title: Personality traits and childhood trauma as correlates of metabolic risk factors: the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Personality and childhood trauma may affect cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, evidence for an association with metabolic risk factors for CVD is limited and ambiguous. Moreover, despite their interrelatedness, personality and childhood trauma were not yet studied simultaneously. Therefore, we aimed to explore whether personality and childhood trauma are correlates of metabolic risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Among 2755 participants of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), we investigated through linear regression models whether Big Five personality traits (i.e., extraversion, openness, agreeableness, neuroticism and conscientiousness) and childhood trauma type (i.e., emotional neglect, and psychological, physical and sexual abuse) were correlates of metabolic risk factors (i.e., lipids, waist circumference (WC), glucose and blood pressure). Basic covariates (i.e., age, sex and income level), lifestyle, severity of depressive symptoms and years of education were taken into account.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Openness was the most robust favorable correlate, and sexual abuse was the most robust unfavorable correlate of lipids and WC, and of overall metabolic risk (β=-.070; p<.001 and β=.035; p=.04, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  People with a low openness trait and those who experienced childhood sexual abuse are at higher risk of dyslipidemia and abdominal obesity.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands. akbvanreedtdortland@lumc.nl
authors: Arianne K B
authors: AK
authors: van Reedt Dortland
authors: Erik J
authors: EJ
authors: Giltay
authors: Tineke
authors: T
authors: van Veen
authors: Frans G
authors: FG
authors: Zitman
authors: Brenda W J H
authors: BW
authors: Penninx
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult