The Relationship Between the Five-Factor Model of Personality and Symptoms of Clinical Disorders: A Meta-Analysis

Personality mediates the association between juvenile conduct problems and adulthood mood disorders

This study aimed to examine the association between conduct problems and mood disorders, and to evaluate the mediating roles of personality traits in it. Adult participants (N = 309), for which patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar disorder (BD), and controls without major psychiatric history were recruited. Juvenile conduct problem was defined by the items in Composite International Diagnosis Interview. We assessed personality traits of extraversion and neuroticism. Multiple mediation model was performed to investigate the intervening effect of personality traits between juvenile conduct problems and adulthood mood disorders. Participants had on average 2.7 symptoms of conduct problems, and 43.4% had conduct problems. Having more symptoms of conduct problems was associated with a higher likelihood of BD (OR = 1.20). Higher neuroticism was associated with elevated risks of both MDD and BD. There was no direct effect of binary conduct problems on the risk of BD, and showed significant total indirect effect mediated by neuroticism for BD (OR = 1.49; bias-corrected and accelerated 95% CI = 1.10–2.05), but not through extraversion. Conduct problems defined as a continuous variable had a direct effect on the risk of adult MDD (OR = 1.36; bias-corrected and accelerated 95% CI = 1.05–1.76), while had an indirect effect on the risk of BD via the mediation of neuroticism (OR = 1.08; bias-corrected and accelerated 95% CI = 1.02–1.14). Neuroticism mediates between the association of juvenile conduct problems and adult BD. This finding raises our attention to assess personality traits in individuals with juvenile conduct problems for timely intervention strategies of reducing the vulnerability for developing mood disorders.

The Association between the Five-factor Model of Personality and Problem Gambling: a Meta-analysis

This meta-analysis examined the associations between five-factor personality model traits and problem gambling. To be eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis, studies had to provide effect size data that quantified the magnitude of the association between all five personality traits and problem gambling. Studies also had to use psychometrically sound measures. The meta-analysis included 20 separate samples from 19 studies and 32,222 total participants. The results showed that problem gambling was significantly correlated with the five-factor model of personality. The strongest personality correlate of problem gambling was neuroticism r = .31, p = < 0.001, 95% CI [0.17, 0.44], followed by conscientiousness r = − .28, p = < 0.001, 95% CI [-0.38,-0.17] ), agreeableness r = − .22, p = < 0.001, 95% CI [-0.34, − 0.10], openness r = − .17, p = < 0.001, 95% CI [-0.22,-0.12], and extraversion r = − .11, p = .024, 95% CI [-0.20,-0.01]. These results suggest problem gamblers tend to share a common personality profile – one that could provide clues as to the most effective ways to prevent and to treat problem gambling.

Health Literacy and Personality Traits in Two Types of Family Structure-A Cross-Sectional Study in China

Objective

The level of health literacy is one of the important factors affecting health outcomes. Family is an important place to shape personality traits, and people with different personalities will adopt different lifestyles, which will lead to variations in health outcomes. Therefore, this article aims to explore the relationship between health literacy and personality and its influencing factors in different family structures.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study with 1,406 individuals. A questionnaire was utilized to measure health literacy, personality and demographic variables, including family structure. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were used to examine the relation between health literacy and personality traits between two types of family structure.

Results

CCA showed that the canonical correlation coefficients were 0.309 (p < 0.001) and 0.347 (p < 0.001), in two-parent family and single-parent family, respectively. The openness of personality traits exhibited the highest correlation with health literacy. Compared with the remaining personality traits, openness yielded the strongest effect (β = 0.485 and β = 0.830) in two types of family structure, respectively. Education and monthly income were significantly associated with health literacy.

Conclusion

Our results support the relation between health literacy and personality traits in two types of family structure.

Personality traits differentiate patients with bipolar disorder and healthy controls - A meta-analytic approach

BACKGROUND

Expression of specific personality traits has been associated with the presence and disease course of bipolar disorder (BD) in multiple studies. However, until today findings are inconsistent and potentially confounding factors such as age and gender as well as the limited sample size of previous studies make it difficult to generalize these findings. To overcome these limitations and to specify the role of personality traits in the context of BD, we performed a meta-analysis in patients with BD and healthy controls (HC), focusing on the traits of the big three and the big five: Neuroticism (N), Extraversion (E), Openness (O), Conscientiousness (C), Agreeableness (A) and Psychoticism (P).

METHODS

Two online databases (Pubmed and Web of Science) were searched systematically to identify relevant articles, including publications up to December 31, 2019. From studies that met our inclusion criteria (n = 18), we extracted relevant data of patients with BD (n = 1694) and HC (n = 2153) and calculated effect sizes for each personality trait. Further, we performed moderator analysis on gender, age, quality score and years of publication.

RESULTS

Our results indicate that patients with BD exhibit higher scores on N (large positive effect size; n = 18, g = 1.44, 95%-CI : 1.11 to 1.77) and lower scores on C (medium negative effect size; n = 6, g = -0.78, 95%-CI: -1.13 to -0.43) and E (small negative effect size; n = 13, g = -0.38, 95%-CI: -0.52 to -0.23) compared to HC. We found a moderating effect of mean age on the effect size of N with smaller differences in N levels between patients with BD and HC in older samples (-0.0437, z = - 3.96, p <0.0001). Our results were robust with respect to potential publication biases and the inclusion of potentially confounding factors such as gender, age, quality score and years of publication.

LIMITATIONS

Due to the lack of available data no subgroup analysis on the effect of mood states of patients and subtypes of BD could be performed. Moreover, our analyses are based on cross-sectional data so that findings should be interpreted with care, especially concerning causal conclusions.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with BD showed differences in several personality traits compared to HC. Our results provide the basis for future research with focus on personality and psychopathology in patients with BD. Identifying the interaction between expressions of personality traits and BD might provide novel approaches in prevention and therapy.

The General Factors of Personality Disorder, Psychopathology, and Personality

There is considerable interest in the study of the general factors of personality disorder (g-PD), psychopathology (p factor), and personality (GFP). One prominent interpretation of the g-PD is that it is defined by the self-interpersonal impairments of Criterion A of the DSM-5 Section III. However, no study has directly tested this hypothesis as no prior g-PD study has included a measure of Criterion A. The current study provides a direct test of this hypothesis, along with comparing g-PD with the general factors of psychopathology and personality. Also extracted was a common general factor across all three domains. Suggested herein is that the g-PD, the p factor, and the GFP reflect the impairments (e.g., social and occupational dysfunction) that are secondary to the traits and disorders rather than the traits and/or disorders themselves.

