title: Similar associations between personality dimensions and anxiety or depressive disorders in a population study of Turkish-Dutch, Moroccan-Dutch, and native Dutch subjects.
abstract: It is well established that personality traits are associated with anxiety and depressive disorders in Western populations, but it is not known whether this is true also for people from non-Western cultures. In this study, we examined whether ethnicity moderates the association between personality dimensions and anxiety or depressive disorders or symptoms. In a random urban population sample, stratified by ethnicity, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, we interviewed 309 native Dutch subjects, 203 Turkish-Dutch subjects, and 170 Moroccan-Dutch subjects. Dimensions of personality were measured using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. Anxiety and depressive disorders and symptom levels were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. The association between personality factors and disorders or symptoms of anxiety and depression was very similar in the three ethnic groups: all show the typical profile of high neuroticism and low extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness.
authors.affiliation: Altrecht Institute for Mental Health Care, Utrecht, The Netherlands. a.schrier@altrecht.nl
authors.forename: Agnes C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Schrier
authors.forename: Matty A S
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: de Wit
authors.forename: Anneke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krol
authors.forename: Thijs J L
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Fassaert
authors.forename: Arnoud P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Verhoeff
authors.forename: Ralph W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Kupka
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.forename: Aartjan T F
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Beekman
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D057189:Checklist; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009018:Morocco / Q000208:ethnology; D009426:Netherlands; D000075384:Neuroticism; D010551:Personality; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010555:Personality Inventory; D014421:Turkey / Q000208:ethnology