Dark Triad personality traits, second-to-forth digit ratio (2D:4D) and circulating testosterone and cortisol levels.

INTRODUCTION: Dark Triad (DT) personality traits (psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism) show sex differences and associations with hormones. Understanding aetiology may assist in mitigating the harm of these potentially adverse characteristics. Low second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is hypothesised to be a marker of high prenatal testosterone exposure and may provide important information about organisational hormones. The aim of the present study was to measure Dark Triad and Big 5 personality traits in relation to digit ratio, salivary testosterone, and cortisol. METHODS: A non-clinical sample (N = 268; 49.25% Female, age M25.20 ± 8.77 yrs) completed the Short Dark Triad and International Personality Inventory Pool - Mini. Afternoon saliva was analysed for testosterone and cortisol, and 2D:4D finger ratios were measured. RESULTS: Males scored higher on DT traits than females. Females scored higher on Big 5 agreeableness and neuroticism. Males had higher testosterone and cortisol levels and lower 2D:4D than females. Digit ratio correlated inversely with salivary testosterone, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Testosterone levels correlated positively with cortisol levels and psychopathy and negatively with agreeableness, neuroticism, and Machiavellianism. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide indications that Machiavellianism and psychopathy (Dark Triad) traits, but not narcissism or Big 5 traits, are linked to markers of prenatal testosterone exposure. Results also replicate sex differences seen in 2D:4D digit ratios, with males having a shorter second-relative-to-forth finger. Links between circulating testosterone, digit ratios, cortisol and personality traits provide further information about potential biological bases of personality.

Not all stress is created equal: Acute, not ambient stress, impairs learning in high schizotypes.

Learning from feedback is essential for daily functioning, with factors that impact learning having implications for healthy and clinical populations. Reinforcement learning appears impaired across the psychosis continuum, with deficits reported in patients with psychotic disorders as well as high schizotypes from the general population. Stress can impair learning, and sensitivity to stress is present along the psychosis continuum. The aim of the present study was to understand if stress impairs reinforcement learning in those at the lower end of the psychosis continuum. We investigated both naturalistic stress in everyday life using daily hassles (Study 1: n = 70; 31% male, M age = 22.67 years) and acute psychosocial stress using the Trier Social Stress Test (Study 2: n = 57; 32% male, M age = 22.43 years). In the presence of naturalistic stress, learning did not differ across schizotypes. However, under acute psychosocial stress, high schizotypes experienced impaired learning. Our results suggest trail-and-error learning is robust to the ebbs and flows of everyday stress for high schizotypes; however, acute stress is associated with decrements in learning. This indicates that the magnitude of stressors should be considered when designing cognitive and functional interventions for those along the psychosis continuum.

Erectile Dysfunction: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses of Risk-Factors, Treatment, and Prevalence Outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a major health care problem that has implications for quality of life. AIM: This umbrella review sought to synthesize all meta-analytic research on risk factors, treatment, and prevalence of ED. METHODS: 8 electronic databases were searched for relevant meta-analyses in June 2018. The evidence was graded with 2 measures that use quantitative criteria to establish the quality of report writing and confidence in the effect size reported. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Lifestyle factors, genetic markers, medical conditions, treatments. RESULTS: In total, 98 meta-analyses were identified that included 421 meta-analytic effects, 4,188 primary-effects, and 3,971,122 participants. Pooled estimates showed that an unhealthy lifestyle, genetic markers, and medical conditions were associated with an increased risk of ED. Testosterone therapy and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors showed the greatest treatment efficacy, with mild adverse events observed across treatments. Psychological and behavior change interventions produced effect sizes that were comparable to medication but had greater imprecision in effect sizes. There was little evidence that combined treatments were more efficacious than single treatments. Meta-analyses of prevalence estimates showed consistent age trends but were limited to particular regions or clinical samples, meaning that global estimates of ED are difficult to determine. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The umbrella review synthesized findings for many treatment options that might aid evidence-based clinical decision-making. Based on prevalence estimates, we recommend that primary care physicians take a proactive approach and enquire about erectile problems in all men over age 40 displaying any health-related issue (eg, overweight, cigarette smoking). STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS: Strengths include the calculation and comparison of summary estimates across multiple meta-analyses. Limitations include heterogeneity in research quality across research themes limiting effect size comparisons. CONCLUSION: The review provides summary estimates for 37 risk factors and 28 treatments. Meta-analyses of risk factors often did not control for important confounders, and meta-analyses of randomized trials were not exclusive to double-blinded trials, active placebo controls, or tests of long-term effects. We recommend further meta-analyses that eliminate lower quality studies and further primary research on behavioral and combined treatments. Allen MS, Walter EE. Erectile Dysfunction: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses of Risk-Factors, Treatment, and Prevalence Outcomes. J Sex Med 2019;16:531-541.

