Search resultsPersonality and alcohol consumption: Pooled analysis of 72,949 adults from eight cohort studies
Title
Personality and alcohol consumption: Pooled analysis of 72,949 adults from eight cohort studies
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2015
Authors
Journal
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
Volume
151
Pagination
110 - 114
Date published
2015
ISBN
03768716 (ISSN)
Keywords
Addiction epidemiology, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, agreeableness, alcohol abstinence, alcohol consumption, article, Australia, cohort analysis, conscientiousness, drinking, drinking behavior, extraversion, Female, Germany, Heavy drinking, human, male, meta-analysis, neurosis, openness, personality, priority journal, Psychology, The Five-Factor Model, United Kingdom, United States
Abstract
Background: The role of personality as a determinant of alcohol consumption has long been debated, but prospective evidence is scarce. Methods: We performed individual participant meta-analysis to examine the association between the Five-Factor Model personality traits (extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience) and alcohol consumption using data from eight cohort studies sampled from the USA, UK, Germany, and Australia (total n= 72,949; mean age. = 50 years, 54% female). Alcohol consumption was categorized into abstinence, moderate consumption, and heavy consumption. Results: After adjustment for age, sex, and race, higher extraversion (odds ratio for 1 standard deviation's increase in the score; 95% confidence interval: 1.14; 1.01-1.29) and lower conscientiousness (0.89; 0.79-1.00) were associated with increased risk of transitioning from moderate to heavy alcohol consumption over time, and also with heavy alcohol consumption. Lower extraversion (0.91; 0.85-0.98), higher agreeableness (1.09; 1.02-1.15), and lower openness (0.90; 0.86-0.95) were associated with increased odds of transitioning from moderate consumption to abstinence as well as with alcohol abstinence. Conclusion: Findings from this individual-participant meta-analysis suggest that high and increasing alcohol consumption is more common among extraverts and those low on conscientiousness whereas high agreeableness and low openness to experience may increase odds of reducing alcohol consumption and preferring abstinence.