Personality traits associate with behavioral problems in pet dogs

Personality traits, especially neuroticism, strongly predict psychopathology. The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris Linnaeus, 1758) is used as a natural model for psychiatric disorders, but the similarity between dog and human personality and the association between dog personality and unwanted behavioral traits, such as fearfulness, aggressiveness, and impulsivity/inattention, remain unknown. This study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) with survey data of 11,360 dogs to examine the associations and correlations between seven personality and ten unwanted behavioral traits. Personality traits included insecurity, energy, training focus, aggressiveness/dominance, human sociability, dog sociability, and perseverance. Unwanted behavioral traits included fearfulness, noise sensitivity, fear of surfaces/heights, separation anxiety, barking, stranger-directed aggression, owner-directed aggression, dog-directed aggression, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and inattention. We first fitted confirmatory factor models for the unwanted behavioral traits and the best model grouped unwanted behaviors into four latent traits: fear-related behavior, fear-aggression, aggression, and impulsivity/inattention and used this structure in the subsequent SEM model. Especially, insecurity, which resembles the human neuroticism trait, was strongly associated with unwanted behavior, paralleling the association between neuroticism and psychopathology. Similarly, training focus, resembling conscientiousness, was negatively related to impulsivity/inattention, and aggressiveness/dominance was associated with aggressive behaviors, resembling associations of conscientiousness and agreeableness with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and aggression-related psychopathology, respectively. These results indicate that dog personality traits resemble human personality traits, suggesting that their neurological and genetic basis may also be similar and making the dog a suitable animal model for human behavior and psychiatric disorders.

Psychopathological Symptoms and Personality Traits as Predictors of Problematic Smartphone Use in Different Age Groups

The study investigates psychopathological symptoms and the Big Five personality traits as predictors of “problematic smartphone use” (PSU) in different generational groups. The generational groups were selected to analyze whether the different life stages and developmental tasks that need to be completed have an impact on PSU. The groups were divided into digital immigrants, digital natives, and Generation Y and Z as subgroups of digital natives. A total of 399 subjects participated (312 women, 86 men, 1 diverse; mean age = 25.9; range 14–67; 44 digital immigrants, 355 digital natives, 35 Generation Y, and 320 Generation Z). They completed the ICD-10 Symptom Rating (ISR), the Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10), and the Mobile Phone Problematic Use Scale (MPPUS). The results show differences between digital immigrants and digital natives in the expression of PSU, neuroticism, conscientiousness, depression, anxiety, and compulsivity. Concerning Generations Y and Z, differences were only found in the expression of the PSU. Regression revealed that symptoms for obsessive-compulsive disorders, depression, conscientiousness, and gender were significant predictors of PSU. Moderations have shown that being a digital immigrant/native moderates the impact of eating disorders on PSU. Belonging to Generation Y/Z moderates the influence of conscientiousness and depression on PSU. Thus, it shows that in different generations, different factors seem to play a role in the development and maintenance of PSU.

Conscientiousness moderates the relationship between neuroticism and health-risk behaviors among adolescents

Health-Risk-Behaviors (HRBs) are considered significant antecedent conditions of adolescents' poor health and mortality. Prevention of any adverse health outcome requires an in-depth understanding of the risk and protective factors associated with its development and maintenance. Among other potential causal pathways, the "neuroticism- HRBs-adverse health" link has been supported in previous studies. Trait neuroticism has been associated with poor health and HRBs, but several moderators were also observed, which might transform neuroticism into a desirable phenomenon, that is, healthy neuroticism, that leads to better health. Conscientiousness is one such potential moderator; however, the moderating effect of conscientiousness in the neuroticism-HRBs link has not been explored extensively among adolescents, especially in India; therefore, no conclusive evidence is available. Thus, the present study was planned to explore the moderating effect of conscientiousness in the relationship between neuroticism and HRBs among adolescents. The study was conducted in India and its cross-sectional sample, procured through a multi-stage stratified random sampling, consists of 648 (364 males) adolescents (M_age  = 16.08). Participants provided relevant information on standardized questionnaires. Moderated regression analysis was applied to test the stated hypotheses. Individuals high on neuroticism and low on conscientiousness reported more indulgence in health-risk behaviors than individuals high on both neuroticism and conscientiousness. It indicates that a higher level of conscientiousness may reduce the negative impact that neuroticism has on HRBs. The findings imply that the assessment of conscientiousness and strategies to increase the same should be part of interventional programs to achieve adolescents' wellbeing.

The big five model in bipolar disorder: a latent profile analysis and its impact on longterm illness severity

Background

Using a personality typing approach, we investigated the relationship between personality profiles and the prediction of longterm illness severity in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). While previous research suggests associations between BD and traits from the NEO-FFI profiles, the current study firstly aimed to identify latent classes of NEO-FFI profiles, and, secondly, to examine their impact on the longterm prognosis of BD.

Methods

Based on the NEO-FFI profiles of 134 euthymic patients diagnosed with BD (64.2% female, mean age = 44.3 years), successive latent profile analyses were conducted. Subsequently, a subsample (n = 80) was examined prospectively by performing multiple regression analysis of the latent classes to evaluate the longitudinal course of the disease (mean: 54.7 weeks) measured using a modified Morbidity Index.

Results

The latent profile analyses suggested a 3-class model typifying in a resilient (n = 68, 51%), vulnerable (n = 55, 41%) and highly vulnerable (n = 11, 8%) class. In the regression analysis, higher vulnerability predicted a higher longterm Morbidity Index (R² = 0.28).

Conclusions

Subgroups of patients with BD share a number of discrete personality features and their illness is characterized by a similar clinical course. This knowledge is valuable in a variety of clinical contexts including early detection, intervention planning and treatment process.

[Personality Models in the Context of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Development, Change, Stability and Research Perspectives]

Personality models play an important role for the etiological understanding of abnormal development in clinical settings. In this selective review, relevant personality models are presented and, in particular, their developmental dynamics and adaptability over the life span, starting in childhood, are considered in detail. The focus is on the developmental psychopathological perspective of processes of ego-resiliency and self-regulation between the poles of disposition and social environment. This is particularly obvious in the discussion of developmental path models of personality dysfunction with experiences of abuse or disorganized attachment in the child's history. Psychopathologically, an ongoing impairment of self-regulation often results in stable patterns of maladaptation, which leads in the case of purely symptomatic treatment usually only to temporary behavioral modifications. On the other hand, the changeability of pathological personality traits through the use of targeted intervention approaches will favour of a positive outcome and contradicts a deterministic stability of personality characteristics. For future research perspectives in developmental psychopathology, various theoretical personality constructs are discussed and linked to clinical observations.

