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Cited by 293Personality Traits and PsychologyMental Health Research TopicsAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

Neuroticism: a non-informative marker of vulnerability to psychopathology

Ormel, Johan, Rosmalen, Judith, Farmer, Ann·2004·Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
DOI 10.1007/s00127-004-0873-y
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Abstract

Background Neuroticism measures are very popular in psychopathological research, but it is unclear how useful neuroticism is in studies of the aetiology of psychopathology.Method A conceptual examination was made of the literature on the association of neuroticism and psychopathology, the ontological status of neuroticism, the purport of neuroticism questionnaires, and causal issues.Results The research on which neuroticism is built has historically been based solely on the factor analyses of the common adjectives used to describe usual behaviours. An abundance of studies have shown that neuroticism scores predict life stress, psychological distress, emotional disorders, psychotic symptoms, substance abuse, physical tension-related symptoms, medically unexplained physical symptoms, and health care utilisation. This evidence suggests that neuroticism scales index vulnerability to many forms of negative affect and psychiatric disorder. However, the associations do not clarify the nature of this vulnerability nor the underlying psychobiological mechanisms. We present evidence that neuroticism scores reflect a person's characteristic (or mean) level of distress over a protracted period of time. In this perspective, even prospective associations of neuroticism with mental health outcomes are basically futile, and largely tautological since scores on any characteristic with substantial within-subject stability will predict, by definition, that characteristic and related variables at later points in time.Conclusion Neuroticism is not an explanatory concept in the aetiology of psychopathology, since it measures a person's characteristic level of distress over a protracted period of time. This situation will not change until knowledge becomes available about: (i) the mechanisms that produce high neuroticism scores (and, therefore, also psychopathology) and (ii) its neurobiological substrate. Only then will we understand why neuroticism appears to "predict" the outcomes it predicts.

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  • Higher tendency towards neuroticism is associated with a higher risk of recurrence of MDD.

    “Individuals with a higher tendency towards neuroticism, which was not measured in our study, were being consistently reported to be associated with a higher risk of recurrence [56, 57].”

    From Predictors of recurrence of major depressive disorder (2020) · cites this paper as [56]

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Authors
Ormel, J., Rosmalen, J., & Farmer, A.
Affiliations
University Medical Center Groningen (NL)
Corresponding author
Ormel, Johan
ORCID
Venue
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2004-11
Volume
39
Issue
11
Pages
906-912
ISSN
  • 0933-7954 (ISSN-L)
  • 1433-9285
DOI
10.1007/s00127-004-0873-y
OpenAlex
W2025431651
Cited by
292
References
74
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 18
FWCI
10.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
  • University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords
neuroticism, psychopathology, psychological distress, negative affect, psychobiological mechanisms
MeSH terms
Humans, Mental Health Services, Neurotic Disorders, Physical Fitness, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors

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