Résumé
Background: Chronic psychological stress has been associated with cognitive decline and dementia. The aim of this study is to determine if the endogenous stressors hostility and anger are related to cognitive performance and decline over time in the elderly. Methods: 1252 participants in a population based cohort from Montpellier France, completed the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory and Speilberger State Trait Anger Expression Inventory. They also were tested using the Benton Visual Retention Test, the Isaacs Set test of category fluency and Trails A and B at the same time point and 2 and 4 years later. Mixed models were used to examine the association between hostility and anger factor scores and cognitive function. Results: In men, after adjusting for age, education, depression, coronary heart disease, smoking and body mass index there were significant associations between Guilt and Suspicion and State Anger and cognitive performance. The only significant time by hostility factor interaction was for the association between State Anger and Trails A. In women, after adjustments the associations between Trait Anger and Anger-Out and Isaacs Set Test and Verbal and Physical Aggression and Guilt and Trails A were significant, and there were no significant time by hostility interactions. Conclusions: Expressed hostility had positive associations and suppressed hostility tended to have negative associations with level of cognitive function, but not with cognitive decline in old age. This suggests that personality may impact across the lifespan on cognitive function.