Personality and pain: An individual-participant meta-analysis of seven samples

To examine the association between personality domains and concurrent and incident pain to identify psychological risk and protective factors.

Participants were middle-aged and older adults (N > 40,000; Age-range: 23-104, Mean Age = 65.52) from seven cohort studies from the US, England, and Japan. In each sample, personality, demographic factors, disease burden, depressive symptoms, and pain were assessed at baseline. Pain was assessed again 5 to 15 years later.

Random-effects meta-analyses indicated that neuroticism was associated with higher likelihood of concurrent (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.33, 95%CI: 1.26-1.40, p < .001) and incident (OR = 1.16, 95%CI: 1.11-1.21, p < .001) pain. In contrast, higher extraversion and conscientiousness were related to a lower likelihood of concurrent (extraversion OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.81-0.93, p < .001; conscientiousness OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.83-0.87, p < .001) and incident (extraversion OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.90-0.97, p < .001; conscientiousness OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.90-0.97, p < .001) pain. Openness and agreeableness were unrelated to both concurrent and incident pain. Disease burden and depressive symptoms partially accounted for the association between personality and pain. Age and sex did not systematically moderate these associations.

The present study found replicable associations between personality and concurrent and incident pain. Neuroticism may be a risk factor of pain, whereas extraversion and conscientiousness may be protective factors, suggesting that personality assessment could inform personalized pain interventions.