Emotion Regulation Difficulties Mediate the Relationship between Neuroticism and Health-Risk Behaviours in Adolescents

Health-Risk-Behaviors (HRBs) are significant antecedent conditions of adolescents' poor health and mortality. Prevention of avoidable adverse health outcomes requires an in-depth understanding of the factors associated with such outcomes. Among other possible pathways, the 'Neuroticism- HRBs-adverse health' link has been supported in previous studies. However, more extensive exploration of this link is required to identify the underlying modifiable risk factors. In the present study, one such factor, namely, emotion regulation difficulties, was explored to see its mediating effect in the relationship between neuroticism and HRBs-the first two constructs of the mentioned link. In this quantitative study, a total of 759 adolescents belonging to the Indian state of Punjab (Males= 402; M(age)=16.08) provided relevant information on a set of standardized questionnaires. Mediation analysis supported the major hypothesis of the present study. The results suggest that emotion regulation difficulty may be a significant mediator in the neuroticism-HRBs link. One's difficulty in regulating emotions might be an underlying mechanism through which high neuroticism increases the probability of indulging in HRBs, resulting in adverse health outcomes. The study implies that the assessment of emotion regulation difficulties should be included in interventional programs aimed at achieving adolescents' wellbeing, and early intervention may avoid progression toward adverse health outcomes in adulthood.

Emotion regulation difficulties, perceived parenting and personality as predictors of health-risk behaviours among adolescents

Health-Risk Behaviours (HRBs) are significant antecedent conditions of adverse health outcomes among adolescents, and their prevention requires an in-depth understanding of associated factors. Like any other behaviour, HRBs may be an outcome of a complex interplay between personal and situational factors that determines our responses. Among other factors, emotional tendencies, specific behavioural patterns, and psychosocial environment may be the significant factors working at different hierarchical positions within a system and guiding human behaviours, including HRBs. Previous studies have explored the role of these specific factors in developing and maintaining HRBs, but mainly among the adult population, and no conclusive results could be observed regarding their contribution to HRBs in adolescents. The present study explored the predictability of adolescents' engagement in HRBs with regard to three representations of the mentioned factors, i.e., emotion regulation difficulties, perceived parenting practices and personality traits. A total of 723 (Males = 440) adolescents (Mage = 16.05, SD = 1.1) provided relevant information on the standardized questionnaires. Structural equation modelling was applied to test the stated hypotheses. Analysis revealed that the adolescents who reported more difficulty regulating one's emotions, perceived parenting practice as maladaptive, scored high on neuroticism and low on conscientiousness, showed more engagement in HRBs than their counterparts. Further, the findings indicated that emotion regulation difficulties and perceived parenting practices are stronger predictors of HRBs than personality traits. Interventional programs targeting HRBs among adolescents should address specific facets of emotional dysregulation and sensitise parents about their role in moderating adolescents' HRBs.

Internet-Related Disorders and Their Effects on Personality Development in Adolescents from Germany-Results from a Prospective Study

Internet-related disorders (IRD) are increasingly becoming a major health issue. IRD are defined as the predominant use of online content, related to a loss of control and continued use despite negative consequences. Despite findings from cross-sectional studies, the causality of pathways accelerating the development of IRD are unclear. While etiological models emphasize the role of personality as risk factor, mutual influences between IRD and personality have not been examined. A prospective study with two assessments was conducted with n = 941 adolescents (mean age of 13.1 years; 10–17 years). Our aim was to validate etiological assumptions and to examine the effects of IRD-symptoms on the maturation of personality. IRD were measured with the Scale of the Assessment of Internet and Computer game Addiction (AICA-S). Personality traits were assessed using the Brief Five Factor Inventory (BFI). Conscientiousness and neuroticism were predictive for IRD symptoms one year later, and were likewise prone to changes depending on incidence or remission of IRD. Conscientiousness and openness moderated the course of IRD symptoms. Our findings point to complex trait–pathology associations. Personality influences the risk of development and maintenance of IRD symptoms and pre-existing IRD-symptoms affect the development of personality. Adaptations to etiological models are discussed and perspectives for novel intervention strategies are suggested.

Prevalence and predictive factors for depressive symptoms among medical students in Germany - a cross-sectional study

Background: Elevated levels of depressive symptoms among medical students have been the subject of international and national research before, yet associated risk factors and protective factors are to be determined. This study aims to show the burdens of depression at different stages of academic medical education with a special emphasis on correlated risk factors and protective factors. Methods: A total number of n=1103 medical students of a middle-sized German university were sampled and surveyed regarding depressive symptoms and correlating factors. The assessment of potential depressive symptoms was based on the BDI-II. Correlating factors were surveyed through a self-designed questionnaire consisting of possible cofactors for depressive symptoms based on established scientific literature. Results: Survey response rate was 90.2% (1103/1223). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 11% for mild, 5.6% for moderate and 2.4% for severe symptoms. The sample's most prevalent risk factors were feeling unable to confide one's own worries to someone else (88%); and experiencing a lack of time for partner, friends and family (77%) or hobbies (76%). Significant predictors for depressive symptoms were neuroticism above all, insufficient emotional support, eating irregular meals, use of medication or drugs to calm down, and mental overload. Factors associated with less depressive symptoms could be identified as: spending time with partner, friends, family, hobbies and exercise; and confiding worries to classmates. Conclusions: Every fifth medical student surveyed reported at least mild depressive symptoms. The majority of the surveyed medical students felt unable to confide their worries to someone else and lamented not having enough time for social interaction with peers, family and hobbies. Certain personality traits - such as neuroticism - and insufficient emotional support showed to play important roles in making medical students more prone to developing depressive symptoms. Based on this research, control of the surveyed cofactors associated with depressive symptoms and possible intervention programs targeted to these are proposed to be a key subject of further research.

Extraversion and Neuroticism on College Freshmen's Depressive Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Social Support

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to explore the direct effects of extraversion and neuroticism on college freshmen's depressive symptoms and their indirect effects via social support under the background of COVID-19.

METHOD

A total of 3,563 college freshmen were surveyed using the extraversion and neuroticism scales of the Chinese version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the Chinese version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS). Partial correlation analyses and regression analyses were used.

RESULTS

(1) Extraversion had a significant and negative predictive effect on depressive symptoms, while neuroticism positively predicted depressive symptoms. The interaction effect between extraversion and neuroticism on depressive symptoms was also significant. Neuroticism had a greater impact on depressive symptoms in college freshmen with low levels of extraversion. (2) Furthermore, social support partially mediated the relationships between extraversion and depressive symptoms, and neuroticism and depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Extraversion and neuroticism can directly affect college freshmen' s depressive symptoms, and have indirect effects via the mediating role of social support. Additionally, extraversion interacts with neuroticism, and extraversion plays a protective role in the effect of neuroticism on depressive symptoms. These findings help identify college freshmen at high risk of depression and design effective prevention or intervention measures for them.

Personality and Alcohol Use across College: Examining Context-Dependent Pathways toward Alcohol Problems

BACKGROUND

College life is characterized by marked increases in alcohol consumption. Extraversion and neuroticism are associated with alcohol use problems in college and throughout adulthood, each with alcohol use patterns consistent with an externalizing and internalizing pathway respectively. Students higher in extraversion drink more frequently and consume more alcohol, while neuroticism is paradoxically not consistently associated with elevated alcohol use.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined whether students higher in neuroticism may drink the day before stressors, namely tests and assignment deadlines.

