Impulsivity-related traits are associated with higher white blood cell counts
- 22 December 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Journal of Behavioral Medicine
- Vol. 35 (6), 616-623
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-011-9390-0
Abstract
A chronically elevated white blood cell (WBC) count is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality. The present research tests whether facets of impulsivity—impulsiveness, excitement-seeking, self-discipline, and deliberation—are associated with chronically elevated WBC counts. Community-dwelling participants (N = 5,652) from Sardinia, Italy, completed a standard personality questionnaire and provided blood samples concurrently and again 3 years later. Higher scores on impulsivity, in particular impulsiveness and excitement-seeking, were related to higher total WBC counts and higher lymphocyte counts at both time points. Impulsiveness was a predictor of chronic inflammation: for every standard deviation difference in this trait, there was an almost 25% higher risk of elevated WBC counts at both time points (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.10–1.38). These associations were mediated, in part, by smoking and body mass index. The findings demonstrate that links between psychological processes and immunity are not limited to acute stressors; stable personality dispositions are associated with a chronic inflammatory state.Keywords
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