There also is important evidence that neuroticism robustly predicts morbidity and mortality in individuals with chronic diseases and cancer. For example, neuroticism strongly predicts the course of renal deterioration in type I diabetics (Brickman et al., 1996) and patients with cardiac disease (Murberg, 2004). In addition, a four-year prospective study of patients with chronic renal insufficiency found that patients with high neuroticism scores had a 38% greater mortality rate, controlling age, diabetic status, hemoglobin level, and the personality trait of conscientiousness (Christensen et al., 2002). Similarly, a 25-year Danish longitudinal study found that persons treated for cancer who were high in neuroticism had a 130% greater death rate than persons low in neuroticism (Nakaya et al., 2006). Thus, it appears that neuroticism is a robust predictor of future physical health problems and mortality.