METHOD

Multilevel generalized linear models were performed using data from a longitudinal study of first-time, first-year undergraduates assessing alcohol use across four years of college, with daily diary bursts each semester.

RESULTS

Students higher in extraversion had heavier alcohol use and greater alcohol use problems in their fourth year of college. Neuroticism was not associated with drinking behaviors or with drinking before a test or assignment, but was associated with greater fourth year alcohol problems. Students lower in extraversion who reduced heavy drinking the day before academic events had fewer alcohol use problems at the fourth year of college relative to students higher in extraversion.

CONCLUSIONS

Students higher in extraversion appear to exhibit a continuity of established alcohol use patterns from adolescence, predisposing them to a more hazardous trajectory of college alcohol use. Characteristics of low extraversion may afford some protection from alcohol-positive college culture. High neuroticism appears associated with a hazardous trajectory of college alcohol use, but continued research into situational factors of alcohol use in high neuroticism is warranted.

More treatment but no less depression: The treatment-prevalence paradox

Treatments for depression have improved, and their availability has markedly increased since the 1980s. Mysteriously the general population prevalence of depression has not decreased. This "treatment-prevalence paradox" (TPP) raises fundamental questions about the diagnosis and treatment of depression. We propose and evaluate seven explanations for the TPP. First, two explanations assume that improved and more widely available treatments have reduced prevalence, but that the reduction has been offset by an increase in: 1) misdiagnosing distress as depression, yielding more "false positive" diagnoses; or 2) an actual increase in depression incidence. Second, the remaining five explanations assume prevalence has not decreased, but suggest that: 3) treatments are less efficacious and 4) less enduring than the literature suggests; 5) trial efficacy doesn't generalize to real-world settings; 6) population-level treatment impact differs for chronic-recurrent versus non-recurrent cases; and 7) treatments have some iatrogenic consequences. Any of these seven explanations could undermine treatment impact on prevalence, thereby helping to explain the TPP. Our analysis reveals that there is little evidence that incidence or prevalence have increased as a result of error or fact (Explanations 1 and 2), and strong evidence that (a) the published literature overestimates short- and long-term treatment efficacy, (b) treatments are considerably less effective as deployed in "real world" settings, and (c) treatment impact differs substantially for chronic-recurrent cases relative to non-recurrent cases. Collectively, these a-c explanations likely account for most of the TPP. Lastly, little research exists on iatrogenic effects of current treatments (Explanation 7), but further exploration is critical.

Personality Traits That Affect Travel Intentions during Pandemic COVID-19: The Case Study of Serbia

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has enormous effects on peoples’ lives and on the global economy. The outbreak and effects of COVID-19 have resulted in fears, concerns, and anxiety among people all around the world. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the fear of COVID-19, travel anxiety, and travel intention among residents in Serbia. In addition to the above, the aim of the study was to examine the impact of personality traits on the fear of COVID-19, travel anxiety, and travel intentions. To enhance the understanding of the relationship between the mentioned variables, this study proposes a research model based on the use of measurement scales from the existing studies to develop the questionnaire. The standard paper-and-pen survey was used for data collection from the respondents from Serbia. The total sample include 987 respondents. It was determined that Travel intention was negatively influenced by Neuroticism and Conscientiousness, but positively by Extroversion and Openness. The supposed Agreeableness did not have a significant effect on Travel intention. This study contributes to understanding the respondents’ behavior during pandemic of COVID-19, and their responses to the crisis according to their personality traits might have practical implications in the travel sector.

Maladaptive personality traits in depressive and substance use disorders: A study with the PID-5

Studies on the relationship between personality and depressive disorders (DD) or substance use disorders (SUD) often refer to the normal personality model and focus mainly on the "big" factors. Domain level results with the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) tend to be consistent with NEO-PI-R or NEO-FFI results, however facet level results in the specific characteristics of these disorders are scarce. The main objective of this study was to characterize DD and SUD's maladaptive personality traits through the PID-5. A sample of DD was compared with a sample of SUD, with a sample of other disorders, and with a community sample. A sample of the general Portuguese population (N = 693) and a heterogeneous clinical sample (N = 310) were studied. Participants responded to the PID-5 and to the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Depressivity, Irresponsibility and Anhedonia were the main characteristics of DD. However, high values in Depressivity and in depressive symptomatology were present in all the clinical subsamples. Irresponsibility, Deceitfulness and Callousness were the main characteristics of SUD. The occurrence of DD, SUD or Other disorders could be predicted using multinonomial logisitic regression analysis, and PID-5 facets as independent variables. These results are in line with comorbidity data and tend to confirm the PID-5 validity.

Polygenic risk for neuroticism moderates response to gains and losses in amygdala and caudate: Evidence from a clinical cohort

BACKGROUND

Neuroticism is a heritable trait that contributes to the vulnerability to depression. We used polygenic risk scores (PRS) to examine genetic vulnerability to neuroticism and its associations with reward/punishment processing in a clinical sample with mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. It was hypothesized that higher PRS for neuroticism is associated with attenuated neural responses to reward/punishment.

METHOD

Four hundred sixty-nine participants were genotyped and their PRSs for neuroticism were computed. Associations between PRS for neuroticism and anticipatory processing of monetary incentives were examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

RESULTS

Individuals with higher PRS for neuroticism showed less anticipatory activation in the left amygdala and caudate region to incentives regardless of incentive valence. Further, these individuals exhibited altered sensitivity to gain/loss processing in the right anterior insula. Higher PRSs for neuroticism were also associated with reduced processing of gains in the precuneus.

LIMITATIONS

The study population consisted of a transdiagnostic sample with dysfunctions in positive and negative valence processing. PRS for neuroticism may be correlated with current clinical symptoms due to the vulnerability to psychiatric disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

Greater genetic loading for neuroticism was associated with attenuated anticipatory responsiveness in reward/punishment processing with altered sensitivity to valences. Thus, a higher genetic risk for neuroticism may limit the degree to which positive and/or negative outcomes influence the current mood state, which may contribute to the development of positive and negative affective dysfunctions in individuals with mood, anxiety, and addictive disorders.

