Purpose in life, stress mindset, and perceived stress: Test of a mediational model.

Purpose in life is associated with less perceived stress and more positive worldviews. This study examined whether people with more purpose adopt a mindset that views stress as beneficial rather than harmful and whether this mindset is one mechanism between purpose and less stress. We used a short-term longitudinal study (N=2,147) to test stress mindset as a mediator between purpose in life measured prior to the pandemic and stress measured early in the pandemic. We also tested Covid-related worry as a mechanism, given the measurement period spanned pre-pandemic to the first shutdowns in the United States. In contrast to expectations, purpose was unrelated to whether stress was conceptualized as beneficial or harmful (b=.00, SE=.02; p=.710) and thus stress mindset did not mediate the prospective association between purpose and stress. Both purpose in life (b=-.41, SE=.04, p<.001) and stress mindset (b=-.24, SE=.04; p<.001) were independent prospective predictors of stress. Purpose was related to less Covid-related worry, which was a significant mechanism between purpose and stress (indirect effect=-.03, SE=.01; p=.023). A stress-is-enhancing mindset predicted less stress but did not explain why purpose was associated with less perceived stress, whereas fewer Covid-related worries was one pathway from purpose to less stress.

Physical activity and sedentary behavior during COVID-19: Trajectory and moderation by personality

The present study examined the relation between personality and changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviors during the acute phase of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Personality was assessed prior to the coronavirus crisis in the Understanding America Study (UAS, N = 6,702) and the Psychological, Behavioral, and Social Response (PBSR) to the coronavirus pandemic (N = 3,992) study. Physical activity was assessed 4 times from March 2020 to May 2020 in the UAS, and sedentary behavior was assessed 3 times from January 2020 to April 2020 in the PBSR. Higher neuroticism was associated with less increase in physical activity, whereas higher conscientiousness and agreeableness were related to a steeper increase in physical activity over time in the UAS. In the PBSR, higher neuroticism and lower extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness were related to higher average sedentary behavior. This study provides new evidence that personality predicts behavioral responses to the COVID-19 crisis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Differential personality change earlier and later in the coronavirus pandemic in a longitudinal sample of adults in the United States.

Five-factor model personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness) are thought to be relatively impervious to environmental demands in adulthood. The coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented opportunity to examine whether personality changed during a stressful global event. Surprisingly, two previous studies found that neuroticism decreased early in the pandemic, whereas there was less evidence for change in the other four traits during this period. The present research used longitudinal assessments of personality from the Understanding America Study (N = 7,109; 18,623 assessments) to examine personality changes relatively earlier (2020) and later (2021-2022) in the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels. Replicating the two previous studies, neuroticism declined very slightly in 2020 compared to pre-pandemic levels; there were no changes in the other four traits. When personality was measured in 2021-2022, however, there was no significant change in neuroticism compared to pre-pandemic levels, but there were significant small declines in extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. The changes were about one-tenth of a standard deviation, which is equivalent to about one decade of normative personality change. These changes were moderated by age and Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, but not race or education. Strikingly, younger adults showed disrupted maturity in that they increased in neuroticism and declined in agreeableness and conscientiousness. Current evidence suggests the slight decrease in neuroticism early in the pandemic was short-lived and detrimental changes in the other traits emerged over time. If these changes are enduring, this evidence suggests population-wide stressful events can slightly bend the trajectory of personality, especially in younger adults.

Personality and change in perceived control during the acute stage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lower perceived control (PC) is related to maladaptive psychological responses to stressful events, yet it is unclear whether longer-term situations are associated with PC change over time. This study examined PC change during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and whether trajectories varied by age and personality. Personality was assessed in 2455 U.S. adults (18-100 years) from an online study conducted January-February 2020. PC was assessed across three follow-ups (March-July 2020). Latent growth curves modeled PC change. In controlled models, PC decreased (ß = -0.107, p = .005). Older adults had higher PC than younger adults (ß = 0.012, p = .001), and experienced less PC decline (ß = 0.012, p < .001). All personality traits but Openness were related to PC at baseline (ßs ranged from -0.912 to 0.543, ps < .001). Conscientiousness (ß = 0.155, p = .002), Extraversion (ß = 0.128, p = .008), and Agreeableness (ß = 0.099, p = .044) were associated with less PC decline. Employment (ß = 0.160, p = .022), health (ß = 0.133, p = .002), and disease burden (ß = -0.056, p = .014) were also associated with PC change. These results were largely driven by the financial dimension of PC. This study provides evidence for PC change during the COVID-19 pandemic and identifies sociodemographic, personality, and health moderators of PC trajectory.

