The Predictive Value of Personality Traits for Psychological Problems (Stress, Anxiety and Depression): Results from a Large Population Based Study

Emotion regulation repertoires predict the risk of major depressive disorder

BACKGROUND

Few studies explored emotion regulation (ER) repertoires (the tendency to utilize multiple ER strategies in different contexts) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). It remains unclear to what extent ER repertoires can assess the risk of MDD and other psychiatric disorders.

METHOD

Three subsamples including 1397 non-clinical individuals, 135 MDD patients, and 127 healthy controls (HCs) were combined to explore ER repertoires. We further built classifiers of ER repertoires to distinguish MDD patients from HCs, and additionally examined its performance based on published studies (total N = 4918).

RESULTS

Adaptive, average, maladaptive, and intensely maladaptive repertoires were identified. The classifier based on ER repertoires effectively distinguished MDD patients from HCs, demonstrating an AUC of 0.803 (SD = 0.067). Additionally, the classifier exhibited discriminatory power for various psychopathologies in published studies, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, PTSD, and personality disorders (AUC: 0.616-0.779).

LIMITATIONS

Future studies should investigate the longitudinal influence of ER repertoires on the development of psychopathologies.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that an individual's ER repertoire is a critical psychopathological risk that can serve as a valuable indicator for assessing risk and imply the potential utility of reforming ER repertoire.

Neuroticism and extraversion as predictors of first-lifetime onsets of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in high-risk adolescents

There is substantial evidence that personality traits, in particular neuroticism and extraversions predict depressive and anxiety episodes as well as suicidal ideation. However, little research has examined whether these traits predict the first onset of depressive and anxiety disorders and suicidal ideation. Moreover, the few studies to date have not adjusted for pre-existing subthreshold symptoms, assessed dimensionally. In this study, 144 adolescents were assessed at baseline, 9-, and 18-month follow-ups. Neuroticism and extraversion were assessed via self-report, and depressive and anxiety disorders and suicidal ideation were assessed with diagnostic interviews. Adjusting for age, sex, and baseline symptoms, logistic regression analyses showed that neuroticism predicted the first onset of depressive disorders. However, neither neuroticism nor extraversion predicted first onsets of anxiety disorders, extraversion did not predict depressive disorders, and neither trait predicted suicidal ideation onset or severity after adjusting for baseline symptoms. Neuroticism and extraversion may respectively predispose youth to depressive or anxiety disorders but not to suicidal ideation over and above pre-existing symptoms. Results have implications for the early identification of at-risk youth and prevention of depressive and anxiety disorders and suicidal ideation.

Evaluating the Impact of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms and Personality Types on Perinatal Depressive Symptoms

Perinatal depression (PPD) presents a significant public health concern, often influenced by psychological and personality factors. This study investigated the impact of personality traits, particularly neuroticism, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms on the severity of PPD. The primary aim was to quantify the contributions of these factors to the risk and severity of PPD to enhance early intervention strategies. A total of 47 pregnant women with depressive symptoms per DSM-5 criteria at "Pius Brinzeu" County Emergency Hospital in Timisoara, Romania, were enrolled in this cross-sectional study, as well as 49 women without depressive symptoms as controls. Personality traits were assessed using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), and OCD symptoms were measured using the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI). Depression severity was evaluated using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). This set of questionnaires were administered antepartum and postpartum. The logistic regression analysis highlighted neuroticism as a significant predictor of PPD severity, with an increase in neuroticism associated with a higher risk of PPD (coefficient = 0.24, p < 0.001). Conversely, openness showed a protective effect (coefficient = -0.13, p = 0.009). Higher OCD symptomatology, particularly ordering and hoarding, were linked with increased depression scores. Specifically, the total OCI score significantly predicted the EPDS score (coefficient = 0.03, p = 0.003). Furthermore, significant increases in EPDS anxiety and depression scores were observed in the perinatal period, indicating worsening of symptoms (anxiety coefficient = 0.51; p < 0.001). The findings suggest that personality traits like neuroticism and OCD symptoms significantly contribute to the severity of PPD. Interventions targeting these specific traits could potentially mitigate the risk and severity of perinatal depression, underscoring the need for personalized treatment plans that consider these psychological dimensions.

