Is personality associated with dementia risk? A meta-analytic investigation.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
PubMed 33561581 · doi:10.1016/j.arr.2021.101269
What was done
Authors conducted five separate meta-analyses following MOOSE guidelines to assess prospective links between Big Five personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness) and incident Alzheimer's disease and related dementias across 8 to 12 cohort samples (N = 30,036 to 33,054). Meta-regressions tested whether effects varied by dementia assessment method, subtype, follow-up duration, age, minority status, country, or personality measure.
What was found
Higher neuroticism was associated with higher dementia risk (HR = 1.24, 95% CI [1.17, 1.31]) and higher conscientiousness was associated with lower risk (HR = 0.77, 95% CI [0.73, 0.81]), both remaining significant after adjusting for covariates such as depressive symptoms. Higher extraversion (HR = 0.92, 95% CI [0.86, 0.97]), openness (HR = 0.91, 95% CI [0.86, 0.96]), and agreeableness (HR = 0.90, 95% CI [0.83, 0.98]) were associated with lower risk in unadjusted models but were not significant in fully adjusted models. No publication bias was observed.
Why it matters
This meta-analysis demonstrates that neuroticism and conscientiousness are reliable prospective indicators of dementia risk across diverse populations, persisting independently of depressive symptoms.
Limits
All synthesized data derive from observational cohorts, preventing direct causal inference. Unmeasured confounding and reverse causality from prodromal dementia stages cannot be excluded. Associations for extraversion, openness, and agreeableness were not robust in fully adjusted models, and associations for extraversion and agreeableness varied significantly by country.
Cited by
- contradicts Engaging in new hobbies and maintaining openness or curiosity is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia after correcting for confounding factors.