High neuroticism at age 20 predicts history of mental disorders and low self‐esteem at age 35

The authors assessed whether neuroticism in emerging adulthood predicts mental disorders and self‐esteem in early adulthood after controlling for possible confounding variables. A sample of 69 male military conscripts was initially assessed at age 20 and again as civilians at age 35. The initial assessment included a psychiatric interview, objective indicators of conscript competence, an intellectual performance test, and neuroticism questionnaires. The follow‐up assessment included a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV (SCID; First, Spitzer, Gibbon, & Williams, 1996) and the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965). Neuroticism predicted future mental disorders and low self‐esteem beyond more objective indicators of adjustment. The results support the use of neuroticism as a predictor of future mental disorders, even over periods of time when personality is subject to change. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 65: 1–10, 2009.