Health-Related Behavior Mediates the Association Between Personality and Memory Performance in Older Adults.

This prospective study explored the potential mediating role of health-related behavior (alcohol involvement, diet, television viewing, and physical activity) in the association between personality and change in memory performance over 2 years. A nationally representative sample of 8,376 U.K. participants aged 55 years and older (4,572 women, 3,804 men) completed self-report measures of personality and health-related behavior in 2010, and completed a memory performance task in 2010 and 2012. After removing variance associated with potential confounding variables, neuroticism and agreeableness had negative associations, and openness and conscientiousness positive associations with change in memory performance. There were no moderation effects by age, sex, education level, or ethnicity. Multiple mediator models demonstrated that physical activity, television viewing, and alcohol intake mediated associations between personality and change in memory performance. These findings provide evidence that the association between personality and memory performance in older adults can be explained, in part, through health-related behavior.

Sedentary behaviour and risk of anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This research synthesis sought to determine the magnitude of the association between sedentary behaviour (sitting time) and anxiety. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A comprehensive literature search of eight electronic databases (and a manual search) identified 13 observational studies that met inclusion criteria (22 effect sizes; total n = 70,425). Pooled mean effects were computed using inverse-variance weighted random effects meta-analysis and moderation by study and population characteristics were tested using random effects meta-regression. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Sedentary behaviour was associated with an increased risk of anxiety for non-adjusted effect sizes (k = 7, OR = 1.33 [95% CI: 1.14, 1.55]) and effect sizes adjusted for sociodemographic and health-related factors (k = 11, OR = 1.48 [95% CI: 1.25, 1.75]). There was no evidence of publication bias in the results. The regression models showed that effect sizes were not moderated by age or gender. However, there was some evidence of moderation by study quality and measurement of sedentary behaviour and anxiety. Measures of sitting time showed larger associations than measures of screen time, and measures of anxiety symptoms showed larger associations than measures of anxiety disorders. CONCLUSION: The research synthesis provides evidence that sedentary behaviour has a small positive association with anxiety, after controlling for sociodemographic and other health-related factors. Study limitations include low statistical power in meta-regression models and heterogeneity in measures of anxiety and sedentary behaviour. Findings might be of interest to health care professionals developing health care initiatives to reduce risk of anxiety.

Anti-doping rule violations in sport: The attractive leniency effect and attributions of guilt and punishment.

The attractive-leniency effect predicts that more attractive people are perceived as less guilty and less deserving of punishment compared to less attractive people. This closely aligned conceptual replication study sought to explore athlete physical attractiveness, sex, and anti-doping rule violation severity (ADRV) as factors contributing to attributions of guilt and punishment. After initial pilot testing, 411 participants (135 men, 276 women; Mage = 20.30, SD = 4.69 years) were shown one of eight vignette-photograph pairings that differed in sex (male/female), ADRV severity (serious/minor), and physical attractiveness (high/low). Participants were asked to provide attributions of guilt, severity of punishment, and most appropriate course of action (sport-related punishment). Analyses of variance showed that attributions of guilt and punishment were related to ADRV severity, but there were no significant main or interaction effects for physical attractiveness on any of the outcome variables. Follow-up sensitivity analyses provided some evidence that less attractive athletes are afforded harsher punishments (reflecting a longer suspension from sport) than more attractive athletes, but this finding was not robust. Overall, the findings of this initial research indicate that an attractive leniency effect is likely to be trivial or negligible in the context of anti-doping rule violations in sport.

Linking big five personality traits to sexuality and sexual health: A meta-analytic review.

