Mechanisms of health: Education and health-related behaviours partially mediate the relationship between conscientiousness and self-reported physical health.
The personality trait of conscientiousness is an important predictor of health and longevity. The present research examined how conscientiousness, in combination with educational attainment and health-related behaviours, predicted self-reported physical health across adulthood. These relations were investigated in two studies, one using a large, representative sample of Illinois residents (N = 617) and the other using a community sample with a multi-method assessment of conscientiousness (N = 274). Across both studies, structural path analyses provided evidence for a model wherein conscientiousness predicted health, in part, through its relationship to both educational attainment and health-related behaviours. The findings suggest conscientiousness predicts health through a diverse set of mechanisms including, but not limited to, educational attainment and health-related behaviours.
Lodi-Smith
Jennifer
J
Center for BrainHealth, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, 75235, USA. jls1179@utdallas.edu
Jackson
Joshua
J
Bogg
Tim
T
Walton
Kate
K
Wood
Dustin
D
Harms
Peter
P
Roberts
Brent W
BW
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D055815:Young Adult