Personality predictors of dementia diagnosis and neuropathological burden: An individual participant data meta-analysis.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Individual participant data meta-analysis of prospective observational cohort studies
PubMed 38018701 · doi:10.1002/alz.13523
What was done
An individual participant data meta-analysis was conducted using data from 8 independent prospective studies (total N = 44,531; dementia cases N = 1,703; baseline mean age range = 49 to 81 years; 26% to 61% female; mean follow-up range = 3.53 to 21.00 years). Bayesian multilevel models tested whether the Big Five personality traits and subjective well-being (SWB) differentially predicted clinical dementia diagnosis and autopsy-confirmed dementia neuropathological burden.
What was found
High neuroticism, high negative affect, low conscientiousness, low extraversion, and low positive affect were associated with increased risk of long-term dementia diagnosis, holding across both self-report and clinical diagnoses. There were no consistent associations between psychological factors and neuropathology at autopsy, although individuals with higher conscientiousness without a dementia diagnosis had less neuropathology. Specific effect sizes and numerical risk ratios were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
These findings suggest that personality traits and well-being primarily influence the clinical expression of dementia and cognitive resilience rather than the underlying accumulation of neuropathological disease.
Limits
All included data are observational, leaving potential for residual confounding and reverse causation. Exact numerical effect sizes, credible intervals, and sample sizes for the autopsy subcohort were not reported in the abstract.
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.