The five factor model of personality in mixed anxiety-depressive disorder and effect on therapeutic response

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.

Maladaptive beliefs as mediators of the relationship between personality traits and Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms

Abstract The present study analyzes the relationship between maladaptive beliefs, personality traits, and Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms by focusing in the mediating role of beliefs in the prediction between personality and psychiatric disorders. The sample consisted of 823 adults aged between 18 and 39 years (M = 24.09, SD = 4.71), who answered a questionnaire of symptoms and beliefs for Borderline Personality Disorder and Big Five Personality Inventory. The predictive model that fit better to the data indicates Neuroticism and Conscientiousness as predictors of Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms, mediated by maladaptive belief patterns. In this sense, it is possible to conclude that both personality traits and maladaptive beliefs are important for the understanding of Borderline Personality Disorder. The theoretical implications of this result and the limitations of the study are discussed.