Neurotic personality trait as a predictor in the prognosis of composite restorations: A 24-month clinical follow up study

The role of personality traits in modulating the incidence and progression of medical disease conditions are well documented, however, there is a paucity of information for its effects on dental health conditions and specifically on the prognosis of restorative dental materials. This study aims to evaluate the clinical performance of Micro-hybrid and Nano-ceramic composite restorations among patients with different personality traits. A total of 323 patients, indicated to receive operative treatment at a University Dental College Hospital, were invited to participate in this study. Consenting patients were requested to complete the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44 Item) personality questionnaire and were evaluated by a psychiatrist for categorizing the participants based on their personality traits. Out of the recruited patients, 124 patients falling in to the dominant trait of Agreeableness (n = 62) and Neuroticism (n = 62) were included in the study for further investigation. Next, patients from the Agreeableness (Group A) and the Neuroticism personality trait group (Group N) were randomly divided into two subgroups each—sub group Am (n = 44) and Nm (n = 48) for Micro-hybrid composite restorations and Sub group An (n = 42) and Nn (n = 47) for Nano-ceramic composite restorations. Two trained and calibrated dentists prepared the cavities according to previously published methodology. The restorations were evaluated at baseline (immediately after restoration), 6-months, 12-months and 24-months intervals by two blinded independent dental professionals for anatomical form, secondary caries, color match, retention, marginal adaptation, surface texture, marginal discoloration and post-operative sensitivity. There is no statistically significant difference noted in various parameters of restoration performance between Micro-hybrid composite and Nano-ceramic composite compared among ‘agreeableness’ personality group and among ‘neuroticism’ personality group after controlling the personality trait factor. Higher ‘Neuroticism’ individuals had higher restoration deterioration in color matching and surface texture when compared to higher ‘Agreeableness’ trait individuals. Regression analysis showed no effect of gender or cavity size on the outcome of results. Assessment of personality traits may serve as a useful tool during treatment planning which would aid clinicians in choosing suitable restorative dental material and prosthesis design according to individual patient’s physiological and functional needs, thereby overall improving the quality of treatment provided.

The Khoekhoegowab Personality Inventory: The Comparative Validity of a Locally Derived Measure of Traits

Objective: This study explores a personality inventory derived from the results of an indigenous lexical study of personality. From the 272 most commonly used personality descriptors in Khoekhoegowab, the most-spoken of extant Khoesan click languages of southern Africa, an 11-factor model of personality-trait structure was identified. Here, the Khoekhoegowab Personality Inventory (KPI) was created based on those results. Its psychometric properties, the convergent and divergent validity of its scales, and its incremental validity over Big Five and Six traits for predicting physical and mental health, religious practice and attitudes, and income are reported. Methods: Two to five key terms were selected for each of 10 KPI scales: Temperance, Prosocial Diligence, Gossip, Honesty/Morality, Temper, Implacability, Humility, Vanity, Resiliency vs. Agitation, and Courage vs. Fear. These 38 total items were administered to a large sample of adult speakers of Khoekhoegowab in Namibia (N = 632), together with five imported inventories translated into Khoekhoegowab: the 30-item Questionnaire Big Six (QB6), General Self-Reported Health, the Cascades Mental Health Assessment, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Duke Religion Index. The properties and intercorrelations of KPI subscales are explored, and their predictive ability for the other variables is compared to that of the QB6. Results: Due to the small number of items on each scale, poor internal consistency was anticipated, but the KPI scales' properties were somewhat better than those of the QB6. R-square change by the inventories as a whole, after accounting for age and gender, indicted that the KPI scales explained more variance than the QB6 scales in almost all criterion variables. Replication of established associations for Big Six traits was mixed: associations were largely as expected for Resiliency, Conscientiousness, and Honesty, but less so for Agreeableness and Extraversion. Conclusions: The KPI had some advantages over the QB6 in predicting physical and mental health. In particular, the four items of Resiliency vs. Agitation predicted lower scores on all physical and mental problem scales. Given psychological-care needs in Namibia, this might be used as a non-intrusive screener. Measurement challenges common to both surveys are discussed, possible solutions, and the utility of higher-order structures are discussed.

Facets of Emotion Regulation and Emotional Disorder Symptom Dimensions: Differential Associations and Incremental Validity in a Large Clinical Sample

A growing literature suggests robust associations between dimensions of emotion regulation and emotional disorder psychopathology. However, limited research has investigated associations of emotion regulation dimensions across several emotional disorders (transdiagnostic associations), or the incremental validity of emotion regulation versus the higher-order construct of neuroticism. The current study used exploratory structural equation modeling and a large clinical sample (N = 1,138) to: (a) develop a multidimensional emotion regulation measurement model, (b) evaluate the differential associations between latent emotion regulation dimensions and five latent emotional disorder symptom dimensions (social anxiety, depression, agoraphobia/panic, obsessions/compulsions, generalized worry), and (c) determine the incremental contribution of emotion regulation in predicting symptom dimensions beyond neuroticism. The best-fitting measurement model of emotion regulation included four dimensions: Problematic Responses, Poor Recognition/Clarity, Negative Thinking, and Emotional Inhibition/Suppression. Although many zero-order associations between the four latent emotion regulation dimensions and five latent symptom dimensions were significant, few associations remained significant in a structural regression model that included neuroticism. Specifically, Negative Thinking and Problematic Responses incrementally predicted depression symptoms, while Emotional Inhibition/Suppression predicted both social anxiety and depression symptoms. Associations between neuroticism and the emotional disorder dimensions were similar regardless of whether the emotion regulation dimensions were held constant. These results suggest that self-reported emotion regulation dimensions are associated with the severity and expression of a range of emotional disorder symptoms, but that some emotion regulation dimensions have limited incremental validity after accounting for general emotional reactivity. Studies of emotion regulation should assess neuroticism as a key covariate.

Is neuroticism really bad for you? Dynamics in personality and limbic reactivity prior to, during and following real-life combat stress

The personality trait of neuroticism is considered a risk factor for stress vulnerability, putatively via its association with elevated limbic reactivity. Nevertheless, majority of evidence to date that relates neuroticism, neural reactivity and stress vulnerability stems from cross-sectional studies conducted in a “stress-free” environment. Here, using a unique prospective longitudinal design, we assessed personality, stress-related symptoms and neural reactivity at three time points over the course of four and a half years; accounting for prior to, during, and long-time following a stressful military service that included active combat. Results revealed that despite exposure to multiple potentiality traumatic events, majority of soldiers exhibited none-to-mild levels of posttraumatic and depressive symptoms during and following their military service. In contrast, a quadratic pattern of change in personality emerged overtime, with neuroticism being the only personality trait to increase during stressful military service and subsequently decrease following discharge. Elevated neuroticism during military service was associated with reduced amygdala and hippocampus activation in response to stress-related content, and this association was also reversed following discharge. A similar pattern was found between neuroticism and hippocampus-anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) functional connectivity in response to stress-related content. Taken together these findings suggest that stressful military service at young adulthood may yield a temporary increase in neuroticism mediated by a temporary decrease in limbic reactivity, with both effects being reversed long-time following discharge. Considering that participants exhibited low levels of stress-related symptoms throughout the study period, these dynamic patterns may depict behavioral and neural mechanisms that facilitate stress resilience.

Neuroticism and respiratory sinus arrhythmia predict increased internalizing symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted young adults across a number of different domains. It is critical to establish the degree to which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected mental health and identify predictors of poor outcomes. Neuroticism and (low) respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) are risk factors of internalizing disorders that might predict increased psychopathology symptoms. The present study included 222 undergraduate students from [name removed] in Long Island, NY. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, participants completed self-report measures of neuroticism and internalizing symptoms and an electrocardiogram. Between April 15th to May 30th, 2020, participants again completed the measure of internalizing symptoms and a questionnaire about COVID-19 experiences. The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increased distress, fear/obsessions, and (low) positive mood symptoms. There was a Neuroticism x RSA interaction in relation to distress symptoms, such that greater pre-COVID-19 neuroticism was associated with increased distress symptoms, but only in the context of low RSA. These findings suggest the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to increased internalizing symptoms in young adults, and individuals with specific personality and autonomic risk factors may be at heightened risk for developing psychopathology.

