Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
Concurrent and prospective relationships between social engagement and personality traits in older adulthood
Jennifer Lodi-Smith1, Brent W Roberts
1Department of Psychology, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY, USA. lodismij@canisius.edu
Abstract:
The current research examined the longitudinal relationship between social engagement and personality traits in older adults. Specifically, the present research examined how engagement in family and community roles related to conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability in a sample of 100 Illinois residents age 60-86 years assessed twice over a period of 2.5 years. Social engagement and personality traits were related in three ways. First, concurrent relationships during Wave 1 suggested that agreeable older adults are more socially engaged. Next, Wave 1 standing on both personality traits and social engagement predicted respective change over time. In addition, changes in engagement and personality traits covaried over time. The specific patterns presented in this study suggest that although some relationships were consistent with research findings in young adulthood and midlife, role investment in old age may have a distinctly different meaning than role investment earlier in the life span. These patterns suggest that personality traits can both inform our understanding of engagement during older adulthood and that personality traits may be meaningful outcomes of the aging experience in their own right.
Related Concept Videos
Social Relationships and Well-Being
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early adulthood, from the 20s...
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Factors Influencing Attraction VI: Personality Traits
Social Cognitive Perspective on Personality
Relationship Formation
