title: Perceived social support predicts increased conscientiousness during older adulthood.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined whether perceived social support predicted adaptive personality change in older adulthood, focusing on the trait of conscientiousness. We tested this hypothesis both at the broad domain level and with respect to the specific lower order facets that comprise conscientiousness: order, self-control, industriousness, responsibility, and traditionalism.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 143 older adults (aged 60-91) completed measures of conscientiousness and social support during 2 assessments 7 months apart.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Social support and conscientiousness were positively correlated among older adults. Moreover, older adults who perceived greater social support at baseline were more likely to gain in conscientiousness over time. The magnitude of this effect was relatively similar across the order, self-control, and industriousness facets.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perceived social support provides multiple benefits later in life, and the current results add to this literature by showing that it also promotes conscientiousness. As conscientiousness is linked to a variety of positive outcomes later in life, including health, future research should examine whether conscientiousness change may be an important mechanism through which social support enhances resilience in older adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Patrick_Hill@Carleton.ca.
authors.forename: Patrick L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
authors.forename: Brennan R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: Joshua J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A L
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Stine-Morrow
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and.
authors.forename: Brent W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003242:Conscience; D005260:Female; D006803:Human Development / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012938:Social Perception; D012944:Social Support
keywords: Conscientiousness; Older adulthood; Personality development.; Social support