Taking psychological well-being to heart

An Pan; Kathryn M. Rexrode

doi:10.1503/cmaj.121288

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Personality and Disease Proneness
Nicholas F. Skinner

Posted on: 23 November 2012

Posted on: (23 November 2012)
Page navigation anchor for Personality and Disease Proneness
Personality and Disease Proneness
Nicholas F. Skinner, Psychology Professor
Other Contributors:
In "Taking psychological well-being to heart" (CMAJ, Sept. 18, 2012, pp. 1453-1454), authors An and Rexrode assert that "psychological distress is associated with increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease" (p. 1453). A recent study in our laboratory reinforces and extends this conclusion. We asked 75 healthy young university students to complete the Health Personality Test [HPT; a measure of proneness to cancer...
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In "Taking psychological well-being to heart" (CMAJ, Sept. 18, 2012, pp. 1453-1454), authors An and Rexrode assert that "psychological distress is associated with increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease" (p. 1453). A recent study in our laboratory reinforces and extends this conclusion. We asked 75 healthy young university students to complete the Health Personality Test [HPT; a measure of proneness to cancer and coronary heart disease (Eysenck, 1989)], and the Kirton Adaption- Innovation Inventory [KAI; a measure of cognitive style (Kirton, 1976)]. Specifically, the KAI identifies Adaptors, who function best psychologically within clearly understood structures (rules/organizations), and Innovators, who feel constrained by structure. Our hypothesis that coronary heart disease proneness would be related to Innovation and cancer proneness to Adaption was supported. These findings suggest two important conclusions. First, the personality attributes of the Innovator and the Adaptor may be premorbid indicators of coronary heart disease-prone and cancer-prone individuals, respectively (i.e., the temperamental qualities of coronary heart disease-prone and cancer-prone persons may prove to be psychologically deteriorated forms of some of the characteristics of Innovators and Adaptors). (Longitudinal tracking of Innovators and Adaptors will determine whether they do in fact manifest a significant likelihood for developing coronary heart disease and cancer, respectively.) Second, the KAI may have potential utility for the prospective identification of disease-susceptible persons.
References
Eysenck HJ. Dangerous personalities. Goodlife 1989; 6-7, 29-31.
Kirton, MJ. Adaptors and Innovators: a description and measure. J Appl Psychol 1976; 622-629.
Skinner NF, Fox-Francoeur, CA. Personality implications of Adaption- Innovation: VI. Adaption-Innovation as a predictor of disease proneness. Soc Beh Pers 2012; 41 (in press).
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.