Links between ischemic heart disease patient’s personality traits and intelligence

Abstract

Background. According to earlier studies intelligence and personality traits predict a healthy behavior or it’s changes (Costa, McCrae, 2012; Sorberg, Allebeck, 2014). If effect of conscientiousness and neuroticism on health behavior explain by individual differences in executive function (Hall, Fong, Epp, 2014), links between intelligence and personality traits might be also important for ischemic heart disease patient. The aim of this work is to find links between ischemic heart disease (IHD) patient’s personality traits and general intelligence. Methods. Study was conducted in Abromiskes Rehabilitation Hospital Inpatient Cardiac department (Lithuania) during the period of 2014–2016. Participants (N = 89) were administered Intelligence Structure test in order to assess general intelligence and filled NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) for evaluating personality traits. Findings. Results showed no statistically significant correlations between intelligence and extroversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness (p > 0.05). IHD patients with higher verbal and general intelligence are tending to have lower neuroticism (resp. r = -0.285, r = -0.382, p < 0,05), but, in contrast, higher openness (resp. r = 0.268, r = 0.240, p < 0,05). Also, higher numerical and figurative intelligence correlate with lower neuroticism (resp. r = -0.347, r = -0.287, p < 0,05). Conclusion. Our study confirmed the links between personality traits and intelligence in the sample of ischemic heart disease patient’s: verbal, numerical, figurative and general intelligence is negatively correlated with neuroticism as well as verbal and general intelligence is positively correlated with openness. Research was supported by Research Council of Lithuania, project No. MIP-081/2014