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Meta-Analysis
. 2019 Jan;49(2):224-231.
doi: 10.1017/S0033291718000636. Epub 2018 Mar 15.

Alcohol use and personality trait change: pooled analysis of six cohort studies

Christian Hakulinen  1 , Markus Jokela  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Alcohol use and personality trait change: pooled analysis of six cohort studies

Christian Hakulinen et al. Psychol Med. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Personality has been associated with alcohol use, but less is known about how alcohol use may influence long-term personality trait change.

Methods: The present study examines associations between alcohol use and change in the five major personality traits across two measurement occasions (mean follow-up of 5.6 years). A total of 39 722 participants (54% women) were pooled from six cohort studies for an individual-participant meta-analysis. Alcohol use was measured as (1) average alcohol consumption, (2) frequency of binge drinking, (3) symptoms of alcohol use disorder, and (4) a global indicator of risky alcohol use. Changes in the five major personality traits (extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience) were used as outcomes.

Results: Risky alcohol use was associated with increasing extraversion [0.25 T-scores over the mean follow-up of 5.6 years; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07-0.44] and decreasing emotional stability (-0.28; 95% CI -0.48 to -0.08), agreeableness (-0.67; 95% CI -0.87 to -0.36), and conscientiousness (-0.58; 95% CI -0.79 to -0.38). Except the association between alcohol use and extraversion, these associations were consistent across cohort studies and across different measures of alcohol use.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that alcohol use is associated with personality trait changes in adulthood.

Keywords: Alcohol use; big five; longitudinal studies; meta-analyses; personality.

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