TY - JOUR
T1 - Geopersonality of Preventable Death in the United States
T2 - Anger-Prone States and Opioid Deaths
AU - Gerhart, James
AU - Duberstein, Paul
AU - Paull, Danielle
AU - O’Mahony, Sean
AU - Burns, John
AU - DeNicolo, Martin
AU - Hoerger, Michael
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.
PY - 2020/8/1
Y1 - 2020/8/1
N2 - Background: Opioid overdoses have reached epidemic levels in the United States and have clustered in Northeastern and “Rust Belt” states. Five Factor Model (FFM) personality traits also vary at the state level, with anger-prone traits clustered in the Northeast region. This study tested the hypothesis that state-level anger proneness would be associated with a greater increase in rates of opioid overdose death. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of state-level data on FFM traits, opioid overdose deaths, and other classes of preventable death. Robust mixed models tested whether change in rates of opioid overdose death from 2008 to 2016 was moderated by state-level anger proneness. Results: State-level anger proneness was significantly associated with greater increases in rates of opioid overdose deaths (B = 1.01, standard error = 0.19, P <.001, 95% confidence interval: 0.63-1.39). The slope of increase in opioid overdose death rates was 380% greater in anger-prone states and held after adjustment for potential confounders such as state-level prevalence of major depressive disorder, number of mental health facilities, and historical patterns of manufacturing decline. A similar pattern was observed between state-level anger proneness and benzodiazepine overdose deaths but was not significant for the latter after adjustment for potential confounders. Conclusion: These findings suggest that states characterized as more anger prone have experienced greater increases in opioid overdose deaths.
AB - Background: Opioid overdoses have reached epidemic levels in the United States and have clustered in Northeastern and “Rust Belt” states. Five Factor Model (FFM) personality traits also vary at the state level, with anger-prone traits clustered in the Northeast region. This study tested the hypothesis that state-level anger proneness would be associated with a greater increase in rates of opioid overdose death. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of state-level data on FFM traits, opioid overdose deaths, and other classes of preventable death. Robust mixed models tested whether change in rates of opioid overdose death from 2008 to 2016 was moderated by state-level anger proneness. Results: State-level anger proneness was significantly associated with greater increases in rates of opioid overdose deaths (B = 1.01, standard error = 0.19, P <.001, 95% confidence interval: 0.63-1.39). The slope of increase in opioid overdose death rates was 380% greater in anger-prone states and held after adjustment for potential confounders such as state-level prevalence of major depressive disorder, number of mental health facilities, and historical patterns of manufacturing decline. A similar pattern was observed between state-level anger proneness and benzodiazepine overdose deaths but was not significant for the latter after adjustment for potential confounders. Conclusion: These findings suggest that states characterized as more anger prone have experienced greater increases in opioid overdose deaths.
KW - anger
KW - geographical psychology
KW - opioid overdose
KW - preventable death
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U2 - 10.1177/1049909120902808
DO - 10.1177/1049909120902808
M3 - Article
C2 - 32008364
AN - SCOPUS:85078966553
SN - 1049-9091
VL - 37
SP - 624
EP - 631
JO - American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
JF - American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
IS - 8
ER -