Personality traits as protective factors of dementia development

To date, little is known about psychological and personality variables related to protective factors against the development of dementia. The Five-Factor Model of personality is worldwide recognized and consolidated for understanding the structure and operation of personality, organized into five main factors that delineate and elucidate personality traits/characteristics.

We aimed to analyze the association of the Five-Factor Model with the epidemiological classification of dementia.

Cross-sectional design with data collected from the first wave of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSI-Brazil) cohort study, the largest longitudinal study on aging in Brazil. Data gathered from the ELSI-Brazil provided the foundation for demographic and health-related variables (gender, age, education, lifestyle, etc.), mental health indicators, and items associated with personality traits. Logistic regression models were conducted with personality traits as predictors of dementia.

The psychoindicator optimism was the only protective factor associated with dementia (p=0.006). The other variables were not significant predictors in this sample.

Optimism, as a dispositional variable related to personality factors (conscientiousness and neuroticism), emerges as a target variable possible to be developed in preventive longitudinal psychosocial interventions, based on theoretical and empirical evidence of learned optimism, to improve health promotion and self-care throughout life. The data from this study contribute to the advancement of research and to efforts of strengthening services and professional qualification for health and care practices, focused on protective factors, crucial to the global agenda for dementia care and research.