Center for Behavioral Health and Technology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia, School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Aging Ment Health. 2020 Aug;24(8):1237-1245. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2019.1594158. Epub 2019 Apr 3.
Despite widespread agreement that personality traits change across the lifespan into older adulthood, the association between changes in personality and depression among older adult cancer survivors is unknown. It was hypothesized that older adults with (vs. without) a past cancer diagnosis would experience an increase in neuroticism, and decreases in conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness, and extraversion, and that changes in these traits would mediate the relationship between receiving a cancer diagnosis and change in depression. Two hypotheses were tested in a cancer survivor sample. First, that increased chronic stressors and decreased physical health would mediate the link between personality change and increased depression. Second, that personality change would mediate the link between changes in chronic stressors/health and increased depression. Secondary data analysis utilizing three waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study. Data was compiled from 5,217 participants, among whom 707 received a cancer diagnosis. Older adults with (vs. without) a cancer diagnosis decreased in conscientiousness, which was associated with increased depression. Among cancer survivors, worsening chronic stressors/health mediated many pathways between personality change and an increased depression. Increased neuroticism mediated the link between worsening health/chronic stressors and increased depression. With the exception of conscientiousness, changes in personality did not mediate the link between cancer survivor status and depression. Among older adult cancer survivors, changes in personality traits may increase depression through worsening physical health and chronic stressors, potentially informing targeted interventions. Interventions that target increased neuroticism may be particularly useful in older adult cancer survivors.
尽管普遍认为人格特质会随着年龄的增长而在老年期发生变化，但人格变化与老年癌症幸存者抑郁之间的关联尚不清楚。研究假设，与没有癌症病史的老年人相比，患有（vs. 没有）过去癌症诊断的老年人会表现出神经质的增加，以及责任心、宜人性、开放性和外向性的降低，并且这些特质的变化将调节癌症诊断与抑郁变化之间的关系。在癌症幸存者样本中检验了两个假设。首先，慢性压力源的增加和身体健康状况的下降将调节人格变化与抑郁增加之间的联系。其次，人格变化将调节慢性压力源/健康变化与抑郁增加之间的联系。利用健康与退休研究的三个时间点的数据进行二次数据分析。数据来自 5217 名参与者，其中 707 人被诊断患有癌症。与没有癌症诊断的老年人相比，有癌症诊断的老年人的责任心降低，这与抑郁增加有关。在癌症幸存者中，慢性压力源/健康状况的恶化介导了人格变化与抑郁增加之间的许多途径。神经质的增加介导了健康/慢性压力源恶化与抑郁增加之间的联系。除了责任心之外，人格变化并没有调节癌症幸存者身份和抑郁之间的联系。在老年癌症幸存者中，人格特质的变化可能会通过身体健康状况恶化和慢性压力源的增加导致抑郁，这可能为有针对性的干预提供信息。针对神经质增加的干预措施可能对老年癌症幸存者特别有用。