Coping methods of college students with different personality traits when facing COVID-19 from the anxiety psychology perspective

Objective

Based on a survey of anxiety among college students during the epidemic, this study takes anxiety as an example to study the coping methods of college students with different personality traits. Thus predicting the behavioral tendencies of college students and proposing some appropriate suggestions for the current psychological education work of college students. Method: The study was carried out during the large-scale outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, and the investigation lasted one month. Using the Self Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Simplified Chinese Version (EPQ-RSC), and Trait Coping Style Scale (TCSQ), an online questionnaire survey was conducted on 932 college students to analyze the mutual effects of different grades, genders, personality traits, coping methods, and other factors.

Results

The research found that there was a significant gender difference in negative coping methods and anxiety among college students. Grade differences: In the comparative study of personality traits, there are gender differences in introversion and concealment dimensions and grade differences in neuroticism and concealment dimensions. There is a pairwise correlation between personality traits, coping methods, and anxiety. There is a significant positive correlation between the dimensions of psychoticism, neuroticism and anxiety; There is a significant negative correlation between introversion, concealment, and anxiety. Positive coping methods are significantly negatively correlated with anxiety, while negative coping methods are significantly positively correlated with anxiety. The positive coping style is significantly negatively correlated with the dimensions of psychoticism and neuroticism and positively correlated with the dimensions of introversion, introversion, and concealment; Negative coping methods are significantly positively correlated with the dimensions of psychoticism and neuroticism and negatively correlated with the dimensions of introversion, introversion, and concealment.

Conclusion

The research results indicate that the mental health issues of college students need to be taken seriously to prevent the spread of anxiety.

The influence of big five personality traits on anxiety: The chain mediating effect of general self-efficacy and academic burnout

BACKGROUND

As an important factor affecting personal health, anxiety has always been valued by people. Prior research has consistently shown that personality traits is associated with anxiety level,but little is known about the inner mechanism of this relationship. To fill the gap, the present research aims to explore the chain mediating role of general self-efficacy and academic burnout in the relationship between big five personality and anxiety.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was performed from September to November 2022. Self-reported questionnaires including the Big Five Personality Questionnaire, General Self-Efficacy Scale, College Student's academic burnout Scale, Generalized Anxiety Scale and demographic characteristics were distributed to 2505 college students in a university in Hebei Province, of which 2,471 were valid. Statistical analysis was carried out through SPSS26.0 and SPSS PROCESS macro.

RESULTS

Results showed four of the big five personality characters (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness) were negatively correlated with anxiety. Neuroticism was positively correlated with anxiety. Moreover, general self-efficacy was found to be negatively correlated with academic burnout and anxiety; academic burnout was positively correlated with anxiety. Finally, general self-efficacy and academic burnout mediated the relationship between personality traits (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness) and anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

Personality traits (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness) could influence anxiety through the chain mediating effects of general self-efficacy and academic burnout. Interventions focusing on anxiety reduction may be successful in increasing general self-efficacy and decreasing students' academic burnout.

Which variables moderate the relationship between depressive symptoms and global neurocognition across adulthood?

The current study examined moderators of the relationship between depressive symptoms and global neurocognition in a large non-clinical community-dwelling sample spanning adulthood. Participants comprised 5,430 individuals between the ages of 18-99 years drawn from the Virginia Cognitive Aging Project. Depressive symptoms were measured via the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale and neurocognition was operationalized as a composite variable comprising episodic memory, spatial visualization, processing speed, and reasoning tasks. Moderator variables included physical activity, cognitive activity, education, emotional stability, and openness. Hierarchical regressions were used to examine the influence of depressive symptoms and the moderators on neurocognition. Depressive symptoms significantly predicted neurocognition. Cognitive activity, years of education, and emotional stability moderated the depression-neurocognition relationship by buffering the impact of depressive symptoms on neurocognition. Cognitive activity engagement and level of education may function as a protective influence on those with higher levels of depressive symptoms, while emotional stability may be protective for individuals with lower levels of depressive symptoms. No differences in moderation were found across three age groups representing younger, middle, and older adults. Post-hoc analyses showed years of education and openness as moderators in a subsample excluding individuals with potentially clinically meaningful levels of depressive symptoms.

