Personality Traits and Health 原文.docVIP

Personality Traits and Health-Risk Behaviours in University Students Abstract Relations between personality and health-risk behaviours in university undergraduates were examined using multiple measures of personality across multiple samples (N1151).Big Five personality variables, at both factor and facet levels, were used to predict three specific health-risk behaviours: (a) tobacco consumption, (b) alcohol consumption and (c)speeding in an automobile. Our findings showed that low Conscientiousness and low Agreeableness were uniformly associated with this cluster of potentially health damaging behaviours. Extraversion was additionally associated with alcohol use. Interaction effects were found between Conscientiousness and Agreeableness on smoking and (for men only) on drinking. Other personality variables not centrally related to the Big Five, such as Risk- Taking (high) and Integrity (low), were also implicated in the present health-risk behaviours. Key words: personality traits; Big Five; Five-Factor Model; health-risk behaviours; alcohol consumption; tobacco consumption; risk-taking INTRODUCTION The purpose of this research was to advance our knowledge about the relations between the personality characteristics of young men and women and their tendencies to engage in behaviours that can compromise their health. The links between health and personality have, of course, been extensively studied in the past, and it is now well-established that certain personality characteristics are important predictors of health outcomes and longevity (Friedman, 2000; Friedman, Tucker, Tomlinson-Keasy, Schwartz, Wingard, Criqui, 1993; Friedman et al., 1995; Goodwin Friedman, 2006; Hampson, Goldberg,Vogt, Dubanoski, 2006, 2007; Weiss Costa, 2005). The far-reaching implications of personality on health have been demonstrated by longitudinal life-span studies suggesting that childhood personality predicts adult health outcomes, even decades later (Friedman et al., 1993, 1995; Ha