Can Personality Traits Predict Depression during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The emotional costs of the COVID-19 pandemic have raised concerns among clinicians and scholars. The goal of the current study was to test whether or not neuroticism, conscientiousness, and personal belief in a just world are associated with depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the contribution of neuroticism and conscientiousness was assessed over and above demographic variables and COVID-19 perceptions, and the unique contribution of personal belief in a just world was evaluated beyond all the other study variables. Samples were collected in three different countries-Israel (N = 917), Germany (N = 213), and India (N = 160). Online self-report questionnaires were utilized to measure age, gender, COVID-19 perceptions (probability, severity, and self-efficacy), neuroticism, conscientiousness, personal belief in a just world, and depression. The findings indicated that, across the three countries, neuroticism was positively associated with depression (correlations ranging from .24 to .44), and conscientiousness and personal belief in a just world were negatively associated with depression (correlations ranging from - .31 to - .21, and from - .35 to - .23, respectively). Moreover, neuroticism and conscientiousness explained unique variance over and above demographic variables and COVID-19 perceptions (except conscientiousness in India), and the effect of personal belief in a just world on depression was significant beyond the effects of all other study variables. These findings support the role of personality in explaining depression regardless of situational characteristics and stress the role of just world beliefs as protective factors against negative emotions.

How personality traits of neuroticism and extroversion predict the effects of the COVID-19 on the mental health of Canadians

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) epidemic was first detected in China in December 2019 and spread to other countries fast. Some studies have found that COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse mental health consequences. Individual differences such as personality could contribute to people's behaviors during a pandemic. In the current study, we examine how personality traits of neuroticism and extroversion (using the Five-Factor Model as our framework) are related to the mental health of Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from an online survey with 1096 responses, this study performed multiple regression analysis to explore how personality traits of neuroticism and extroversion predict the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of Canadians. The results showed that personality traits of neuroticism and extroversion are associated with the current mental health of Canadians during COVID-19 pandemic, with extroversion positively related to mental health and neuroticism negatively related to it. Results contribute to the management of individual responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and could help public health services provide personality-appropriate mental health services during this pandemic.

Dopaminergic Genetic Variation in Young Adolescents: Associations with Sensation-Seeking

Deficient reward functioning, including reward-related personality, is implicated in depression's etiology. A dopaminergic genetic multilocus genetic profile score (MGPS) has previously been associated with neural reward responsivity but, despite theoretical basis, has not been studied with reward-related personality. Such research is needed to elucidate associations between genetic variation and reward-related personality in a developmentally sensitive population. In the present study, we examined associations between dopaminergic MGPS's and self-report reward-related personality in two young adolescent samples aged 10-15 years old (Sample 1: N = 100 girls, 82% White, 18% Other; Sample 2: N = 141, 65 girls, 76 boys, 89.36% White, 10.64% Other) using an established MGPS and an augmented MGPS. A "mini" meta-analysis synthesized results across samples. In Sample 1, an exploratory mediation analysis intended to gauge effect size for future work tested a path between the MGPS and depression through significant reward traits. In each independent sample, both MGPS's showed significant associations with sensation-seeking but not social drive, a pattern that persisted following correction. Effect sizes of novel variants were at least as robust as established variants, suggesting their added utility. Additionally, the exploratory mediation analysis suggested no noteworthy indirect effect, but a small (R² = 0.022), statistically non-significant direct effect of the MGPS predicting prospective depressive symptoms. Results suggest that dopaminergic genetic variation is associated with the reward-related personality trait of sensation seeking but not social drive. Additional work is needed to probe whether sensation seeking may be a path through which this genetic variation confers depression risk.

Genome-wide gene-environment interactions in neuroticism: an exploratory study across 25 environments

Gene-environment interactions (GxE) are often suggested to play an important role in the aetiology of psychiatric phenotypes, yet so far, only a handful of genome-wide environment interaction studies (GWEIS) of psychiatric phenotypes have been conducted. Representing the most comprehensive effort of its kind to date, we used data from the UK Biobank to perform a series of GWEIS for neuroticism across 25 broadly conceptualised environmental risk factors (trauma, social support, drug use, physical health). We investigated interactions on the level of SNPs, genes, and gene-sets, and computed interaction-based polygenic risk scores (PRS) to predict neuroticism in an independent sample subset (N = 10,000). We found that the predictive ability of the interaction-based PRSs did not significantly improve beyond that of a traditional PRS based on SNP main effects from GWAS, but detected one variant and two gene-sets showing significant interaction signal after correction for the number of analysed environments. This study illustrates the possibilities and limitations of a comprehensive GWEIS in currently available sample sizes.

Positive and negative perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic: Does personality play a role?

OBJECTIVE

The lockdown measures following the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, intended to slow the spread of the virus, forced a sudden and dramatic change to most everyday lives. However, not all individuals may have been affected in the same way. In addition to situational factors such as occupation, family status, and health, personality traits may affect how individuals experienced the initial crisis.

METHODS

Using data from the pairfam COVID-19 survey, an online survey of the participants of the German Family Panel pairfam conducted from May to July 2020, as well as personality data from the pairfam panel data, this study analyzes whether the Big Five personality traits influence the degree to which young and middle-aged individuals (16-49 years old) felt negatively affected by and were able to see any benefits of the initial COVID-19 lockdown in Germany.

RESULTS

While neuroticism is linked to a more negative perception of the restrictions to daily life, openness to experiences is associated with more positive perceptions of the situation. Like neuroticism, extraversion is also associated with a more negative perception, but only among respondents without a partner. For respondents with a romantic partner, no association was found.

CONCLUSION

Results confirm that personality plays a role in individual perceptions of the pandemic situation. Moreover, they show that most individuals perceived not only negative but also positive aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic situation in 2020.

Gray matter structures associated with neuroticism: A meta-analysis of whole-brain voxel-based morphometry studies

Neuroticism is major higher-order personality trait and has been robustly associated with mental and physical health outcomes. Although a growing body of studies have identified neurostructural markers of neuroticism, the results remained highly inconsistent. To characterize robust associations between neuroticism and variations in gray matter (GM) structures, the present meta-analysis investigated the concurrence across voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies using the anisotropic effect size signed differential mapping (AES-SDM). A total of 13 studies comprising 2,278 healthy subjects (1,275 females, 29.20 ± 14.17 years old) were included. Our analysis revealed that neuroticism was consistently associated with the GM structure of a cluster spanning the bilateral dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and extending to the adjacent medial prefrontal cortex (dACC/mPFC). Meta-regression analyses indicated that the neuroticism-GM associations were not confounded by age and gender. Overall, our study is the first whole-brain meta-analysis exploring the brain structural correlates of neuroticism, and the findings may have implications for the intervention of high-neuroticism individuals, who are at risk of mental disorders, by targeting the dACC/mPFC.

