Assessment of the five-factor model of personality

Personality traits in psychotic illness and their clinical correlates: A systematic review

This systematic review focuses on personality traits according to both the Five Factor Model and Cloninger Psychobiological Model in relation to treatment related outcome variables across all stages of clinical psychotic illness. Search of Pubmed and Psychinfo databases led to final inclusion of 65 studies, which were ranked on quality and analyzed according to the associations between personality and outcome. Main findings are that higher levels of Harm Avoidance and Neuroticism are associated with higher symptom levels, tendency towards passive coping, greater self-stigma, lower quality of life, and Harm Avoidance to higher suicidality. Higher levels of Extraversion and higher levels of Self-Directedness are associated with more preference for active coping, more intrinsic motivation and higher self-esteem. Higher Novelty Seeking is related to more substance use and aggression, in men specifically. On outcome of trauma, care consumption and duration of untreated illness no consistent associations with personality traits were found. Combined evidence from both personality models however reveals a consistent pattern of personality traits related to clinical outcome in psychotic disorder, which is discussed in a dimensional manner.

Type D personality to insomnia: Sleep reactivity, sleep effort, and sleep hygiene as mediators

Background

Insomniacs are heterogenous group with very diverse personalities. We aimed to investigate the mediating role of sleep reactivity (SR), sleep hygiene (SH), and sleep effort (SE) in the relationship between Type D personality and insomnia.

Materials and methods

We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 474 participants. The survey comprised the sociodemographic data form, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), D Type Personality Scale (DS-14), Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test (FIRST), Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale (GSES), and Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI). We conducted hierarchical multiple regression analysis to identify the associations between age, sex, SR, Type D personality traits, SE, SH, and insomnia severity. We subsequently conducted mediation analyses to examine whether SR, SH, and SE mediated the relationship between Type D personality and insomnia.

Results

ISI, DS-14, FIRST, SHI, and GSES scores were significantly higher in individuals with Type D personality. Female sex, SR, Type D personality traits, SE, and SH explained 45% of the variance in insomnia severity. When age, sex, insomnia response to stress, and Type D personality traits were controlled, SE and SH significantly explained 25% of the variance in insomnia severity (R ² = 0.45, R ² change = 0.25, F (6.474) = 65.58, p < 0.001). SR, SE, and SH each played a partial mediating role between Type D personality and insomnia.

Conclusion

The findings showed that individuals with Type D personality had high SR and that individuals with a higher number of these personality traits exhibited more severe insomnia symptoms through high SR, greater SE, and worse SH.

Effect of gender difference on psychiatric outcomes for hepatitis C virus patients receiving direct-acting antivirals in Egyptian population: a cohort study

Background

Chronic liver disease is primarily caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV produces extrahepatic psychiatric problems. So, patients with CHC who received sofosbuvir-based direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) were evaluated for psychiatric manifestations, specifically depression and anxiety symptoms. Additionally, evaluate the impact of gender on psychiatric manifestations of sofosbuvir-based DAAs and identify their potential risk factors for psychiatric manifestations. In this prospective study, 170 CHC patients without prior treatment received DAA therapy who categorized into 2 groups, group 1 comprised male participants (Nb = 97), and group two comprised female participants (Nb = 73). All participants were evaluated with the five-factor model of personality (SIFFM), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDS), and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAS) at baseline and repeated follow up until 3 months after treatment end.

Results

Our findings indicated that, a progressive decline in the mean HADS-A and HADS-D scores between baseline (before treatment) and consequence follow-up (during and after treatment) measurements without significant difference regarding gender. No statistically significant difference between the groups regarding the mean values of SIFFM. High levels of extraversion were more likely to increase depression levels.

Conclusions

DAA treatment significantly improved anxiety and depression symptoms in CHC patients. Gender did not affect sofosbuvir-based DAA psychiatric symptoms. High extraversion increased depression risk.

