Cross-sectional age differences in personality among medicare patients aged 65 to 100.
1,084 older Medicare recipients were orally administered the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1992). Participants were assigned to groups based on gender and age (65-79 or 80-100). An analysis of covariance showed that women had significantly higher Neuroticism, Openness, and Agreeableness scores; that older participants were significantly higher in Agreeableness; and that age differences in Agreeableness were significantly greater in men than in women. With the exception of Agreeableness, this study provides no evidence for age differences among those in the last decades of life.
Weiss
Alexander
A
Laboratory of Personality and Cognition, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Baltimore, MD 21224-6825, USA. weissal@grc.nia.nih.gov
Costa
Paul T
PT
Karuza
Jurgis
J
Duberstein
Paul R
PR
Friedman
Bruce
B
McCrae
Robert R
RR
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012737:Sex Factors