Effect of the personality traits of healthy Japanese workers on depressive symptoms and social adaptation, and on the achievement rate of exercise therapy to prevent major depression

Background

This study determined the effects of personality traits on depressive symptoms and social adaptation in healthy workers, and the effects of depressive symptoms or social adaptation before and after exercise therapy, and personality traits before exercise therapy on the achievement rates of exercise therapy aimed at preventing major depression.

Methods

Two hundred fifty healthy Japanese workers were given an eight-week walking program as exercise therapy. After excluding 35 participants who had dropped or provided incomplete information, 215 were included in the analysis. The Japanese version of the NEO five-factor inventory was used to assess participants' personality traits before the exercise therapy. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Japanese version of the Zung self-rating depression scale (SDS-J) and social adaptation was evaluated using the Japanese version of the social adaptation self-evaluation scale (SASS-J) before and after the exercise therapy.

Results

The SDS-J scores correlated with neuroticism and negatively correlated with extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness before the exercise therapy. The SDS-J was also negatively correlated with openness in women, but not in men, while the SASS-J was associated with extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, and negatively correlated with neuroticism. There was no significant change in levels of depression before and after exercise therapy; however, social adaptation increased significantly in men. No association was found between SDS-J and SASS-J scores before the exercise therapy and the achievement rate. The achievement rates of exercise therapy were negatively correlated with SDS-J or SASS-J after exercise therapy in women. The SDS-J after exercise therapy was correlated with neuroticism in men and negatively correlated with extraversion in women. The SASS-J after exercise therapy was negatively correlated with neuroticism and correlated with extraversion and openness in men. In contrast, the SASS-J after exercise therapy correlated with openness and agreeableness in women. Conscientiousness was correlated with the achievement rate of exercise therapy in men, but not with the various personality traits in women.

Conclusion

Depressive symptoms and social adaptation were differently associated with personality traits and achievement rates before and after exercise therapy. Conscientiousness before exercise therapy predicted a higher achievement rate for exercise therapy in men.

Global occurrence of depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to estimate the occurrence of depressive symptoms in a global population of young, middle-aged and older adults amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Study data also assessed the impact of the social restrictions caused by the pandemic on depressive symptomatology.

METHODS

A self-administered internet-based survey was completed by 111,225 individuals residing in 176 countries (March-April 2020). We retained: demographic data, depressive symptoms (PHQ8), anxieties specific to the COVID-19, personality traits (Big-Five Personality Questionnaire), comorbidity frequency, health quality, behavioral variables (i,e., staying at home, avoiding social gatherings, social distancing in the past week). Occurrence of depressive symptoms was estimated using standard cut-offs (total PHQ8 score ≥ 10). Hierarchical regression modeling examined correlates of depressive symptoms (PHQ8 score) in three groups stratified by age, i.e., 18-34, 35-54 and 55+ years.

RESULTS

Moderate to severe depressive symptoms were present in 27% of young, 15% middle-aged and 9% older adults. Younger age, female gender, not partnered, higher anxiety, and poorer health were associated with elevated depressive symptoms. Staying at home/not attending social gatherings were minor contributors to depressive symptoms in young and middle-aged adults. These were not significant in older adults. Social distancing was a marginal contributor in middle-aged and near significant in older adults, but not significant in young adults.

CONCLUSIONS

The occurrence of depressive symptoms is decreasing with advancing age. Increased risk of depressive symptoms was associated with being a younger adult, females, single/divorced, poorer health and higher anxiety. In all age groups, the presence of depressive symptoms was greater than global estimates preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. Social restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic were marginal risks for depressive symptoms.

