Neuroticism, life events and mental health: evidence for person-environment correlation

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Abstract
Background: There is some evidence that genetic effects on the likelihood of experiencing stressful life events (SLEs) are mediated by heritable traits such as cognitive ability (CA) and neuroticism (N).Aims: To examine whether the association between CA, N and mental ill-health is driven in part by a predisposition to experience depressogenic SLEs.Method: Childhood measures of N and CA were available in a birth cohort of 5362 individuals. At ages 36 and 43 years, mental state and occurrence of SLEs in the previous year were assessed. Using a path-analytic approach, models with and without a hypothesised influence of N and CA on the occurrence of SLEs were compared.Results: The fit of the model with childhood N having a direct influence on SLEs was good with χ2=5.72, d.f.=4,P=0.22 at age 36 years and χ2=3.50, d.f.=5,P=0.62 at age 43. The fit of the model was significantly worse without this path at both ages (36 years: χ2=42,5, d.f.=1,P2=15.3 d.f.=1,P<0.001). No consistent differences were seen in comparisons of models with CA.Conclusions: The results are congruent with the suggestion that genetic effects on SLEs are mediated by personal characteristics. Part of the well-established association between N and minor psychiatric disorder may be mediated by an indirect effect of N on the likelihood of experiencing SLEs.

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