Liao Yanming, Xiao Shujuan, Zheng Xiao, Li Xinru, Xue Benli, Yang Lingli, Zhang Mengjie, Li Qiyu, Wu Yibo, Zhang Chichen
School of Health Management, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Sciences of Colleges and Universities in Guangdong Province for Collaborative Innovation of Health Management Policy and Precision Health Service, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Apr 22;25(1):1479. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22449-1.
This study aims to examine the personality trait patterns of older adults, investigate the influence of personality traits on their mental health, and explore the mediating role of social support in the relationship among personality trait patterns, personality traits and mental health.
This study utilized a cross-sectional design, with 4,197 participants from the psychology and behavior investigation of Chinese residents in 2022 (PBICR2022). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted to identify distinct personality profiles, and multiple linear regression and mediation analyses were performed to examine the relationships among personality trait patterns, personality traits, social support, and mental health.
The LPA identified four distinct personality profiles among older adults. Multiple linear regression revealed that Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness were positively associated with better mental health, whereas Neuroticism was negatively associated with mental health. Social support was found to partially mediate the effects of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Agreeable-Conscientious Personality and Extraverted-Low Neuroticism Personality on mental health and to fully mediate the effect of Openness and Extraverted-Conscientious Personality.
The study's cross-sectional design limits the ability to draw causal inferences about the relationships among personality traits, social support, and mental health. Additionally, the reliance on self-reported measures may introduce bias.
This study demonstrated that personality traits and social support are crucial determinants of mental health in older adults. Social support plays a significant mediating role, suggesting that interventions aimed at enhancing social networks could be particularly effective in improving mental health for older adults.
本研究旨在考察老年人的人格特质模式，探究人格特质对其心理健康的影响，并探讨社会支持在人格特质模式、人格特质与心理健康之间关系中的中介作用。
本研究采用横断面设计，数据来自2022年中国居民心理与行为调查（PBICR2022）中的4197名参与者。进行潜在剖面分析（LPA）以识别不同的人格剖面，并进行多元线性回归和中介分析，以考察人格特质模式、人格特质、社会支持和心理健康之间的关系。
LPA在老年人中识别出四种不同的人格剖面。多元线性回归显示，外向性、宜人性、尽责性和开放性与较好的心理健康呈正相关，而神经质与心理健康呈负相关。研究发现，社会支持部分中介了外向性、宜人性、尽责性、神经质、宜人-尽责人格和外向-低神经质人格对心理健康的影响，并完全中介了开放性和外向-尽责人格的影响。
本研究的横断面设计限制了对人格特质、社会支持和心理健康之间关系进行因果推断的能力。此外，依赖自我报告的测量方法可能会引入偏差。
本研究表明，人格特质和社会支持是老年人心理健康的关键决定因素。社会支持起着重要的中介作用，这表明旨在加强社交网络的干预措施可能对改善老年人的心理健康特别有效。
