Subjective Estimation of the Quality of Life in Relation to Neuroticism

Abstract

It is generally agreed that personality variables have a relatively consistent infl uence on the subjective estimation of different situations in everyday life and the way people react to them. The aim of this review was to summarise our previously published fi ndings on the relationship between subjective estimation of one's quality of life and the personality trait neuroticism-emotional stability. We used the WHO Quality of Life -BREF or SF-36 questionnaires for the assessment of the quality of life, Cornell Index for the assessment of neuroticism, and The Social Readjustment Rating Scale for the evaluation of common stressors. Our results have shown that more emotionally stable participants (lower neuroticism) perceive their life better in quality and are more satisfi ed with their work environment. In addition, our results support the fi ndings from other studies that women have higher neuroticism and lower quality of life scores than men. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol 2012;63 Supplement 1: 17-22 The World Health Organization defi nes the quality of life as "an individuals' perceptions of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns" (1). This wide concept includes a person's physical and psychological state as well as his or her social relationships, personal beliefs, and the degree of independence, all of which are rooted in a cultural, social, and environmental framework. KEY WORDS: Cornell Index, emotional stability, neuroticism, quality of life, SF-36 WHOQOL-BREF Bobić J. NEUROTICISM AND QUALITY OF LIFEIn a few of our recent studies we aimed to objectify the relationship between some personality traits and the estimation of one's quality of life, beside some other goals that are not the subject of this review. This review will summarise and discuss our published results that are based on correlations found between the subjective estimation of the quality of life and the personality variable neuroticism-emotional stability.Individuals' perception of their own quality of life does not refl ect the objective condition in terms of health status, mental state, social or fi nancial position, but is rather a result of a person's characteristic pattern of behaviour that is usually strongly infl uenced by personality. As personality traits are stable, behavioural patterns and hence individual perception do not change much even in very different life situations. Personality traits may help to understand the way people see themselves and other people, the way they interpret occurrences in the environment, and the way they react emotionally to different situations. In a broad quality of life study, Wrosch and Scheier (2) stressed the importance of personality factors in the sense that "personality factors can impact on the way in which people approach life circumstances or on the kinds of outcomes people receive, which in turn can impact favourably or unfavourably on quality of life". 18 METHODSSince our re...

Sobre la felicidad y su relación con tipos y rasgos de personalidad

“…No existen teorías generales sobre cómo se relaciona la personalidad en su conjunto con el bienestar subjetivo, pero sí sabemos que McCrae y Costa (1991) informaron de que distintos rasgos de personalidad exhibían diferentes patrones de asociación con bienestar subjetivo, afecto positivo, afecto negativo y satisfacción con la vida. Dado que neuroticismo y extraversión son las variables de la personalidad más estrechamente relacionadas con la felicidad, han tenido un papel más relevante en esas investigaciones (Bobić, 2012;García, 2012;García, Nima y Kjell, 2014). Esta relación, referida sólo a neuroticismo y extraversión, puede comprobarse con el modelo de personalidad de tres factores de Eysenck (e.g., Chico, 2006).…”

Temperamental and Personality Traits as Factors Related to Changes in Health Behaviors and Quality of Life in Patients With Metabolic Syndrome in Poland

“…These three characteristics make engaging in compulsive eating behaviors in order to discharge psychological tension more likely. Neuroticism has been demonstrated to be associated with lower QoL (Bobić, 2012). Perseveration and Emotional Reactivity were also found to be negatively associated with QoL, for example, in patients diagnosed with malignant neoplasm (Burnos and Bargiel-Matusiewicz, 2018).…”

Role of Neuroticism and Perceived Stress on Quality of Life among Patients with Dry Eye Disease

“…As individuals with high neuroticism are emotionally reactive and exhibit a tendency to react to events that would not impact most people, symptoms disproportionately complained among patients with DED could be explained by the patient's neuroticism. Neuroticism may be considered the central construct linking the tendency to present perceived stress, anxiety sensitivity, anxiety, and depression, that eventually affect the QOL than that obviously and objectively present by the clinical lab [21,[29][30][31]. Screening for perceived stress and neuroticism in routine practice may help the clinician to have a better explanation and practical plan for these patient groups.…”

“…Neuroticism is related to perceived stress, depression [25,26], anxiety sensitivity and QOL, either physical or emotional domains [27][28][29][30][31]. Growing evidence is emerging regarding the relationship between neuroticism, psychological distress and symptoms of DED.…”