posted on 2014-04-07, 08:49authored byKeith Millar, Suzanne M. Lloyd, Jennifer S. McLean, David G. Batty, Harry Burns, Jonathan Cavanagh, Kevin A. Deans, Ian Ford, Alex McConnachie, Agnes McGinty, Réne Mottus, Chris J. Packard, Naveed Sattar, Paul G. Shiels, Yoga Nathan, Carol Tannahill
Background: Associations between socio-economic status (SES), personality and inflammation were examined to determine
whether low SES subjects scoring high on neuroticism or hostility might suffer relatively higher levels of inflammation than
affluent subjects.
Methods: In a cross-sectional design, 666 subjects were recruited from areas of high (most deprived – ‘‘MD’’) and low (least
deprived – ‘‘LD’’) deprivation. IL-6, ICAM-1, CRP and fibrinogen were measured along with demographic and healthbehaviour
variables, and personality traits of neuroticism, extraversion and psychoticism (hostility). Regression models
assessed the prediction of inflammation as a function of personality, deprivation and their interaction.
Results: Levels of CRP and IL-6 were an increasing function of neuroticism and extraversion only in LD subjects opposite
trends were seen in MD subjects. The result was ascribed parsimoniously to an inflammatory ceiling effect or, more
speculatively, to SES-related health-behaviour differences. Psychoticism was strongly associated with ICAM-1 in both MD
and LD subjects.
Conclusions: The association between neuroticism, CRP and IL-6 may be reduced in MD subjects confirming speculation
that the association differs across population sub-groups. The association between psychoticism and ICAM-1 supports
evidence that hostility has adverse effects upon the endothelium, with consequences for cardiovascular health. Health
interventions may be more effective by accounting for personality-related effects upon biological processes.