This meta-analytic review addresses whether the major dimensions of trait personality relate to components of human sexuality. A comprehensive literature search identified 137 studies that met inclusion criteria (761 effect sizes; total n = 420,595). Pooled mean effects were computed using inverse-variance weighted random effects meta-analysis. Mean effect sizes from 100 separate meta-analyses provided evidence that personality relates to theoretically predicted components of sexuality and sexual health. Neuroticism was positively related to sexual dissatisfaction (r+ = .18), negative emotions (r+ = .42), and symptoms of sexual dysfunction (r+ = .16). Extraversion was positively related to sexual activity (r+ = .17) and risky sexual behavior (r+ = .18), and negatively related to symptoms of sexual dysfunction (r+ = -.17). Openness was positively related to homosexual orientation (r+ = .16) and liberal attitudes toward sex (r+ = .19). Agreeableness and conscientiousness were negatively related to sexually aggressive behavior (r+ = -.20; r+ = -.14) and sexual infidelity (r+ = -.18; r+ = -.17). Less robust evidence indicated that extraversion related negatively, and neuroticism positively, to child sexual abuse, and that openness related negatively to homophobic attitudes. Random effects metaregression identified age, gender, and study quality as important moderators of pooled mean effects. These findings might be of interest to health care professionals developing health care services that aim to promote sexually healthy societies. (PsycINFO Database Record

Health-Related Lifestyle Factors and Sexual Dysfunction: A Meta-Analysis of Population-Based Research.

BACKGROUND: Sexual dysfunction is a common problem among men and women and is associated with negative individual functioning, relationship difficulties, and lower quality of life. AIM: To determine the magnitude of associations between 6 health-related lifestyle factors (cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, diet, caffeine, and cannabis use) and 3 common sexual dysfunctions (erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and female sexual dysfunction). METHODS: A comprehensive literature search of 10 electronic databases identified 89 studies that met the inclusion criteria (452 effect sizes; N = 348,865). Pooled mean effects (for univariate, age-adjusted, and multivariable-adjusted estimates) were computed using inverse-variance weighted random-effects meta-analysis and moderation by study and population characteristics were tested using random-effects meta-regression. RESULTS: Mean effect sizes from 92 separate meta-analyses provided evidence that health-related lifestyle factors are important for sexual dysfunction. Cigarette smoking (past and current), alcohol intake, and physical activity had dose-dependent associations with erectile dysfunction. Risk of erectile dysfunction increased with greater cigarette smoking and decreased with greater physical activity. Alcohol had a curvilinear association such that moderate intake was associated with a lower risk of erectile dysfunction. Participation in physical activity was associated with a lower risk of female sexual dysfunction. There was some evidence that a healthy diet was related to a lower risk of erectile dysfunction and female sexual dysfunction, and caffeine intake was unrelated to erectile dysfunction. Publication bias appeared minimal and findings were similar for clinical and non-clinical samples. CLINICAL TRANSLATION: Modification of lifestyle factors would appear to be a useful low-risk approach to decreasing the risk of erectile dysfunction and female sexual dysfunction. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: Strengths include the testing of age-adjusted and multivariable-adjusted models and tests of potential moderators using meta-regression. Limitations include low statistical power in models testing diet, caffeine, and cannabis use as risk factors. CONCLUSION: Results provide compelling evidence that cigarette smoking, alcohol, and physical activity are important for sexual dysfunction. Insufficient research was available to draw conclusions regarding risk factors for premature ejaculation or for cannabis use as a risk factor. These findings should be of interest to clinicians treating men and women with complaints relating to symptoms of sexual dysfunction. Allen MS, Walter EE. Health-Related Lifestyle Factors and Sexual Dysfunction: A Meta-Analysis of Population-Based Research. J Sex Med 2018;15:458-475.

Stress induced cortisol release and schizotypy.

Cortisol is involved in preparing the body's response for stress. However, in those at risk for mental health problems, abnormal cortisol release following stress has been reported. In particular, we are yet to fully understand how stress leads to an exacerbation of symptoms and progression of risk in those who express psychosis proneness or schizotypy. Using the Trier Social Stress Test, we examined the effect of experimentally induced psychosocial stress on cortisol release in otherwise healthy individuals with schizotypal traits. This cross-sectional study included 58 individuals (32.76% male, mean age 22.43). Schizotypy was assessed by total Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire score and we additionally captured ratings of subjective stress. Salivary cortisol was collected over six time points spread prior to and after stress induction and was available for analysis in 39 individuals (28.21% male, mean age 22.77). Those with high schizotypal traits exhibited higher baseline cortisol levels (5.18 nmoL vs 3.71 nmoL). However, those with high schizotypal traits also displayed reduced mean cortisol release (2.02 nmoL vs 5.11 nmoL) and had a delayed cortisol release peak following psychosocial stress. These results indicate those with high schizotypal traits do not display physiological readiness following psychosocial stressors, perhaps due to an already taxed stress system.

