Chunk #44 — CAUSAL LINKS BETWEEN NEUROTICISM AND ADVERSE OUTCOMES — Causal Links Between Neuroticism and Physical Health Problems — Neuroticism and Physiological Stress Reactivity
In contrast, some studies have not found neuroticism to be related to differences in cortisol reactivity to a stressor (Hennig et al., 1996; Schommer, Kudielka, Hellhammer, & Kirschbaum, 1999) and one study found that higher neuroticism was associated with lower heart rate and lower levels of serum norepinephrine during an aversive challenge (LeBlanc, Ducharme, & Thompson, 2004). Such discrepancies may be the result of the generally small samples used in this area of research, nonlinear associations between neuroticism and stress reactivity, methodological differences across studies, and demographic differences in samples. For example, there is some evidence that the greater physiological responsiveness associated with higher neuroticism is considerably more robust in females than in males (Hennig et al., 1996; Oswald et al., 2006). It will be very important to consider such factors when attempting to resolve these discrepancies and test the important hypothesis that neuroticism moderates health-related physiological responsiveness to stressors.
