We studied the developmental trends of temperament and character in a longitudinal population-based sample of Finnish men and women aged 20–45 years using the Temperament and Character Inventory model of personality. Personality was assessed in 1997, 2001, and 2007 (n= 2,104, 2,095, and 2,056, respectively). Mean-level changes demonstrated qualitatively distinct developmental patterns for character (self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence) and temperament (novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and persistence). Character developed toward greater maturity, although self-transcendence decreased with age. However, self-transcendence was the strongest predictor of overall personality change. Cohort effects indicated lower level of self-transcendence and higher level of self-directedness and cooperativeness in younger birth cohorts. Regarding temperament, novelty seeking decreased and persistence increased slightly with age. Both high novelty seeking and high persistence predicted overall personality change. These findings suggest that temperament and character traits follow different kinds of developmental trajectories.

Background Both work stress and poor recovery have been shown to contribute to the development of burnout. However, the role of recovery as a mediating mechanism that links work stress to burnout has not been sufficiently addressed in research. Aims To examine recovery as a mediator in the relationship between work stress and burnout among teachers. Methods A cross-sectional study of Finnish primary school teachers, in whom burnout was measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey and work stress was conceptualized using the effort–reward imbalance (ERI) model. Recovery was measured with the Recovery Experience Questionnaire and the Jenkins Sleep Problems Scale. Multiple linear regression analyses and bootstrap mediation analyses adjusted for age, gender and total working hours were performed. Results Among the 76 study subjects, high ERI was associated with burnout and its dimensions of exhaustion, cynicism and reduced professional efficacy. Poor recovery experiences, in terms of low relaxation during leisure time, partially mediated the relationship between ERI and reduced professional efficacy. Sleep problems, in the form of non-restorative sleep, partially mediated the relationship between ERI and both burnout and exhaustion. Conclusions Supporting a balance between effort and reward at work may enhance leisure time recovery and improve sleep quality, as well as help to reduce burnout rates.

The current study examines associations between five factor personality traits and average sleep duration, sleep deficiency, and sleep problems. The participants were from two population-based samples from Australia (n = 1,104, age range 31-41) and Finland (n = 1,623, age range 30-45). Self-reports of sleep behavior, sleep problems (Jenkin's scale), and five factor model personality traits (NEO-FFI) were collected. Associations between personality traits and sleep were analyzed with linear regressions. The results showed that higher extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness were, in general, associated with better sleep, whereas higher neuroticism was associated with sleeping less well. Openness was not associated with sleep. Most of the associations were replicable between the samples from the two countries, but personality traits explained only small part of the variance in sleep behavior. Increasing the knowledge on personality and sleep may benefit more personalized treatment of sleep disorders and help in personnel selection to jobs in which it is critical to stay alert. However, longitudinal research is needed to confirm the current findings.

Diabetes is an increasingly important public health concern, but little is known about the contribution of psychological factors on diabetes risk. We examined whether personality is associated with risk of incident diabetes and diabetes-related mortality. An individual-participant meta-analysis of 34,913 adults free of diabetes at baseline (average age 53.7 years, 57% women) from 5 prospective cohort studies from the United States and United Kingdom. Personality dimensions included extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience based on the Five Factor Model. During an average follow-up of 5.7 years, 1845 participants became diabetic. Of the 5 personality dimensions, only low conscientiousness was associated with an elevated diabetes risk (OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.82-0.91 per 1 standard deviation increment in conscientiousness). This association attenuated by 60% after adjustment for obesity and by 25% after adjustment for physical inactivity. Low conscientiousness was also associated with elevated risk of diabetes mortality (HR = 0.72, CI = 0.53-0.98 per 1 standard deviation increment in conscientiousness). Other personality traits were not consistently associated with diabetes incidence or mortality. Low conscientiousness-a cognitive-behavioral disposition reflecting careless behavior and a lack of self-control and planning-is associated with elevated risk of diabetes and diabetes-related mortality. The underlying mechanisms are likely to involve health behaviors, such as poor weight management, physical inactivity, and adherence to medical management recommendations.

Background—: The American Heart Association has defined a new metric of ideal cardiovascular health as part of its 2020 Impact Goals. We examined whether psychosocial factors in youth predict ideal cardiovascular health in adulthood. Methods and Results—: Participants were 477 men and 612 women from the nationwide Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Psychosocial factors were measured from cohorts 3 to 18 years of age at the baseline of the study, and ideal cardiovascular health was examined 27 years later in adulthood. The summary measure of psychosocial factors in youth comprised socioeconomic factors, emotional factors, parental health behaviors, stressful events, self-regulation of the child, and social adjustment of the child. There was a positive association between a higher number of favorable psychosocial factors in youth and greater ideal cardiovascular health index in adulthood (β=0.16; P <0.001) that persisted after adjustment for age, sex, medication use, and cardiovascular risk factors in childhood (β=0.15; P <0.001). The association was monotonic, suggesting that each increment in favorable psychosocial factors was associated with improvement in cardiovascular health. Of the specific psychosocial factors, a favorable socioeconomic environment (β=0.12; P <0.001) and participants’ self-regulatory behavior (β=0.07; P =0.004) were the strongest predictors of ideal cardiovascular health in adulthood. Conclusions—: The findings suggest a dose-response association between favorable psychosocial factors in youth and cardiovascular health in adulthood, as defined by the American Heart Association metrics. The effect seems to persist throughout the range of cardiovascular health, potentially shifting the population distribution of cardiovascular health rather than simply having effects in a high-risk population.