Exploring the Benefits of Conscientiousness: An Investigation of the Role of Daily Stressors and Health Behaviors

O’Connor, Daryl B.; Conner, Mark; Jones, Fiona; McMillan, Brian; Ferguson, Eamonn

doi:10.1007/s12160-009-9087-6

Cited by 99 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(79 reference statements)

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“…This relationship supports the hypothesis that stress will have a differential impact depending on levels of C and is consistent with a recent study that demonstrated that C moderated the relationships between daily hassles and health behaviours (O'Connor et al, 2009). However, the current findings do not explain why those lower and average in C exhibit a negative appraisal-outcome link.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…In addition, Order has been shown to be functionally relevant in the study of stress and health behaviours, where Order moderates the relationship between daily hassles and exercise such that individuals high on Order were more likely to exercise on days when they experienced hassles (O'Connor et al, 2009). Therefore, these facets appear to be important in the regulation of health outcomes in the face of stress.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Investigating the effects of conscientiousness on daily stress, affect and physical symptom processes: A daily diary study

Gartland

O’Connor

Lawton

et al. 2013

British J Health Psychol

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Objectives: Higher conscientiousness (C) predicts better health outcomes. Recent research suggests stress may play an important role in explaining this relationship. The current study aimed to establish whether C moderates the relationship between daily hassle appraisals, daily affect and physical symptoms.Design and Methods: A daily diary design was used, where participants (N=103) completed a baseline measure of C followed by a 14-day daily diary, providing daily details of hassles (primary & secondary appraisals) experienced as well as positive and negative affect and physical symptoms.Results: Hierarchical linear modelling revealed that Total C (as well as two facets of C: Order and Industriousness) moderated the relationship between stress appraisals and positive affect. Specifically, the negative association between the daily appraisal of hassles as stressful (i.e., where perceived demands outweighed perceived resources) and positive affect was stronger for lower and average levels of C, Order and Industriousness. No significant moderated effects were found for negative affect or physical symptoms. The Order facet was found to be an important factor predicting attrition.Conclusions: The current study provided evidence that C and two of its facets can moderate the relationship between hassle appraisal and positive affect. C may exert part of its influence on health by modifying the effects of daily stressors.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the effects of conscientiousness on daily stress, affect and physical symptom processes: A daily diary study

Gartland

O’Connor

Lawton

et al. 2013

British J Health Psychol

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“…Increases in national unemployment rates may have pivotal implications for personality. As such, to the extent that personality precipitates desirable social and economic behavior --for example, higher savings rates (Ameriks et al, 2003;Ameriks, et al, 2007), pro-social activities (Binder & Freytag, 2013), or better health behaviors (Lahey, 2009;O'Connor, Conner, Jones, McMillan, & Ferguson, 2009) --, unemployment may pose additional difficulties beyond the simple economic. Policies Running Head: UNEMPLOYMENT AND PERSONALITY 34 designed to curb unemployment preserve not only psychological health but, critically, the basic personality traits that characterize personhood.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality change following unemployment.

Boyce

Wood

Daly

et al. 2015

Journal of Applied Psychology

178

121

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Unemployment has a strongly negative influence on well-being, but it is unclear whether it also alters basic personality traits. Whether personality changes arise through natural maturation processes or contextual/environmental factors is still a matter of debate. Unemployment, a relatively unexpected and commonly occurring life event, may shed light on the relevance of context for personality change. We examined, using a latent change model, the influence of unemployment on the five-factor model of personality in a sample of 6,769 German adults, who completed personality measures at 2 time points 4 years apart. All participants were employed at the first time point, and a subset became unemployed over the course of the study. By the second time point, participants had either remained in employment, been unemployed from 1 to 4 years, or had experienced some unemployment but become reemployed. Compared with those who had remained in employment, unemployed men and women experienced significant patterns of change in their mean levels of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness, whereas reemployed individuals experienced limited change. The results indicate that unemployment has wider psychological implications than previously thought. In addition, the results are consistent with the view that personality changes as a function of contextual and environmental factors.

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“…Pai and Carr (2010) reported that C lessens the effect of spousal loss on depressive symptoms among adults. Drawing on daily diary data, O'Connor et al (2009) reported that C did not moderate the effects of daily hassles on health-related behaviors, but several facets of C did have significant effects. For example, orderliness predicted an increase in the likelihood of exercise when respondents were confronted with daily hassles.…”

Section: Avoidance and Neutralization Of Stressorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conscientiousness, health, and aging: The Life Course of Personality Model.

Shanahan¹,

Hill²,

Roberts³

et al. 2014

Developmental Psychology

188

171

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The Conscientiousness (C) of the self and significant others influences health by way of mediational chains involving socioeconomic attainment, the avoidance and neutralization of stressors, the promotion of health behaviors and the minimization of risk behaviors, and the management of symptoms and diseases. Yet, meta-analyses reveal that these associations are moderated by factors that are not well understood. We propose the Life Course of Personality Model (LCP Model), which comprises a series of hypotheses that suggest how such mediational chains are subject to 2 sources of contingency. First, the mechanisms by which C translates into health and the avoidance of risk change from early childhood to late adulthood, involving processes that are specific to phases of the life course; also, however, C influences health by way of continuous processes extending over many decades of life. Second, C may be more consequential in some social contexts than in others, and when accompanied by some constellations of personality characteristics than by others. That is, the mediational processes by which C translates into health and the avoidance of disease are likely moderated by timing, social context (including the C of others), and other aspects of the individual's personality. We consider methodological implications of the LCP Model.

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Exploring the Benefits of Conscientiousness: An Investigation of the Role of Daily Stressors and Health Behaviors

Abstract: These findings indicate that conscientiousness and its facets may influence health status directly via changes in health behaviors and indirectly through influencing stress-health behavior relations.

Cited by 99 publications

References 36 publications

Investigating the effects of conscientiousness on daily stress, affect and physical symptom processes: A daily diary study

Investigating the effects of conscientiousness on daily stress, affect and physical symptom processes: A daily diary study

Personality change following unemployment.

Conscientiousness, health, and aging: The Life Course of Personality Model.

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