Cited by 1,010Psychosomatic Disorders and Their TreatmentsPersonality Traits and PsychologyAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

Neuroticism, Somatic Complaints, and Disease: Is the Bark Worse than the Bite?

Costa, Paul T., McCrae, Robert R.·1987·Journal of Personality

Abstract

ABSTRACT Perhaps because negative emotions are frequently expressed in physiological reactions, psychosomatic theories have often identified Neuroticism and its component traits (including anxiety, anger, and depression) as causal influences on the development of disease These views are apparently supported by correlations between physical symptom reports and measures of Neuroticism in males Data from 347 adult women in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging replicate this finding for total physical complaints and for most body systems However, analyses of mortality in the literature and in the present article show no influence of Neuroticism, suggesting that symptom reporting may be biased by Neuroticism‐related styles of perceiving and reporting physiological experiences Researchers in this area are urged to employ objective measures of medical status, and to be alert to possible biases of self‐selection and selective perception in interpreting associations between Neuroticism and disease

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1987.tb00438.x

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56 of 56 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • No association between elevated Neuroticism and increased all-cause mortality risk was reported in a female community sample.

    “Another study reported no association between elevated Neuroticism and increased all-cause mortality risk in a female community sample [118].”
  • Neuroticism gives rise to medically unfounded symptom complaints and somatic sensitivity, which may protect an individual from premature mortality even though it risks burdening health care providers and the health care system.

    “Neuroticism gives rise to medically unfounded symptom complaints and somatic sensitivity [118, 121], which may protect an individual from premature mortality even though it risks burdening health care providers and the health care system.”

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Authors
Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R.
Affiliations
National Institutes of Health (US)
Corresponding author
Costa, Paul T.
Venue
Journal of Personality
Publisher
Wiley
Published
1987-06
Volume
55
Issue
2
Pages
299-316
ISSN
  • 0022-3506 (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-6494
OpenAlex
W1971486551
Cited by
1,010
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 70 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 39 · 2012: 43
FWCI
11.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Personality (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords
neuroticism, somatic symptoms, psychosomatic disorders, mortality, women, self-report bias, selective perception, personality traits, anxiety, depression, anger, aging
MeSH terms
Attitude to Health, Humans, Neurotic Disorders, Personality Tests, Psychophysiologic Disorders, Risk, Somatoform Disorders

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