Personality and sedentary behavior: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Too much sitting is associated with an increased risk of chronic disease and premature death. This investigation aimed to systematically review the evidence for personality as a correlate of time spent in sedentary pursuits. METHOD: Electronic databases (PubMed; Science Direct; PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and SPORTDiscus via EBSCO; Web of Science; MEDLINE via Ovid; Scopus; ProQuest) were searched in December 2015 for studies reporting an association between at least 1 personality trait and time spent in at least 1 sedentary behavior. Pooled mean effect sizes were computed using inverse-variance weighted random effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-six studies (28 samples, 110 effect sizes) met inclusion criteria. Higher levels of sedentary behavior were associated with higher levels of neuroticism (r+ = .08, 95% confidence interval [CI: .05, .10]) and lower levels of conscientiousness (r+ = -.08, 95% CI [-.11, -.06]). Nonsignificant associations were observed for extraversion (r+ = .00, 95% CI [-.07, .06]), openness (r+ = -.02, 95% CI [-.05, .02]), and agreeableness (r+ = -.04, 95% CI [-.09, .00]). Effects for neuroticism and extraversion were moderated by measurement of sedentary behavior, and effects for openness and agreeableness were moderated by participant age and gender. CONCLUSIONS: Findings appear consistent with personality trait associations with other health-related behaviors. More objective measures of sedentary behavior are required to make more definitive conclusions about the contribution of personality to a sedentary lifestyle. (PsycINFO Database Record

Genetic Consideration of Schizotypal Traits: A Review.

Schizotypal traits are of interest and importance in their own right and also have theoretical and clinical associations with schizophrenia. These traits comprise attenuated psychotic symptoms, social withdrawal, reduced cognitive capacity, and affective dysregulation. The link between schizotypal traits and psychotic disorders has long since been debated. The status of knowledge at this point is such schizotypal traits are a risk for psychotic disorders, but in and of themselves only confer liability, with other risk factors needing to be present before a transition to psychosis occurs. Investigation of schizotypal traits also has the possibility to inform clinical and research pursuits concerning those who do not make a transition to psychotic disorders. A growing body of literature has investigated the genetic underpinnings of schizotypal traits. Here, we review association, family studies and describe genetic disorders where the expression of schizotypal traits has been investigated. We conducted a thorough review of the existing literature, with multiple search engines, references, and linked articles being searched for relevance to the current review. All articles and book chapters in English were sourced and reviewed for inclusion. Family studies demonstrate that schizotypal traits are elevated with increasing genetic proximity to schizophrenia and some chromosomal regions have been associated with schizotypy. Genes associated with schizophrenia have provided the initial start point for the investigation of candidate genes for schizotypal traits; neurobiological pathways of significance have guided selection of genes of interest. Given the chromosomal regions associated with schizophrenia, some genetic disorders have also considered the expression of schizotypal traits. Genetic disorders considered all comprise a profile of cognitive deficits and over representation of psychotic disorders compared to the general population. We conclude that genetic variations associated with schizotypal traits require further investigation, perhaps with targeted phenotypes narrowed to assist in refining the clinical end point of significance.

Personality and body image: A systematic review.

This study systematically reviewed the evidence for personality as a correlate of body image. Electronic databases and reference lists were searched in May 2016 for studies reporting an association between at least one dimension of personality and at least one component of negative body image. Twenty-six studies (33 discrete samples) met inclusion criteria. Sixteen samples were coded as medium-high quality. The results indicated that negative body image was associated with higher levels of Neuroticism and lower levels of Extraversion. Agreeableness was not related to body image, and findings for Conscientiousness and Openness were indeterminate. After taking study quality into account, negative body image was also associated with lower levels of Conscientiousness. Neuroticism was associated with negative body image in both women and men. Sex moderation effects for Extraversion, Openness, and Conscientiousness were indeterminate. Large-sample, prospective studies of personality and body image are recommended.