A developmental approach to youth maladaptive personality traits: Variable- versus person-centered change in the transition from childhood to adolescence

Increasing evidence shows that personality pathology starts to develop from (late) childhood onwards. The current study extends previous research by examining maladaptive personality change using both a variable-centered approach (i.e., mean-level changes) and a person-centered approach (i.e., latent profile transitions). Data were used from a 3-wave longitudinal study on Dutch youth (at T1: N = 492, mean age = 10.1). Maladaptive personality traits (i.e., Emotional Instability, Disagreeableness, Introversion, and Compulsivity) were assessed yearly using the Dimensional Personality Symptom Item Pool (DIPSI). A Factor of Curves model indicated presence of a higher-order developmental factor, reflecting low initial levels and small decreases over time, which explained change in all DIPSI traits. Latent profile analyses revealed three quantitatively different maladaptive personality trait profiles. Latent Transition Analysis demonstrated substantial stability in profiles over time. Small groups showed a transition toward another (often more adaptive) profile. Although a person-centered approach may have some merit when aiming to detect high-risk subgroups, the current results suggest that a variable-centered approach—and a Factor of Curves model capturing shared underlying developmental processes in particular—is favorable over a person-centered approach.

Analysis of Personality Traits in Patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a highly-curable malignancy mostly affecting young people. As far as we know, there is no published study that has analyzed personality profiles in HL nor their potential role in lymphomagenesis, natural history, or response to treatment. We aim to explore the personality traits of HL patients, as well as the prevalence of mental disorders and suicide ideas. We retrospectively identified all alive HL patients from three centers (Son Espases and Son Llatzer University Hospitals and Hospital del Mar of Barcelona) for using NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Brief Form. Patients with HL showed significantly higher neuroticism scores and lower conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness. Considering maladaptive personality traits, HL patients showed higher levels of detachment and psychoticism. All of these translated into the fact that HL patients showed more than double the prevalence of mental illnesses (41%) and more than triple the prevalence of suicidal ideation or attempts than the general population (15 and 6%, respectively). An exploratory analysis of biomarkers associated with HL personality traits showed that higher scores of neuroticism correlated with more elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and red cell distribution width (RDW), suggesting a potential link between neuroticism and proinflammatory activity in HL.

Some Notes on the Relation of Moral Reasoning and Personality

This article offers a critical review of various accepted premises of and persuasive interpretations on whether moral reasoning and personality traits are related. Purposely, this study draws on recent critical examination by Mudrack questioning the paucity of research on the efficacy of a long-established measure of moral reasoning, i.e., Defining Issues Test, together with its relations with basic personality variables of the California Psychological Inventory. Some observations are noted about the validity of tasks that measure personality traits and magnitude of the relation to moral reasoning.

Theories, Models, and Factor Approaches to Personality, Temperament, and Behavioral Types: Postulations and Measurement in the Second Millennium A.D

The chronology and historical developments in postulating theories, models, and factor approaches to personality, temperament, and behavioral types are discussed as they occurred during the 20th century A.D. The measurement of these models and approaches is from an historical perspective with a focus on the precursors of the five factor approaches that are currently the most commonly accepted ones today. The early beginnings dating back 2,500 years are also briefly discussed.

Using the Five-Factor Model of Personality to Enhance Career Development and Organizational Functioning in the Workplace

Organizations engage in several activities that may affect individuals' career development, including employee staffing, training, formal mentoring programs, and career counseling. Assessing employees on the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality may be one way to improve each of these activities so that both employees and the organization benefits. The FFM consists of emotional stability, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Possible future directions for research and practice using the FFM for each of the mentioned activities is discussed. Several key issues include assessing motivation levels, identifying areas for training and development, and enhancing employee fit with work demands and within work relationships.

What Do We Assess when We Assess a Big 5 Trait? A Content Analysis of the Affective, Behavioral, and Cognitive Processes Represented in Big 5 Personality Inventories

What are personality traits? Are all “broad” traits equally broad in the constructs they encompass and in the pervasiveness of their effects? Or are some traits more or less affective, behavioral, or cognitive in nature? The present study examined these issues as they applied to the Big 5 traits of Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Expert and novice raters judged the extent to which items from four popular Big 5 inventories contain behavioral, cognitive, or affective components. Traits and inventories were then compared in terms of their relative assessment of these components. Results indicate convergence among inventories but remarkable differences between traits. These findings have implications for the conceptualization and assessment of traits and suggest directions for future research.

