A Microlongitudinal Study of the Linkages Among Personality Traits, Self-Regulation, and Stress in Older Adults

Abstract

Personality traits, goals, and perceived stress were examined in 99 older adults assessed via web-based surveys over 100 days to explore how traits influence self-regulation. Participants high in neuroticism made less social goal progress and those high in conscientiousness and extraversion made more health and social goal progress over the 100-day period. Stress interacted with traits, uncovering relationships between goal progress and stressful days not evident when examining just direct effects. This study provides empirical evidence for linkages in the six-foci model of personality that are consistent with the idea that trait structures can shape processes.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported in part by grants from the Oregon State University Center for Healthy Aging Research and the National Science Foundation, DGE 0956820. We thank the participants of the study for their time and commitment.