Objective and subjective stress, personality, and allostatic load

TY - JOUR

T1 - Objective and subjective stress, personality, and allostatic load

AU - Christensen, Dinne S

AU - Dich, Nadya

AU - Flensborg-Madsen, Trine

AU - Garde, Ellen

AU - Hansen, Åse M

AU - Mortensen, Erik L

N1 - © 2019 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PY - 2019/9/1

Y1 - 2019/9/1

N2 - INTRODUCTION: Despite the understanding of allostatic load (AL) as a consequence of ongoing adaptation to stress, studies of the stress-AL association generally focus on a narrow conceptualization of stress and have thus far overlooked potential confounding by personality. The present study examined the cross-sectional association of objective and subjective stress with AL, controlling for Big Five personality traits.METHODS: Participants comprised 5,512 members of the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank aged 49-63 years (69% men). AL was measured as a summary index of 14 biomarkers of the inflammatory, cardiovascular, and metabolic system. Objective stress was assessed as self-reported major life events in adult life. Subjective stress was assessed as perceived stress within the past four weeks.RESULTS: Both stress measures were positively associated with AL, with a slightly stronger association for objective stress. Adjusting for personality traits did not significantly change these associations.CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest measures of objective and subjective stress to have independent predictive validity in the context of personality. Further, it is discussed how different operationalizations of stress and AL may account for some of the differences in observed stress-AL associations.

AB - INTRODUCTION: Despite the understanding of allostatic load (AL) as a consequence of ongoing adaptation to stress, studies of the stress-AL association generally focus on a narrow conceptualization of stress and have thus far overlooked potential confounding by personality. The present study examined the cross-sectional association of objective and subjective stress with AL, controlling for Big Five personality traits.METHODS: Participants comprised 5,512 members of the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank aged 49-63 years (69% men). AL was measured as a summary index of 14 biomarkers of the inflammatory, cardiovascular, and metabolic system. Objective stress was assessed as self-reported major life events in adult life. Subjective stress was assessed as perceived stress within the past four weeks.RESULTS: Both stress measures were positively associated with AL, with a slightly stronger association for objective stress. Adjusting for personality traits did not significantly change these associations.CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest measures of objective and subjective stress to have independent predictive validity in the context of personality. Further, it is discussed how different operationalizations of stress and AL may account for some of the differences in observed stress-AL associations.

U2 - 10.1002/brb3.1386

DO - 10.1002/brb3.1386

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 31448559

SN - 2162-3279

VL - 9

JO - Brain and Behavior

JF - Brain and Behavior

IS - 9

M1 - e01386

ER -