored intermediate on these higher-order dimensions. Neuroticism was related to smoking particularly among individuals with low conscientiousness, as indicated by an interaction effect between the two factors. There were no differences on extraversion and openness to experience. At the lower-order facet level, smokers were characterized by inability to resist cravings (high impulsiveness), search for stimulation (high excitement-seeking), lack of perseverance (low self-discipline) and lack of careful consideration of the consequences of their actions (low deliberation). CONCLUSIONS: At the higher-order factor level, this study replicates and extends previous studies using a comprehensive model of personality (FFM). The greater specificity provided by the facet-level analysis appears to explain some of the conflicting results in the literature, and the use of an older sample provides insight especially into the former smokers group. Personality research may lead to a deeper understanding of cigarette smoking and can potentially contribute to policies and programs of smoking prevention and cessation.
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: FSU_migr_geriatrics_faculty_publications-0039, 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2004.00687.x
Format: Citation

Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine (17)	+ -
Department of Geriatrics (7)	+ -
College of Social Work (4)	+ -
Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health (1)	+ -

Mental health (29)	+ -
Psychology (26)	+ -
Medical sciences (25)	+ -
Psychiatry (21)	+ -
Personality (12)	+ -

Social aspects (12)	+ -
Human behavior (11)	+ -
Social sciences (10)	+ -
Mental illness (7)	+ -
Diseases (6)	+ -
Geriatrics (6)	+ -
Genetics (4)	+ -
Genomics (4)	+ -
Health (4)	+ -
Medical genetics (4)	+ -
Medicine (4)	+ -
Metabolism (4)	+ -
Public health (4)	+ -
Social service (4)	+ -
Behavior (3)	+ -
Disorders (3)	+ -
Health and hygiene (3)	+ -
Physiology (3)	+ -
Women (3)	+ -
Biochemistry (2)	+ -
Civilization (2)	+ -
Cognition (2)	+ -
Ethnology (2)	+ -
Medicine and the humanities (2)	+ -

Terracciano, Antonio (17)	+ -
Sutin, Angelina (15)	+ -
Costa, Paul (10)	+ -
Ferrucci, Luigi (10)	+ -
Schlessinger, David (10)	+ -

Uda, Manuela (9)	+ -
Zonderman, Alan (7)	+ -
Gomory, Tomi (4)	+ -
Sanna, Serena (4)	+ -
Cannas, Alessandra (3)	+ -
Tanaka, Toshiko (3)	+ -
Abecasis, Gonçalo (2)	+ -
Cohen, David (2)	+ -
Crisponi, Laura (2)	+ -
Deiana, Barbara (2)	+ -
Kirk, Stuart A. (2)	+ -
Lobina, Monia (2)	+ -
McCrae, Robert R. (2)	+ -
Meirelles, Osorio (2)	+ -
Milaneschi, Yuri (2)	+ -
Mulas, Antonella (2)	+ -
Piras, Maria (2)	+ -
Realo, Anu (2)	+ -
Scuteri, Angelo (2)	+ -
Aguilar-Vafaie, Maria (1)	+ -
Ahn, Chang-kyu (1)	+ -
Ahn, Hyun-nie (1)	+ -
Alcalay, Lidia (1)	+ -
Allik, Jüri (1)	+ -
An, Yang (1)	+ -

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