Personality traits in childhood may determine health in adulthood

Saturday May 9, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- Dr. Laura Kabansky (Harvard School of Public Health) led a team of researchers who determined that certain emotional and behavioral traits observed in childhood affect whether or not a person will be happy and reasonably well adjusted in adulthood.

Dr. Kabansky conducted her study by gathering a sampling of 559 individuals who were taking part in the National Collaborative Perinatal Project, a study which began in 1959 as a prospective study to determine what traits influence certain mental and physical illnesses and anomalies (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences).

While there has been widespread supposition that there is a correlation between certain personality traits and their influence over long-term health, Dr. Kabansky states that many studies to determine such a correlation were “cross-sectional”. Also, those studies tested adults who might not have been accurate in assessing their own mental and physical health, past and present.

One such study intrigued Dr. Kabansky and motivated her to analyze the situation further. In her follow-up article, she cites the results from an analysis of males who graduated from Glasgow University from 1948-1968. A positive link was found between the emotional stability of the young men at age 20 and premature mortality in later life.

Accessing the CPP database was particularly helpful because her team could review the IQs and physical, mental, and emotional health of the participants, which had already been assessed when they were young, following them on into adulthood to the age of 30. Additionally, their physical and mental health during adulthood did not come from their own perceptions, but rather from psychological profiling and test results they volunteered to be a part of, through CPP.

Dr. Kabansky’s study showed that three personality traits in particular are good prognosticators of future health and happiness in adult life: ability to focus, behavioral inhibition (shyness), and distress proneness in childhood.

The bottom line is that those children who were able to focus and stay on task at the age of 7 were more likely to derive satisfaction in adulthood. Those who had greater resilience when it came to distress were able to have a more positive outlook on life as adults. In turn, the more positive the adults were, the less likely they were to suffer from serious physical illnesses.

The good news is that parents and educators may be better able to “sway” children in the right direction early on; we know that certain personality traits are not necessarily set in stone, and can be influenced positively. For example, research has borne out that students who have support at home are more successful academically than those who do not. By supporting and promoting positive ways to handle frustrating circumstances, as well as helping a child to remain focused and on point, future adult patterns and outcomes may be positively established.

(By Rachel Stockton, and edited by Heather Kelley)