Sutin Angelina R, Stephan Yannick, Terracciano Antonio
Florida State University College of Medicine.
University of Montpellier.
Eur J Pers. 2016 Sep-Oct;30(5):484-491. doi: 10.1002/per.2030. Epub 2016 Oct 16.
Five Factor Model (FFM) personality traits are implicated in long-term health-risk behaviors and outcomes. Less research has addressed how early-life experiences are associated with individual differences in these traits in adulthood. We examine whether having been breastfed is associated with adult personality and well-being in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. At Wave 1, caregivers reported whether the target child had been breastfed. At Wave 4, participants (=13,113; 53% female; =28.98) completed measures of psychological functioning. We tested for mean-level differences in the traits by breastfeeding status (yes/no) and by the duration of breastfeeding, controlling for basic demographic factors and early-life factors that could confound the breastfeeding-personality association (e.g., mother education). Participants who had been breastfed scored lower in neuroticism, anxiety, and hostility and higher in openness and optimism than those not breastfed. A curvilinear relation suggested that neuroticism was lowest for those breastfed for 9-12 months and highest for those either breastfed for >24 months or exclusively bottle-fed. Breastfeeding was unrelated to conscientiousness or state psychological functioning. This research suggests long-term psychological benefits to breastfeeding and indicates that early life experiences are associated with traits that are consequential for adult health.
五因素模型（FFM）人格特质与长期健康风险行为及结果有关。较少有研究探讨早期生活经历如何与成年后这些特质的个体差异相关。在“青少年到成人健康全国纵向研究”中，我们考察了母乳喂养是否与成人的人格及幸福感相关。在第1波调查中，照料者报告目标儿童是否曾接受母乳喂养。在第4波调查中，参与者（n = 13113；53%为女性；年龄 = 28.98岁）完成了心理功能测量。我们通过母乳喂养状况（是/否）和母乳喂养时长，对基本人口统计学因素以及可能混淆母乳喂养与人格关联的早期生活因素（如母亲教育程度）进行控制，测试了这些特质的平均水平差异。曾接受母乳喂养的参与者在神经质、焦虑和敌意方面得分较低，在开放性和乐观性方面得分较高，相比未接受母乳喂养的参与者。一种曲线关系表明，母乳喂养9 - 12个月者的神经质水平最低，母乳喂养超过24个月或完全瓶喂者的神经质水平最高。母乳喂养与尽责性或状态心理功能无关。这项研究表明母乳喂养具有长期的心理益处，并表明早期生活经历与对成人健康有重要影响的特质相关。
