Objective: To evaluate the role of personality as indicated by occupational choices and employment patterns in the risk for Parkinson's disease (PD).

Background PD has been associated with employment in certain fields. Most occupational studies focused on toxic exposures as potential causal explanations of these associations. However, PD also has been associated with personality characteristics including decreased risk-taking and novelty-seeking that may influence occupational choices and patterns.

Design/Methods: In-person interviews were conducted to assess occupational histories and early-adult personality indicators among 89 PD patients and 99 controls recruited from academic medical clinics. Logistic regressions controlling for age, sex and education examined associations between occupational characteristics, personality and risk for PD.

Results: PD cases had fewer jobs in their lifetime than controls (mean ± SD for cases = 4.38 ± 2.20; mean ± SD for controls = 5.00 ± 2.26; p=0.03). However, there was no association between the number of categories of employment or the duration of the primary job and PD. Among women, PD was positively associated with more complex work with people (OR=0.69 (95% CI 0.53-0.89)), representing a 95% increased risk for PD comparing women whose jobs required the greatest complexity of work with those requiring the least complexity with people. Female cases also did less complex work with things compared with controls (OR=1.45 (95% CI 1.11-1.88)), translating into a 13-fold increased risk for PD among women whose work involved the least complex work with things compared with the most. The number of jobs and number of job types was associated with taking more activity risks as a young adult.

Conclusions: Cases with PD held fewer lifetime jobs compared with controls. Occupational complexity was associated with the risk for PD among women, but not men. Further consideration of the possible influence of personality on occupational choices is warranted.