Integrating trait and ability EI in predicting transformational leadership

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role played by follower's trait emotional intelligence (EI) in the relationship between follower's ability EI and transformational leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors hypothesised that there is a positive moderating effect of follower's trait EI on the relationship between follower's ability EI and the transformational leadership rating they receive from their supervisor. Using moderated hierarchical linear regression this hypothesis was tested using a random sample of 208 supervisor-subordinate dyads from three organisations in Ireland covering FMCG, banking and financial Services.

Findings

– After controlling for the effects of personality, moderated hierarchical regression analysis showed that follower ability EI significantly predicted transformational leadership ratings and that this relationship was positively moderated by follower trait EI.

Research limitations/implications

– This study presents a path-finding, integrative model linking trait and ability EI which offers an expanded understanding of the phenomenon of EI in relation to leadership.

Practical implications

– The findings show how trait and ability EI can be used in concert by HR and leadership development professionals to optimally design EI-based leadership development programmes.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to integrate the trait and ability approaches to EI and to show how they interact in predicting transformational leadership. This study also took the perspective of leadership as assessed by the leader rather than the follower, which has been the norm in most previous studies.

The MMPI-2-RF Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5-RF) scales: development and validity research

This article describes the development, internal psychometric, and external validation studies on scales designed to measure the Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5) from MMPI-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) items. Diverse and comprehensive data sets, representing various clinical and nonclinical populations, were classified into development and validation research samples. Item selection, retention, and exclusion procedures are detailed. The final set of PSY-5-RF scales contain 104 items, with no item overlap between scales (same as the original MMPI-2 PSY-5 scales), and no item overlap with the Demoralization scale. Internal consistency estimates are comparable to the longer MMPI-2 PSY-5 scales. Appropriate convergent and discriminant validity findings utilizing various self-report, collateral rating, and record review data are reported and discussed. A particular emphasis is offered for the unique aspects of the PSY-5 model: psychoticism and disconstraint. The findings are connected to the broader PSY-5 literature and the recommended review of systems (Harkness, Reynolds, & Lilienfeld, this issue) presented in this series of articles.

Adjective checklist to assess the big five personality factors in the Argentine population

The aim of this work was to develop an adjective checklist to assess the Big Five personality factors in the Argentine population. The new instrument was administered to pilot (n= 112), validation (n= 372), and replication (n= 309) samples. The final version of the checklist included 67 adjectives encompassing its 5 dimensions. Factor analysis results were consistent with the Five-factor model. Internal consistency of scales was very good and convergent correlations with the Big Five Inventory (BFI; John, Donahue, & Kentle, 1991) were substantial. Face validity, as evaluated by 2 independent raters, was good. Preliminary evidence of validity for the checklist is presented. Finally, the Adjective Checklist for Personality Assessment and BFI are compared, taking into consideration their psychometric properties in our cultural context. Study limitations and future research are discussed.

The Teacher-Pupil Observation Tool (T-POT)

Teacher-pupil relationships do not solely impact children’s academic development; they also influence emotional and behavioural development. Positive teacher-pupil relationships help reduce maladaptive behaviour while negative ones can lead to increased academic, social and behavioural difficulties. Identifying and measuring teacher-pupil relationship through classroom behaviours and interactions is therefore important as an index of classroom-based influences on child outcome. This article illustrates the development and testing of a classroom observation measure - the Teacher-Pupil Observation Tool (T-POT) - in a small-scale study of 12 teachers and 107 children in 12 reception classrooms. To assess validity and reliability, observed behaviours on the T-POT were correlated with each other (internal validity), and with teacher rated reports of classroom behaviour (discriminant and concurrent validity). Observer agreement was also assessed (inter-rater reliability). The T-POT showed promising psychometric properties in all cases. The T-POT is currently the main outcome measure in four funded evaluation studies in Gwynedd, North Wales, and an outcome measure in a funded evaluation study in Clondalkin, Ireland. These studies will further benefit the measure’s validity and reliability and test the sensitivity of the T-POT in detecting change in teacher-pupil behaviour over time.

