Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c4f8m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T21:18:55.190Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Effect of month of birth on personality traits of healthy Japanese

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Mitsuhiro Kamata*
Affiliation:
Health Administration Center, Yamagata University, 1-4-12 Kojirakawa-machi, Yamagata990-8560, Japan
Akihito Suzuki
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2-2-2 Iida-nishi, Yamagata990-9585, Japan
Yoshihiko Matsumoto
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2-2-2 Iida-nishi, Yamagata990-9585, Japan
Hitoshi Togashi
Affiliation:
Health Administration Center, Yamagata University, 1-4-12 Kojirakawa-machi, Yamagata990-8560, Japan
Koichi Otani
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2-2-2 Iida-nishi, Yamagata990-9585, Japan
*
*Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +81 23 628 4152. E-mail address: mkamata@med.id.yamagata-u.ac.jp
Get access

Abstract

The effect of month of birth on personality traits was investigated in 595 healthy Japanese. Personality traits were evaluated by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Statistical analyses were conducted in two steps. Firstly, months of the year were divided according to ambient temperature or photoperiod, and TCI scores were compared between month groups by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with age as a covariate. Secondly, multiple regression analysis was performed with TCI scores as dependent variables and ambient temperature and photoperiod at birth month and age as independent variables. Both analyses showed that higher ambient temperature at birth month was related to higher scores of self-directedness and persistence in females. Also, higher ambient temperature at birth month was related to lower body mass index (BMI) in females. These results suggest that month of birth affects self-directedness and persistence in healthy Japanese females, and these effects may be mediated by BMI changes associated with ambient temperature at birth month.

Type
Original article
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th ed.Washington, DCAmerican Psychiatric Association 1994Google Scholar
Castrogiovanni, P., Iapichino, S., Pacchierotti, C., Pieraccini, F.Season of birth in psychiatry; a review. Neuropsychobiology 1998;37:175181CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chotai, J., Renberg, E.S., Jacobssn, L.Season of birth associated with the age and method of suicide. Arch Suicide Res 1999;5:245254CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chotai, J., Forsgren, T., Nilsson, L.G., Adolfsson, R.Season of birth variations in the temperament and character inventory of personality in a general population. Neuropsychobiology 2001;44:1926CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chotai, J., Jonasson, M., Hagglof, B., Adolfsson, R.The temperature scale of novelty seeking in adolescents shows an association with season of birth opposite to that in adults. Psychiat Res 2002;111:4554CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chotai, J., Lundberg, M., Adolfsson, R.Variations in personality traits among adolescents and adults according to their season of birth in the general population: further evidence. Pers Indvid Diff 2003;35:897908CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cloninger, C.R., Przybeck, T.R., Svrakic, D.M., Wetzel, R.D.The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI): a guide to its development and use. ST Louis (Mo): Center for Psychobiology of Personality Washington University 1994Google Scholar
Eisenberg, ME , Neumark-Sztainer, D, Haines, J, Wall, M (2006) Weight-teasing and emotional well-being in adolescents: Longitudinal findings from Project EAT J Adolesc Health 38: 675683.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elter, K., Ay, E., Uyar, E., Kavak, Z.N.Exposure to low outdoor temperature in the midtrimester is associated with low birth weight. Aust NZ J Obst Gynaecol 2004;44:553557CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eysenck, H.J.The biological basis of personality Springfield, ILCharles C. Thomas 1967Google Scholar
Faith, M.S., Flint, J., Fairburn, G., Goodwin, G.M., Allison, D.B.Gender differences in the relationship between personality dimensions and relative body weight. Obesity Res 2001;9:647650CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gillespie, N.A., Cloninger, C.R., Heath, A.C., Martin, N.G.The genetic and environmental relationship between Cloninger’s dimensions of temperament and character. Pers Indiv Diff 2003;35:19311946CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gortmaker, S.L., Kagen, J., Caspi, A., Silva, P.A.Daylength during pregnancy and shyness in children: results from northern and southern hemispheres. Dev Psychobiol 1997;31:1071143.0.CO;2-O>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ishii, G., Suzuki, A., Oshino, S., Shiraishi, H., Otani, K.CYP2C19 polymorphism affects personality traits of Japanese females. Neurosci Lett 2007;411:7780CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kijima, N., Saito, R., Takeuchi, M., Yoshino, A., Ono, Y., Kato, M.et al.Cloniger’s seven-factor model of temperament and character and Japanese version of Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Seishinkashindangaku 1996;7:379399Google Scholar
Mino, Y., Oshima, I., Okagami, K.Seasonality of birth in patients with mood disorders in Japan. J Affect Disord 2000;59:4146CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murray, L.J.O’Reilly DPJ, Betts N, Patterson CC, Smith GD, Evans AE. Season and outdoor ambient temperature: effects on birth weight. Obst Gynecol 2000;96:689695Google Scholar
Oshino, S., Suzuki, A., Ishii, G., Otani, K.Influences of parental rearing on the personality traits of healthy Japanese. Compr Psychiatry 2007;48:465469CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Phillips, D.I.W., Young, J.B.Birth weight, climate at birth and the risk of obesity in adult life. Int J Obesity 2000;24:281287CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Salib, E., Cortina-Borja, M.Effect of month of birth on the risk of suicide. Br J Psychiatry 2006;188:416422CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strauss, R.S. Childhood obesity and self-esteem. Pediatrics 2000; 105 e15CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tochigi, M., Marumo, K., Hibino, H., Otowa, T., Kato, C., Marui, T.et al.Season of birth effect on personality in a general population. Neurosci Lett 2004;365:120123CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Torrey, E.F., Miller, J., Rawlings, R., Yolken, R.H.Seasonality of births in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: a review of the literature. Schizophrenia Res 1997;28:138CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van den Berg, P., Paxton, S.J., Keery, H., Wall, M., Guo, J., Neumark-Sztainer, D.Body dissatisfaction and body comparison with media images in males and females. Body Image 2007;4:257268CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.