Neuroticism and Depression
Saturday, January 6, 2024.
Research from Sweden tells us that, among all human personality traits, enduring a persistent state of negative emotionality is the strongest risk factor for the onset of clinical depression…
Negative emotionality is essentially being highly neurotic, finding it hard to deal with stress, and experiencing a lot of negative emotions and mood swings.
Humans who suffer from neuroticism are more likely to experience negative emotions such as guilt, fear, worry, envy, or jealousy.
Some neurotic humans are shaped to be overly shy and readily self-conscious.
The good news is that a depressive personality can change. Repeated research projects have shown that depression is particularly responsive to talk therapies.
The study’s authors write:
“…personality is at least somewhat malleable, especially in youth, but may forecast the onset of depression years in advance, which makes traits a potentially attractive means of identifying individuals at risk and informing selection of interventions.”
In addition, other aspects of personality can protect against the disadvantages of negative emotionality.
Being high in conscientiousness, and an extravert together has a protective effect on people who are highly neurotic.
How the studies were conducted
The conclusion comes from 21,000 Swedish twins who were asked to complete a comprehensive personality assessment.
The conclusions essentially came from two studies — in the first study, initially, they studied roughly 21,000 Swedish twins who completed personality tests.
Then they were then followed up over 25 years later, and surveyed about their relationship with depression, and depressive episodes.
Their answers revealed that negative emotions were usually involved. The researchers also discovered that genetic factors were also involved in the development of clinical depression.
Professor Kenneth S. Kendler, who led the study, said:
“The personality trait of neuroticism – perhaps better understood as “negative emotionality” is a strong risk factor of major depression.
Our study shows that this occurs largely because levels of neuroticism are an index of the genetic liability to depression.”
The second study was a meta-review of many other studies on the link between personality and depression
It also found that neuroticism or negative emotionality is highly correlated with clinical depression.
The researchers summed it up:
“Current evidence suggests that depression is linked to traits such as neuroticism/negative emotionality, extraversion/positive emotionality, and conscientiousness.
Moreover, personality characteristics appear to contribute to the onset and course of depression through a variety of pathways.”
Although earlier studies have occasionally suggested links between depression and being introverted, as well as being low on the personality trait of Conscientiousness, these connections are weak at best or engage in beatification.
However, it is neuroticism, the persistence of negative emotions, in your brain and nervous system that has the greatest correlation with clinical depression.
Be well, stay kind and Godspeed.
RESEARCH:
Kendler KS, Gatz M, Gardner CO, Pedersen NL. Personality and Major Depression: A Swedish Longitudinal, Population-Based Twin Study. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2006;63(10):1113–1120. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.63.10.1113
Maddux, R. (2012). Depressive Personality Disorder: Construct, measurement, clinical correlates, and treatment outcome. [Doctoral Thesis (compilation), Department of Psychology]. Printus.
Naragon-Gainey K, Simms LJ. Clarifying the Links of Conscientiousness With Internalizing and Externalizing Psychopathology. J Pers. 2017 Dec;85(6):880-892. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12295. Epub 2017 Jan 18. PMID: 27884039; PMCID: PMC5443702.
