Predicting physical and mental health symptoms: Additive and interactive effects of difficulty identifying feelings, neuroticism and extraversion

Johanna Klinger-König; Johannes Hertel; Jan Terock; Henry Völzke; Sandra Van der Auwera; Hans J Grabe

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2018.10.003

Predicting physical and mental health symptoms: Additive and interactive effects of difficulty identifying feelings, neuroticism and extraversion

J Psychosom Res. 2018 Dec:115:14-23. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2018.10.003. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Authors

Johanna Klinger-König¹, Johannes Hertel², Jan Terock³, Henry Völzke⁴, Sandra Van der Auwera⁵, Hans J Grabe⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: johanna.koenig@uni-greifswald.de.
² Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: hertelj@uni-greifswald.de.
³ Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, HELIOS Hanseklinikum Stralsund, Germany. Electronic address: terockj@gmail.com.
⁴ Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: voelzke@uni-greifswald.de.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany; German Centre of Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: auweras@uni-greifswald.de.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany; German Centre of Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: grabeh@uni-greifswald.de.

PMID: 30470312
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2018.10.003

Abstract

Objective: Alexithymia, neuroticism, and extraversion have been described as relevant predictors of mental and physical health conditions, but their putative interactive effects remain poorly understood and their prospective effects are not well studied. The present study has investigated the differential contributions of distinct personality traits in predicting mental and somatic health symptoms in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.

Methods: Additive and interactive effects of neuroticism and extraversion (NEO-FFI), the TAS-20 total score (20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale) and its factors (Difficulty Identifying Feelings (DIF), Difficulty Describing Feelings (DDF) and External Oriented Thinking (EOT)) have been investigated on depressive symptoms, the number of chronic diseases, somatic and mental subjective health complaints. Analyses have been based on data from the population-based "Study of Health in Pomerania" (SHIP) in cross-sectional (N = 1704) and longitudinal (N = 1244) analyses.

Results: In cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, additive associations of the TAS-20 total score and neuroticism on somatic and mental health complaints have been observed. The effects of the TAS-20 total score have been mainly carried by DIF. Further, in interaction effetcs extraversion has attenuated the negative impact of neuroticism, whereas DIF has augmented it.

Conclusion: The present study is the first demonstrating longitudinal effects of alexithymia, particularly DIF, neuroticism, and extraversion in predicting mental and somatic health symptoms. Associations between DIF, neuroticism, and extraversion have been additive and interactive. Hence, subjects high in neuroticism and DIF but low in extraversion have reported most health symptoms and thus might be in need for prevention strategies. Treatments chould be adapted to the associated combination of the personality characteristics.

Keywords: Alexithymia; Difficulty identifying feelings; Extraversion; Health complaints; Neuroticism.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cross-Sectional Studies
Emotions / physiology*
Extraversion, Psychological*
Female
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mental Health / trends*
Middle Aged
Neuroticism / physiology*
Prospective Studies