A meta-analytic review of the relationships between the five-factor model and DSM-IV-TR personality disorders: a facet level analysis

Theory and research have suggested that the personality disorders contained within the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) can be understood as maladaptive variants of the personality traits included within the five-factor model (FFM). The current meta-analysis of FFM personality disorder research both replicated and extended the 2004 work of Saulsman and Page (The five-factor model and personality disorder empirical literature: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 23, 1055-1085) through a facet level analysis that provides a more specific and nuanced description of each DSM-IV-TR personality disorder. The empirical FFM profiles generated for each personality disorder were generally congruent at the facet level with hypothesized FFM translations of the DSM-IV-TR personality disorders. However, notable exceptions to the hypotheses did occur and even some findings that were consistent with FFM theory could be said to be instrument specific.

Five-Factor Model Assessment of Personality Disorder

The Five-factor model (FFM) provides a viable dimensional model of personality disorder assessment. Advantages of the FFM include the provision of a precise yet comprehensive description of both normal and abnormal personality functioning, the avoidance of the many limitations and problems inherent to the categorical diagnostic system, and the incorporation of basic science research on general personality structure and functioning into clinicians' description and understanding of personality disorders. We discuss three alternative instruments for the assessment of personality disorder from the perspective of the FFM. We also provide a method for diagnosing personality disorders and illustrate its application through a case study.

Psychometric properties of an abbreviated instrument of the five-factor model

Brief measures of the five-factor model (FFM) have been developed but none include an assessment of facets within each domain. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of a simple, one-page, facet-level description of the FFM. Five data collections were completed to assess the reliability and the convergent and discriminant validity of the rating form with other measures of the FFM and to replicate correlations with measures of maladaptive personality functioning that have been obtained with more extensive measures. Results appeared to support the validity of the FFM rating form (FFMRF) because it obtained relatively good internal consistency, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. In addition, self-descriptions of persons in terms of the FFMRF related to maladaptive personality traits in a manner that was consistent with theoretical expectations. Negative findings and limitations of the rating form also are discussed.

Psychometric Properties of Goldberg's 50 Personality Markers for the Big Five Model1

Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Spanish transparent version of Goldberg's Big Five 50 personality markers ( Goldberg, 1992 ). The structure of the questionnaire was analyzed through exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) in a sample of 1189 university students. The Spanish version shows similar statistical properties to the English one. A reduced version of the Goldberg questionnaire with 25 items yields a better fit to the five-factor personality structure than the 50-adjective version.

Experimental manipulation of NEO-PI-R items

Research assessing the relationship of the Five-factor model (FFM) of personality to personality disorder symptomatology has generally been consistent with theoretical expectations. Three exceptions, however, have been failures to confirm predicted associations of the NEO-Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R) Conscientiousness scale with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder symptomatology, the NEO-PI-R Agreeableness scale with dependent symptomatology, and the NEO-PI-R Openness scale with schizotypal symptomatology. It was the hypothesis of this study that these findings might be due in part to a relative emphasis on adaptive rather than maladaptive variants of these domains of personality functioning within the NEO-PI-R. This hypothesis was tested by experimentally altering NEO-PI-R items to reverse their implications for maladaptiveness. The predicted correlations of the FFM were confirmed with the experimentally altered items in a sample of 86 adult psychiatric outpatients.

Effectiveness of NEO-PI-R research validity scales for discriminating analog malingering and genuine psychopathology

We investigated the research validity scales for the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R) proposed by Schinka, Kinder, and Kremer (1997): Positive Presentation Management (PPM) and Negative Presentation Management (NPM). Additionally, an experimental analog to the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2's (MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) F-K index was calculated by subtracting the raw score on PPM from the raw score on NPM (NPM-PPM). In 2 studies, all indexes showed significant between-group differences when samples of analog malingerers (n = 97) were contrasted with psychiatric outpatients (n = 272). The sensitivity and specificity of these validity indexes indicated that although none performed well in extremely low base rate environments, the NPM and NPM-PPM indexes showed promise when the base rate of faking bad rose to higher levels.