Reprint of: Using a co-twin control design to evaluate alternative trait measures as indices of liability for substance use disorders

To establish a trait-dispositional variable as an indicator of liability for the development of substance use disorders (SUDs), the trait must share heritable variance with SUDs and its association should not be primarily attributable to a direct impact of SUDs on characteristics that define the trait. The current work applied a co-twin control (CTC) modeling approach to data from two monozygotic twin samples to investigate the degree to which different measures of trait-impulsiveness represent indicants of vulnerability to SUDs (liability indicators), or outcomes or concomitants of SUDs (exposure indicators). The Five Factor Model (FFM) trait of conscientiousness was assessed via self-report, and a counterpart neurobehavioral trait of disinhibition was assessed both through self-report and using self-report and brain response measures combined. FFM trait data were available for one twin sample (N = 298); data for variants of P3 brain response were available along with a scale measure of disinhibition in the other (N = 258). CTC analyses revealed only an exposure effect of SUD symptomatology on FFM conscientiousness, indicating that this self-report assessed trait does not index liability for SUDs. By contrast, the disinhibition scale measure showed pronounced liability and weaker exposure-based associations with SUDs - and when quantified using scale scores together with P3 brain response, the exposure-based association was eliminated, such that this disinhibition measure related to SUD symptoms exclusively as a function of liability influences. These findings highlight a distinct advantage of quantifying traits in neurobehavioral terms - namely, the capacity to effectively index dispositional liability for psychopathological outcomes.

Exploring the Association Between the "Big Five" Personality Traits and Fatal Opioid Overdose: County-Level Empirical Analysis

BACKGROUND

Opioid-related deaths constitute a problem of pandemic proportions in the United States, with no clear solution in sight. Although addressing addiction-the heart of this problem-ought to remain a priority for health practitioners, examining the community-level psychological factors with a known impact on health behaviors may provide valuable insights for attenuating this health crisis by curbing risky behaviors before they evolve into addiction.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study is twofold: to demonstrate the relationship between community-level psychological traits and fatal opioid overdose both theoretically and empirically, and to provide a blueprint for using social media data to glean these psychological factors in a real-time, reliable, and scalable manner.

METHODS

We collected annual panel data from Twitter for 2891 counties in the United States between 2014-2016 and used a novel data mining technique to obtain average county-level "Big Five" psychological trait scores. We then performed interval regression, using a control function to alleviate omitted variable bias, to empirically test the relationship between county-level psychological traits and the prevalence of fatal opioid overdoses in each county.

RESULTS

After controlling for a wide range of community-level biopsychosocial factors related to health outcomes, we found that three of the operationalizations of the five psychological traits examined at the community level in the study were significantly associated with fatal opioid overdoses: extraversion (β=.308, P<.001), neuroticism (β=.248, P<.001), and conscientiousness (β=.229, P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Analyzing the psychological characteristics of a community can be a valuable tool in the local, state, and national fight against the opioid pandemic. Health providers and community health organizations can benefit from this research by evaluating the psychological profile of the communities they serve and assessing the projected risk of fatal opioid overdose based on the relationships our study predict when making decisions for the allocation of overdose-reversal medication and other vital resources.

Personality and adherence to antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected adult patients

OBJECTIVE

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been able to transform HIV infection into a chronic disease. However, ART adherence remains an important barrier and personality traits have been postulated as a factor to be considered. This study aims to identify personality traits that can affect ART adherence, taking into account other potentially influencing factors.

METHODS

Case-control study. Controls and cases were classified using the percentage ART dispensation as recorded in the Hospital Pharmacy database. Controls were defined as people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) with percentage ART dispensation during the last year >95% and cases were defined as PLWHA with percentage ART dispensation during the last year <90%. Sociodemographic, clinical parameters of HIV infection, psychopathological and neuropsychological factors were collected. Personality was assessed using the NEO PI-R Personality Inventory, questionnaire based on the Five Factor Model of Personality. Statistical analysis was performed using logistic regression (SPSS v.22).

RESULTS

125 PLWHA were included: 79 controls and 46 cases. After adjusting for confounding variables, logistic regression analysis showed that poor adherence was associated with Neuroticism (OR 1.2, 95%CI: 1.021-1.385) and Impulsivity (N5) (OR 1.5, 95%CI: 1.066-2.163). In contrast, each additional point in Order (C2) (OR 0.8, 95%CI: 0.679-0.992) or Values (O6) (OR 0.8, 95%CI: 0.710-0.974) were associated with good ART adherence.

CONCLUSIONS

Personality is a variable to be considered in ART adherence. Implementation of the personality in the assessment of PLWHA helps identify those individuals potentially more likely to exhibit poorer ART adherence.

Effects of Three Levels of Green Exercise, Physical and Social Environments, Personality Traits, Physical Activity, and Engagement with Nature on Emotions and Attention

The current study examined the effects of the three levels of green exercise on people’s psychological health using a randomized trial with a pretest and posttest design and further explored which variables of the physical environment (thermal comfort, noise, and air pollution), social environment (the number of companions and crowdedness), personality traits, physical activity (intensity and frequency), and engagement with nature may help explain experiences during the three levels of green exercise using a cross-sectional approach. Field studies were conducted to test the study’s hypotheses. The participants were 95 students from a technology university in Taiwan. The experiment comprised a 15-min green exercise in a park. No significant differences were found in emotions and attention between the three levels of green exercise. However, a 15-min green exercise of any level significantly improved emotions and attention. Furthermore, fatigue was significantly and negatively associated with daily transportation-related physical activity, agreeableness, and engagement with nature. Moreover, the total mood disturbance was significantly and negatively associated with engagement with nature and daily transportation-related physical activity. The degree of engagement with nature played a pivotal role in green exercise. This study provided the evidence that quantified engagement with nature is beneficial for quantified psychological health for the first time.

Social connectedness and negative affect uniquely explain individual differences in response to emotional ambiguity

Negativity bias is not only central to mood and anxiety disorders, but can powerfully impact our decision-making across domains (e.g., financial, medical, social). This project builds on previous work examining negativity bias using dual-valence ambiguity. Specifically, although some facial expressions have a relatively clear negative (angry) or positive valence (happy), surprised expressions are interpreted negatively by some and positively by others, providing insight into one's valence bias. Here, we examine putative sources of variability that distinguish individuals with a more negative versus positive valence bias using structural equation modeling. Our model reveals that one's propensity toward negativity (operationalized as temperamental negative affect and internalizing symptomology) predicts valence bias particularly in older adulthood when a more positive bias is generally expected. Further, variability in social connectedness (a propensity to seek out social connections, use those connections to regulate one's own emotions, and be empathic) emerges as a notable and unique predictor of valence bias, likely because these traits help to override an initial, default negativity. We argue that this task represents an important approach to examining variability in affective bias, and can be specifically useful across the lifespan and in populations with internalizing disorders or even subclinical symptomology.

