How Are Personality Traits Related to Preparation for Future Care Needs in Older Adults?

Overview

Journal J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci

Specialties Geriatrics
Psychology
Social Sciences

Date 2008 Dec 19

PMID 19092035

Citations 19

Authors

Silvia Sorensen

Paul R Duberstein

Benjamin Chapman

Jeffrey M Lyness

Martin Pinquart

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We investigated associations between personality and health cognitions and behaviors related to preparation for future care among 355 primary care patients who were 65 years of age and older. Path analyses examined the effects of the personality traits of neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness on health cognitions about future care (avoidance, awareness), health-planning behaviors (gathering information, decision making, and planning), and beliefs about planning, while covarying age, gender, education, medical burden, functional status, and depression-symptom severity. Higher levels of neuroticism, openness, and agreeableness were associated with greater awareness of care needs; higher openness was also associated with more gathering of information and less avoidance. Extraversion and conscientiousness were not related to future-oriented health cognitions. Depression was inversely associated with the gathering of information. Age and education were related to more positive beliefs about the planning. Neither concrete planning nor decision making were related to personality variables. Health professionals should consider the impact of individual differences when addressing preparation for future care with older adults.

Citing Articles

Racial differences in the effect of verbal and nonverbal memory on concrete planning for future care needs among older adults: a multi-group structural equation modeling approach.

Lane J, Zimmer A, Quinones-Cordero M, Sorensen S Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn. 2023; 31(4):587-604.

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Important Factors Influencing Willingness to Participate in Advance Care Planning among Outpatients: A Pilot Study in Central Taiwan.

Tsai W, Chen C, Chung M, Tsai P, Liu Y, Tang F Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022; 19(9).

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Perspectives on Aging-Related Preparation.

Sorensen S, Missell R, Eustice-Corwin A, Otieno D J Elder Policy. 2022; 1(2).

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Preparation for Future Care Needs in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: What Promotes Feeling of Preparedness?.

Yun S, Greenberg J, Maxfield M Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2020; 38(8):972-978.

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Gaining Longitudinal Accounts of Carers' Experiences Using IPA and Photograph Elicitation.

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