Causal links between Neuroticism and Mental Disorders?

• Hypothesis 1: Overlapping genetic influences.

  • Growing evidence that neuroticism and mental disorders are correlated because they are partly influenced by the same genes 
  • Twin studies indicate that 1/3-2/3 of the genetic variance in a broad range of mental disorders is shared with neuroticism
  • rather than neuroticism CAUSING mental health problems, it is a marker for risk for mental health problems, being caused by the same genes conferring risk for mental health problems

  
• Hypothesis 2: Neuroticism, stressful events, and social support.

  • ↑ neuroticism ↑ the likelihood of negative life events (daily hassles, conflicted and unstable relationships with friends, stressful physical health problems, unemployment)
  • ↑ frequency of stressful events with ↑ levels of neuroticism → stressful life events precipitate a range of mental disorders.
  • ↓ neuroticism predicts ↓ levels of social support → social support linked with depression, association between neuroticism and depression.
  • ↑ social support predicts shorter episodes of depression in prospective studies.

  
• Hypothesis 3: Neuroticism and emotional reactivity to stressful life events.

  
  

  People with ↑ neuroticism:

  • respond with -ve emotions more frequently and intensely when experience stressful life events.
  • Coping style: important component of the greater emotional reactivity of ↑ neuroticism.
  • use fewer problem-focused and more emotion-focused strategies to cope with stress.
  • use inefficient escape avoidance strategies to cope with stress.