Mental Health and Personality Traits during COVID-19 in China: A Latent Profile Analysis

Relationships between obsessive-compulsive disorder and the big five personality traits: A meta-analysis

Although several studies have examined the relationships between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the Big Five personality traits (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness), the results have been inconsistent. Therefore, this meta-analysis comprehensively examined the relationships between OCD and these traits. In total, 23 studies (29 independent datasets) with 30,138 participants were analyzed. The pooled effect size was 0.34 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.28, 0.40) for neuroticism, -0.14 (95% CI: -0.18, -0.10) for extraversion, -0.04 (95% CI: -0.09, 0.02) for openness, -0.10 (95% CI: -0.16, -0.04) for agreeableness, and -0.03 (95% CI: -0.11, 0.05) for conscientiousness, indicating that OCD was associated with higher scores for neuroticism and lower scores for extraversion and agreeableness. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses indicated that heterogeneity was mainly due to differences in sample types and OCD measurement instruments. Sensitivity analysis showed that the results of the meta-analysis were robust. Overall, neuroticism was a maladaptive trait, whereas extraversion and agreeableness were adaptive traits for OCD. Although the results could be sample- and instrument-specific, our findings may inform preventions and interventions for OCD symptoms.

Clustering of methamphetamine users based on personality characteristics and self-efficacy in the west of Iran

With the substantial increase in the use of stimulants, especially methamphetamine, in recent years, the present study aimed to cluster methamphetamine users based on personality traits and self-efficacy, and compare their mental health, sleep quality, and the risk of relapse in the identified clusters. This cross-sectional study was conducted through convenience sampling on 501 methamphetamine users in addiction treatment centers in Kermanshah, western Iran. The data were collected using the Schwarzer General Self-Efficacy Scale, Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire, Goldberg and Hiller General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire, and Stimulant Relapse Risk Scale (SRRS). A total of 501 methamphetamine users were distinguished into three clusters with frequencies of 111 (22.2%), 298 (59.5%), and 92 (18.4%) members through hierarchical cluster analysis. The participants in the first cluster were characterized by low self-efficacy, high neuroticism, sensation seeking, and aggressiveness, along with low extroversion and activity, low positive health, high negative health, low sleep quality, and high risk of drug relapse. The participants in the second cluster reported moderate levels of self-efficacy, neuroticism, sensation seeking, activity, and aggressiveness, high extroversion, and moderate levels of mental health, sleep quality, and the risk of relapse. Moreover, the participants in the third cluster reported the highest level of self-efficacy, the lowest level of neuroticism, sensation seeking, and aggressiveness, moderate extroversion and high activity, low relapse risk, high sleep quality, as well as high positive and low negative health symptoms. The third cluster was significantly different from the other two clusters in terms of the mentioned factors. The findings of this study suggest that low self-efficacy and the presence of neuroticism, sensation seeking, and high aggressiveness contribute to reduced mental health and sleep quality, as well as an increased risk of relapse in methamphetamine users.

Maternal psychological risk and the neural correlates of infant face processing: A latent profile analysis

Maternal psychological factors, including anxiety, depression, and substance use, may negatively affect parenting. Previous works with mothers have often assessed each of these factors in isolation despite their frequent co-occurrence. Psychological factors have also been associated with neural processing of facial stimuli, specifically the amplitude (i.e., size) and latency (i.e., timing) of the face-specific N170 event-related potential. In the current study, 106 mothers completed measures assessing maternal psychological factors-anxiety, depression, and substance use. A latent profile analysis was used to identify profiles of psychological factors and assess profile associations with the N170 elicited by infant faces and with parental reflective functioning (PRF) as a measure related to caregiving. Two profiles (termed high and low psychological risk) were identified, with the higher risk profile associated with delayed N170 latency responses to infant faces. An exploratory analysis evidenced an indirect effect between the higher psychological risk profile and lower PRF through delayed N170 latency responses to infant faces. Taken together, maternal psychological risk across multiple indicators may together shape neural processing of infant faces, which may have downstream consequences for caregiving.

The Relationship Between Personality Traits, Emotional Stability and Mental Health in Art Vocational and Technical College Students During Epidemic Prevention and Control

Objective

To investigate the relationship between the personality traits, emotional stability and mental health state of students in vocational and technical colleges of art under epidemic prevention and control based on latent trait-state theory.

