Personality and the use of cancer screenings. A systematic review

Abstract

Background No systematic review exists synthesizing studies examining the association between personality factors and use of cancer screenings. Hence, the aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of empirical findings from observational studies investigating the link between personality factors (in terms of agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism and openness to experience) and use of cancer screenings. Methods Medline, PsycInfo and CINAHL were searched using predefined search terms. Observational studies examining the link between personality factors and use of cancer screenings using validated tools were included. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed by two reviewers. Results In total, n = 11 studies were included in our systematic review. There is mostly inconclusive evidence regarding the link between agreeableness, neuroticism, openness to experience and the use of cancer screenings. Clearer evidence was identified for an association between increased extraversion and an increased use of cancer screenings. Moreover, the majority of studies identified a link between increased conscientiousness and an increased use of cancer screenings. Discussion Studies indicate that personality factors, particularly an increased extraversion and increased conscientiousness, are associated with an increased use of cancer screenings. This knowledge may be beneficial to address individuals at risk for underuse. PROSPERO registration number CRD42020176830

The Big Five personality traits and regularity of lifetime dental visit attendance: evidence of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

“…Usually they are more task and goal-directed and the association to longtime regular dental visits appears plausible. A systematic review reported an association between extraversion and conscientiousness with increased uptake of cancer screening [ 23 ]. This is in line with our findings and it is suspected, that individuals with higher scores in extraversion are in general more sociable and energetic, thus having a more positive attitude towards their dental appointments.…”

“…Furthermore, previous studies suggested that personality traits might be related to treatment adherence and compliance [ 25 , 26 ], treatment medication adherence [ 27 , 28 ], and doctor visits in general [ 29 , 30 ], which in certain conditions significantly reduce quality of life [ 29 ], such as in rheumatoid arthritis [ 31 , 32 ], depression [ 33 , 34 ], attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ 35 ], multiple sclerosis [ 36 ], and cancer screening [ 23 ]. Oral diseases are also a significant contributor to reduced quality of life [ 37 ].…”

Big Five Personality Traits and Willingness to Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19

“…Neuroticism seems to predispose various unhealthy behaviors such as eating unhealthily (Booth-Kewley & Vickers, 1994;Sirois & Hirsch, 2015). However, because neurotic individuals are also concerned about their health (Van Dijk et al, 2016), they show increased healthcare utilization (for a review see Hajek et al, 2020). Additionally, neuroticism is positively related to getting vaccinated against influenza (Brewer & Hallman, 2006;Nolan et al, 2019) and to positive attitudes towards vaccinations in general (Lin & Wang, 2020; but see Demir et al, 2020 for null effects).…”

Eating Behaviors and Physical Activity versus the Big Five Personality Traits in Women with a Hereditary Predisposition to Breast or Ovarian Cancer

“…The correlations between malignancy and psychological factors such as personality traits, stress, depression, social isolation, and emotional reactions have been investigated for years by both researchers and practitioners. However, despite all efforts, the topic remains to be fully elucidated [ 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”