US state death rates: Structural equation modeling of Big Five personality, socioeconomic status, and health risk factors.

Abstract

Structural equation modeling (SEM) tested the plausibility of a causal model with neuroticism, openness to experience, socioeconomic status (SES), and race as predictors of a composite of six health risks and age-adjusted all-cause mortality in 2020 using the 48 contiguous American states as analytic units. In the final model, neuroticism, openness, and SES accounted for 80% of the health risk composite variance. These three variables and composite health risk accounted for 85% of the death rate variance. Neuroticism, openness, and SES had direct impacts on the health risk composite and indirect impacts on death rates through the health risk composite. SES and composite health risk also had direct impacts on death rates. Spatial autocorrelation and multicollinearity were not problematic. These SEM results underline the importance of state resident personality and SES in this context and support the plausibility of the speculation that the demonstrated relations may be causal in nature.