ABSTRACT

Background

How personality traits, anxiety, and depressive disorders relate longitudinally has implications for etiologic research and prevention. We sought to determine how neuroticism and extraversion relate to first-onset anxiety and depressive disorders in young adults.

Design

An inception cohort of 489 university freshmen was followed for 6 years.

Method

Participants self-reported personality traits using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Anxiety and depressive disorders were assessed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule.

Results

Baseline neuroticism predicted first-onset panic disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and major depressive disorder (MDD), while introversion predicted first-onset agoraphobia (moderate–large effects). Participants who developed panic disorder, agoraphobia, GAD, or MDD had increases in neuroticism if the disorder was current at follow-up (moderate–large effects). Participants who developed MDD but were in remission by follow-up had a moderate increase in neuroticism.

Conclusions

High neuroticism in young adulthood is either a true risk factor, or marker of risk, for first-onset anxiety and depressive disorders, as is low extraversion for agoraphobia. The current data suggest large neuroticism “state” effects for panic disorder, agoraphobia, and MDD, and moderate “scar” effects from MDD. Though many clinicians and researchers regard personality traits simply as “vulnerability” factors, longitudinal analyses suggest additional complexity.

中文翻译：

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对年轻人性格特征、焦虑和抑郁症的纵向研究

摘要

背景

人格特征、焦虑和抑郁症如何纵向关联对病因研究和预防有影响。我们试图确定神经质和外向性如何与年轻人的首发焦虑症和抑郁症相关。

设计

对 489 名大学新生的初始队列进行了 6 年的随访。

方法

参与者使用艾森克人格问卷自我报告人格特征。使用诊断访谈时间表评估焦虑和抑郁障碍。

结果

基线神经质预测首发恐慌症、广场恐惧症、广泛性焦虑症 (GAD) 和重度抑郁症 (MDD)，而内向预测首发广场恐惧症（中度-大影响）。出现恐慌症、广场恐惧症、GAD 或 MDD 的参与者，如果在随访时出现这种疾病，其神经质会增加（中-大影响）。发展为 MDD 但在随访中缓解的参与者的神经质有中度增加。

结论

青年期的高度神经质是首发焦虑症和抑郁症的真正风险因素或风险标志，广场恐惧症的低外向性也是如此。目前的数据表明，恐慌症、广场恐惧症和 MDD 对神经质“状态”有很大影响，而 MDD 对“疤痕”有中度影响。尽管许多临床医生和研究人员将人格特质简单地视为“脆弱性”因素，但纵向分析表明存在额外的复杂性。