Personality, Interpersonal Problems, and Anxiety Among Older Adults

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Personality Psychology

Background:

• Anxiety is a prevalent issue in older adults.
• Understanding the correlates of anxiety in this demographic is crucial for effective intervention.
• Previous research has explored links between personality and anxiety, but less is known about specific personality disorder features and interpersonal dynamics in late life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationships between personality disorder (PD) features, Big Five personality traits, and interpersonal problems with anxiety in older adults.
• To determine the extent to which PD features, Big Five traits, and interpersonal problems explain variance in anxiety symptoms.

Main Methods:

• 130 older adults completed validated measures of anxiety, PD features (Coolidge Axis Two Inventory), Big Five personality (Big Five Inventory-2), and interpersonal problems (Circumplex Scales of Interpersonal Problems).
• Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were employed to assess associations and predictive power.

Main Results:

• Anxiety showed significant positive correlations with most PD features and all interpersonal problem scales.
• Negative Emotionality was positively associated with anxiety, while Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion were negatively associated.
• PD features explained the most variance in anxiety (53%), followed by interpersonal problems (46%) and Big Five traits (33%).

Conclusions:

• PD features, interpersonal problems, and specific Big Five personality traits are meaningfully associated with anxiety in older adults.
• These factors likely play a role in the development and maintenance of anxiety, highlighting the importance of addressing PD features in geriatric mental health.
• Findings underscore the significant comorbidity between PD features and anxiety syndromes in later life.