Psychological predictors of good health in three longitudinal samples of educated midlife women.

Concurrent and longitudinal associations between cognitive and affective personality variables--intellectual efficiency (IE), anxiety, and hostility--and observer ratings of physical health were examined in 3 longitudinal samples of women: Mills Longitudinal Study (n = 101); Radcliffe Study (RS, n = 118); and University of California, San Francisco Study (n = 44). Observer ratings of health were based on participants' reports of health problems. The California Psychological Inventory (H. G. Gough, 1996) IE, Hostility, and Anxiety Scales were used in all studies at Times 1 and 2, except in RS, when at Time 1 the Zung Anxiety (W. K. Zung, 1971) and the Profile of Mood States (D. M. McNair, M. Lorr, & L. F. Droppleman, 1971) Hostility Scales were used. In the majority of analyses, IE was positively associated with good health, and Anxiety and Hostility were negatively associated with health. IE was the strongest independent predictor of health, indicating that cognitive characteristics may have an important role in health and should be examined further.