Personality Traits and Mental Health among Lebanese Medical Students: The Mediating Role of Emotional Intelligence

Medical students face daily challenges such as large workload, time commitment and clinical environment pressure leading to a higher risk of psychological distress. The aim of our study was to assess the relationship between personality traits and depression, anxiety, and stress among Lebanese medical students and to evaluate the mediating role of emotional intelligence (EI) in this association. This cross-sectional study was conducted between June and December of 2019. Participants were from seven medical schools in Lebanon. Higher extraversion (B = -0.11), higher neuroticism (B = -0.28) and higher emotional intelligence (B = -0.03) were significantly associated with lower depression. Higher neuroticism (B = -0.29) and higher emotional intelligence (B = -0.03) were significantly associated with lower anxiety. Higher openness to experience (B = 0.07) and higher agreeableness (B = 0.08) were significantly associated with higher stress, whereas higher neuroticism (B = -0.05) was associated with lower stress. EI mediated the association between extraversion and depression and openness to experience and depression. EI mediated the association between extraversion and anxiety and openness to experience and anxiety. The results of this study were different from those previously cited in the literature. This could be secondary to the mediating role of emotional intelligence. This study consequently opens up the possibility of new studies highlighting the role of emotional intelligence in the possible preservation of medical students' mental health.

Personality Traits and Inflammation in Depressive Disorders

Depression is a psychiatric disorder of heterogeneous etiology. One of the leading theories suggests an inflammatory background to it. It is often found in the scientific literature that certain personality traits, such as high neuroticism, low extroversion and conscientiousness, are being associated with depression. We combined biochemical tests of IL-1 and IL-6 serum levels and scores in the personality test EPQ-R among 50 depressed patients and 37 healthy participants. The results confirmed increased serum levels of IL-1 and IL-6 in a study group when compared to healthy volunteers. Additionally, personality traits (psychoticism and neuroticism) were increased in the depressed group when compared to healthy volunteers. The authors analyzed correlations in both groups. However, only one statistically significant link was observed in IL-6 and K levels (scale associated with the need for social acceptance) in the control group.

Stress Mediates the Relationship between Personality and the Affordance of Socially Distanced Online Education

The novel coronavirus pandemic has made life significantly more stressful for large populations of people. As one such demographic, university students worldwide have experienced a sudden shift toward the provision of socially distanced online education, often in the absence of a coherent institutional plan. The mechanisms of stress appraisal and response differ between individuals in part determined by personality. With a sample of 293 undergraduate students at a Japanese university operating under prohibitions relating to face-to-face education, this article examines the impact of personality on the affordance of socially distanced online education mediated through generalized life stress and online learning stress appraisal. A retrimmed structural model returned an acceptable goodness of fit accounting for 31.6% of the criterion variance. The model indicates that conscientiousness (positive) and neuroticism (negative) hold a significant mediated impact on the affordance of socially distanced online education through generalized life stress and online learning stress appraisal. Moreover, and in the absence of face-to-face social interaction, the model shows that extroverted students experience greater online learning stress appraisals than neurotic students. Neurotic students were, however, negatively impacted by appraisals of generalized life stress but not online learning stress. Informed by personality characteristics and stress appraisals, the outcomes are discussed in relation to educational improvements and appropriate pedagogies for the delivery of socially distanced online education.

Childhood trauma and personality explain more variance in depression scores than sociodemographic and lifestyle factors - Results from the BiDirect Study

OBJECTIVE

Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, childhood adversities, and personality aspects have been identified as contributing to the onset and course of depression. However, only few studies examined all aspects concomitantly in different populations. This was the objective of the study presented here.

METHODS

The BiDirect Study includes three distinct cohorts: Cross-sectional data for 670 patients with depression (DEP), 283 patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), and 787 population controls (POP) were available for the present analysis. Participants answered interviews and filled in questionnaires assessing depression details, childhood trauma, the Big Five personality traits, trait resilience as well as socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical linear regression analyses were employed to identify those factors, which contributed significantly to the explanation of depression severity scores (assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, CESD).

RESULTS

In all three cohorts, the psychological variables explained most variance in depression scores (35-44%), while sociodemographic and lifestyle factors explained only very little variance (1-2%). When all postulated predictors were entered in the same regression model, higher neuroticism and lower resilience scores were associated with higher depression severity levels in all three cohorts, while higher childhood trauma proved significant in the cardiovascular and population cohort.

CONCLUSION

Childhood trauma, neuroticism, and low resilience are significantly associated with depression in different populations. Although a considerable part of the variance in depression severity levels was explained by the variables studied here, more research on the impact of lifestyle and social factors on depression is needed.

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.