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Neuroticism, cognitive ability, and the metabolic syndrome: the Vietnam experience study

Neuroticism, cognitive ability, and the metabolic syndrome: the Vietnam experience study
Neuroticism, cognitive ability, and the metabolic syndrome: the Vietnam experience study
Objectives: The purpose of this study is to explore the association of neuroticism with the metabolic syndrome, separate components of the metabolic syndrome, and the number of components of metabolic syndrome an individual possesses. The purpose of this study is to examine also the extent to which any associations are accounted for by sociodemographic factors, health behaviors, and cognitive ability.

Method: Participants were 4208 men drawn from the Vietnam Experience Study. From military archives, and a later telephone interview and psychological and medical examination, sociodemographic, health behavior, cognitive ability, neuroticism, and health data were collected. Neuroticism and cognitive ability were assessed with standardized tests during the medical examination. Presence of the metabolic syndrome was based on body mass index, fasting blood glucose or a diagnosis of diabetes, high blood pressure or taking antihypertensive medication, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.

Results: Neuroticism was positively associated with the occurrence of the metabolic syndrome and several of its components in both age-, and sociodemographic- and health behavior-adjusted analyses. Many associations were accounted for by individual difference in cognitive ability. Neuroticism was robustly associated with the number of components of the metabolic syndrome after adjustment.

Conclusions: Individuals with higher neuroticism scores had a higher prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and a larger number of its components. On the whole, differences in cognitive ability appeared to partially mediate the relationship between neuroticism and the metabolic syndrome.

cognitive ability, the metabolic syndrome, neuroticism, socioeconomic status, health behaviors, veterans
0022-3999
193-201
Phillips, Anna C.
d007c34d-e3b8-4a33-9608-841383e54e47
Batty, G. David
605ce199-493d-4238-b9c8-a2c076672e83
Weiss, Alexander
c6f42bcd-c721-4862-9d31-7ee4598aa4d7
Deary, Ian J.
027158ae-fbfb-40ea-98b1-32d2690499ac
Gale, Catherine R.
5bb2abb3-7b53-42d6-8aa7-817e193140c8
Thomas, G. Neil
235880ad-12bf-4123-bd5d-039503294cce
Carroll, Douglas
713a28c3-4e36-4dd8-aabe-1b5e93de8045
Phillips, Anna C.
d007c34d-e3b8-4a33-9608-841383e54e47
Batty, G. David
605ce199-493d-4238-b9c8-a2c076672e83
Weiss, Alexander
c6f42bcd-c721-4862-9d31-7ee4598aa4d7
Deary, Ian J.
027158ae-fbfb-40ea-98b1-32d2690499ac
Gale, Catherine R.
5bb2abb3-7b53-42d6-8aa7-817e193140c8
Thomas, G. Neil
235880ad-12bf-4123-bd5d-039503294cce
Carroll, Douglas
713a28c3-4e36-4dd8-aabe-1b5e93de8045

Phillips, Anna C., Batty, G. David, Weiss, Alexander, Deary, Ian J., Gale, Catherine R., Thomas, G. Neil and Carroll, Douglas (2010) Neuroticism, cognitive ability, and the metabolic syndrome: the Vietnam experience study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 69 (2), 193-201. (doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.01.016).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to explore the association of neuroticism with the metabolic syndrome, separate components of the metabolic syndrome, and the number of components of metabolic syndrome an individual possesses. The purpose of this study is to examine also the extent to which any associations are accounted for by sociodemographic factors, health behaviors, and cognitive ability.

Method: Participants were 4208 men drawn from the Vietnam Experience Study. From military archives, and a later telephone interview and psychological and medical examination, sociodemographic, health behavior, cognitive ability, neuroticism, and health data were collected. Neuroticism and cognitive ability were assessed with standardized tests during the medical examination. Presence of the metabolic syndrome was based on body mass index, fasting blood glucose or a diagnosis of diabetes, high blood pressure or taking antihypertensive medication, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.

Results: Neuroticism was positively associated with the occurrence of the metabolic syndrome and several of its components in both age-, and sociodemographic- and health behavior-adjusted analyses. Many associations were accounted for by individual difference in cognitive ability. Neuroticism was robustly associated with the number of components of the metabolic syndrome after adjustment.

Conclusions: Individuals with higher neuroticism scores had a higher prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and a larger number of its components. On the whole, differences in cognitive ability appeared to partially mediate the relationship between neuroticism and the metabolic syndrome.

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More information

Published date: August 2010
Keywords: cognitive ability, the metabolic syndrome, neuroticism, socioeconomic status, health behaviors, veterans
Organisations: Health Sciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 162435
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/162435
ISSN: 0022-3999
PURE UUID: 67370d0c-4e73-450a-a53e-2407a3bc997e
ORCID for Catherine R. Gale: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3361-8638

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 20 Aug 2010 12:25
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:38

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Contributors

Author: Anna C. Phillips
Author: G. David Batty
Author: Alexander Weiss
Author: Ian J. Deary
Author: G. Neil Thomas
Author: Douglas Carroll

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