Personality and risk for serious mental illness

AIM

Certain personality traits may be related to an increased risk of developing a severe mental illness (SMI). This study examined differences in personality characteristics in a sample of youth at-risk of SMI across different clinical stages compared to healthy controls (HCs).

METHOD

Personality characteristics were assessed with the NEO-Five-Factor Inventory-3 for 41 non-help seeking asymptomatic youth with risk factors for SMI (Stage 0), 52 youth with early mood and anxiety symptoms and distress (Stage 1a), 108 youth with an attenuated psychiatric syndrome (Stage 1b), and 42 HCs.

RESULTS

Symptomatic participants scored significantly higher in neuroticism, and lower in extraversion, and conscientiousness compared to non-symptomatic participants. Compared to published norms, symptomatic participants had ratings of extraversion and conscientiousness in the low range and those with attenuated psychiatric syndromes scored high on neuroticism.

CONCLUSION

The observed personality profiles of the symptomatic stages were similar to reported profiles for discrete disorders. Early identification of this profile could aid identification of those at risk of SMI.

The association between demographic characteristics, personality, and mental health of bus drivers in China: A structural equation model

BACKGROUND

The psychological status of drivers is related to adverse driving behaviors. Although there are several studies on the mental health and traffic accidents among bus drivers, related studies on the association between mental health and individual characteristics are scarce.

METHODS

Our report is on a cross-sectional study of bus drivers that took place between October 2014 and May 2016. A total of 596 bus drivers who worked for transportation companies and underwent occupational physical examinations at The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region workers' Hospital during the study period were included. Demographic characteristics were collected by a self-designed demographic questionnaire. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R) were used to evaluate the personality and mental health of bus drivers, and the results of the scales were compared with Chinese norms. The structural equation model was used to analyze the correlation among demographic characteristics, personality characteristics, and mental health.

RESULTS

Except for the lie dimension, the average scores of the driver's personality dimension were higher than the Chinese norm, and the means of somatization and phobia scores of bus drivers were also higher; obsessions-compulsions, interpersonal sensitivity, and depression scores were lower than those for the Chinese norms. The structural equations modeling revealed that the total effects coefficient of demographic characteristics on mental health was 0.68, and that of personality was 0.60. There were direct influences between demographic characteristics and personality characteristics, demographic characteristics and mental health, and personality characteristics and mental health; the standardized path coefficients were 0.60, 0.50, and 0.30, respectively. Smoking, drinking, and neuroticism were the main factors affecting the mental health of bus drivers; and the standardized path coefficients were 0.56, 0.54, and 0.90 respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, bus drivers were significantly more extroverted, psychotic, and neurotic than the general population; and they were more likely to suffer from somatization and phobia. The mental health of bus drivers was associated with some demographic and personality characteristics in the study. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the selection of bus drivers and intervention measures for drivers with high-risk driving tendencies, which is conducive to better guide road traffic safety construction and reduce the occurrence of road traffic injuries.

Predictors of emotional distress during the COVID-19 pandemic; a Croatian study

The study aimed to assess relations between coronavirus-related psychological distress and its potentially predictive factors. An online sample of 2860 Croatian adults filled in questionnaires on socio-demographic characteristics, distress (the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21), coping (the Brief COPE), personality (the International Personality Item Pool), and social support (the Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire) during the COVID-19 lockdown and after the capital was hit by an earthquake. Results indicated that 15.9% of the respondents experienced severe to extreme depression, 10.7% severe to extreme anxiety, and 26.2% severe to extreme stress. The hierarchical regressions analysis indicated that the considered variables explained a substantial percentage of the variance in depression (51.4%), anxiety (35.2%), and stress (45.5%). Main predictors of emotional distress were lower scores of Emotional Stability, higher scores of Agreeableness, avoidant coping, lack of active coping and perceived social support. The negative effect of the earthquake was weak. Results provide information on a broad range of potentially protective or vulnerability factors that could help identify those at risk for developing coronavirus-related psychological distress. Findings suggest that promoting active coping styles and social interactions could be preventive and potentially therapeutic in general populations.

Perfectionism and Neuroticism: Evidence for a common genetic and environmental etiology

INTRODUCTION

Recent meta-analyses have shown that perfectionism dimensions display significant relationships with the Big Five factors, with the strongest associations being detected between perfectionistic concerns and Neuroticism. To date, no research investigating the etiologic factors underlying these relationships has been conducted.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of our study was to address this literature gap by exploring the genetic and environmental influences that explain the phenotypic associations between perfectionistic concerns and Neuroticism.

METHOD

We used a multivariate twin design and tested two theoretical genetic models, an Independent and a Common Pathway model, on a sample of 678 Romanian twins.

RESULTS

Univariate estimates showed that perfectionistic concerns and Neuroticism are moderately heritable (32%-46%). Multivariate analyses revealed that their phenotypic relationships were largely explained by additive genetic factors (r_g between .58 and .73). The best-fit Independent Pathway model indicated that perfectionistic concerns and Neuroticism were influenced directly by some common genetic and environmental factors accounting for approximately half of their individual variance.

CONCLUSION

The overlap between perfectionistic concerns and Neuroticism is mainly explained by a common genetic etiology. However, perfectionistic concerns and Neuroticism are still distinct personality features as their variances are also influenced by specific genetic and environmental factors.

Relationships between morningness, Big Five personality traits, and problematic Internet use in young adult university students: mediating role of depression

The aim of this study was twofold. Firstly, it explored the relationships between morningness, Big Five personality traits, depression, and problematic Internet use (PIU). Secondly, it examined the possible mediating role of depression in these relationships. The following measures were used: the Internet Addiction Test, the Composite Scale of Morningness, the International Personality Item Pool-Big Five Markers-20, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The participants in the study were 398 university students 18 to 30 (M = 20.37, SD = 2.29) years of age. The study found that PIU Total, PIU Mental Disorder, and PIU Time Management Disorder are positively related to depression and negatively related to morningness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness. PIU was more often found in individuals with an evening chronotype. The study confirmed the role of depression as a mediator in the relationship of personality traits and morningness to PIU Mental Disorder and PIU Time Management Disorder. For PIU Mental Disorder, the study revealed a full mediation effect of depression in the case of morningness, Emotional Stability, and Extraversion, and partial mediation in the case of Agreeableness and Intellect. For PIU Time Management Disorder, there was a full mediation effect of depression in the case of Emotional Stability, Extraversion, and Agreeableness, and partial mediation in the case of morningness and Intellect. The results highlight the importance of including depression when investigating the relationship between morningness and personality in studies of PIU.