Methods

Using the stratified sampling method, we selected 1569 students in vocational and technical colleges of art as research subjects. From 1 April 2022 to 5 April 2022, we conducted an online survey using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (Adult Edition) (EPQA), Emotional Stability Self-Test Scale and University Personality Inventory (UPI) to analyse the relationship between the traits, emotional stability and mental health of students in vocational and technical colleges of art.

Results

For the EPQA personality traits, boys had lower extraversion and introversion scores than girls (47.71 ± 11.23 vs 49.06 ± 10.74, p = 0.021). In terms of mental health, boys had lower scores than girls (12.20 ± 12.73 vs 14.64 ± 11.85, p< 0.001). There were significant grade differences in psychoticism and total mental health scores in terms of EPQA personality traits (P < 0.01). There were significant associations between all dimensions of personality traits, emotional stability and mental health (r = 0.68, 0.62, p < 0.01). Emotional stability plays a partial mediating role in the effects of neuroticism on mental health.

Conclusion

There is a close relationship between personality traits, emotional stability and mental health. Under the condition of epidemic prevention and control, strengthening the management of the self-emotional stability of students in vocational and technical colleges of art is helpful in improving students' mental health.

Anxiety-associated factors among employees with different personality profiles: a cross-sectional study in China

Introduction

Anxiety not only harms employees' work efficiency and satisfaction but also presents as a hazard to their mental health. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety among Chinese employees, identify their personality profiles and explore the anxiety-related factors in different personality profiles.

Methods

This national investigation adopted the multistage random sampling method to recruit employees. A total of 3,875 employees were enrolled in this study, and 39.1% (1,515/3,875) of them were experiencing anxiety at the time of the study. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted to identify personality subgroups among Chinese employees based on their BFI-10 scores.

Results

LPA identified a three-profile solution among Chinese employees: average, resilient, and introverted. Employees in the resilient profile had the lowest anxiety rate (16.1%, 132/822), and those in the average profile had the highest rate (46.8%, 1,166/2,494). Multivariate analysis results showed that for all personality profiles, self-efficacy was positively associated with anxiety, and work-family conflict was negatively associated with anxiety. High levels of perceived social support and self-efficacy reduced the risk of anxiety and higher work-family conflict and no partner increased the odds of anxiety in the average profile. For the introverted profile, female gender, and living in a city increased the chances of suffering from anxiety.

Discussion

This study identified that each personality profile of Chinese employees had its own set of factors associated with anxiety, which could facilitate employers to provide targeted interventions to alleviate employees' anxiety.

Relationship Between Hardiness and the Mental Health of Funded Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Social Support and the Moderating Role of an Only-Child Status

According to the hardiness model and the perspective of different treatment by parents, this study developed and validated a moderated mediation model to explore the direct effect of hardiness on the mental health of Chinese funded college students (FCSs), the mediating role of social support, and the moderating role of only-child (OC) /non-only-child (NOC) status. A hardiness scale, mental health scale, and perceived social support scale were used to examine information on 673 Chinese FCSs. Hardiness had a significantly positive effect on the mental health of FCSs. Mediation analysis indicated that social support mediated the relationship between hardiness and the mental health of FCSs. The moderated mediation model analysis indicated that the OC/NOC status moderated the second half of the mediation model. The results suggest that the hardiness model is applicable to FCSs from China and elucidate the internal influence mechanism between hardiness and mental health. On the basis of the findings of this study, suggestions are presented in this paper for college education management.

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 Traits, Cognitive Styles, Coping Strategies, and Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown on Healthy Youngsters

The objective of the present study was to explore possible changes in the psychological wellbeing of young healthy students during the initial 14 days of the COVID-19 general lockdown that occurred in March of 2020, and if there was any relation with specific personality traits (neuroticism, psychoticism, and extraversion), cognitive styles (internal and external locus of control and intolerance of uncertainty), and coping strategies. One hundred twenty-two university students aged from 18 to 29 years participated in the study. The dispositional factors were assessed at the beginning of the study, while measures of psychological adjustment (anxiety, depression, and self-perceived health) were taken in three different assessment stages, employing validated questionnaires and scales. Anxiety and depression scores significantly increased after one week of lockdown, reaching a plateau pattern by the second week. The levels of self-perceived mental health, vitality, and quality of life showed a pattern of sustained progressive decrease, with a more acute lessening during the first week. Neuroticism, intolerance of uncertainty, and negative autofocus were associated to worse levels of psychological adjustment. These individual differences might be taken into consideration when designing prevention programs aiming to dampen the psychological impact of a general lockdown in healthy population.