Personality and change in perceived control during the acute stage of the coronavirus pandemic

Lower perceived control (PC) is related to maladaptive psychological responses to stressful events, yet it is unclear whether longer-term situations are associated with PC change over time. This study examined PC change during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and whether trajectories varied by age and personality. Personality was assessed in 2455 U.S. adults (18–100 years) from an online study conducted January–February 2020. PC was assessed across three follow-ups (March–July 2020). Latent growth curves modeled PC change. In controlled models, PC decreased (β = −0.107, p = .005). Older adults had higher PC than younger adults (β = 0.012, p = .001), and experienced less PC decline (β = 0.012, p < .001). All personality traits but Openness were related to PC at baseline (βs ranged from −0.912 to 0.543, ps < .001). Conscientiousness (β = 0.155, p = .002), Extraversion (β = 0.128, p = .008), and Agreeableness (β = 0.099, p = .044) were associated with less PC decline. Employment (β = 0.160, p = .022), health (β = 0.133, p = .002), and disease burden (β = −0.056, p = .014) were also associated with PC change. These results were largely driven by the financial dimension of PC. This study provides evidence for PC change during the COVID-19 pandemic and identifies sociodemographic, personality, and health moderators of PC trajectory.

Does Personality Shape COVID-19 Responses in Older Adults?

Knowing how personality plays out in a pandemic can provide guidance to improve public health messaging. In a sample of 2066 participants (Mage = 51.42;48.5% female), we examined whether personality is associated with concerns, precautions, preparations, and duration estimates of the COVID-19 pandemic. Personality traits were measured before the pandemic;responses were assessed in late March 2020. We investigated whether age moderates the trait-response associations because older adults are at higher risk for severe complications of COVID-19. Among the 65-96-year-olds, higher conscientiousness was associated with more preparations, higher openness was associated with greater concerns, and both higher openness and agreeableness were related to more preparations and longer duration estimates. This pattern has implications: If all older adults took COVID-19 seriously, individual differences in personality should not matter;however, our findings indicate that they do matter and could be considered in the development of personality-tailored communication to older adults.

Personality and change in perceived control across the first four months of the coronavirus pandemic

Objective: This study examined change in perceived control (PC) across the first four months of the global coronavirus pandemic and whether change varied significantly by age and personality traits during the first four months of the pandemic. Methods: Personality was assessed prior to the pandemic in a large national sample of 2,455 American adults (18-100 years) from a preregistered online survey (https://osf.io/q8cpd), first conducted between January 31, 2020 and February 10, 2020. Three additional follow-up waves were conducted: mid-March 2020 (following the World Health Organization declaration of the coronavirus a pandemic), late April 2020 (toward the end of the White House’s 30 Days to Slow the Spread guidance), and late July 2020 (when patient deaths in the U.S. reached 132,918). PC was assessed in Waves 2-4. Results: There were age differences in the trajectory of PC such that PC increase for middle-aged and older adults, whereas younger adults had lower PC and did not increase over the follow-ups. All personality traits but Openness were associated with PC at the first assessment. Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness positively predicted PC change over time. The association between Conscientiousness and Extraversion and increased PC over time was stronger at older ages. Conclusion: Pre-pandemic personality predicted PC and PC change during the first four months of the pandemic, with middle-aged and older adults showing better adaption than younger adults. This study provides new evidence for PC change and associations between personality and PC during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BMI, Weight Discrimination, and the Trajectory of Distress and Well-Being Across the Coronavirus Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the trajectory of psychological distress and well-being across the coronavirus pandemic by BMI category and weight discrimination. METHODS: Participants (N = 1,590) were assessed three times: early February 2020 before the coronavirus crisis in the United States and again in mid-March and late April 2020. Participants reported their weight, height, and weight discrimination in February. Depressed affect, loneliness, purpose in life, life satisfaction, and perceived support were assessed in all surveys; anxiety and stress were assessed in the March/April surveys. RESULTS: Prior to the pandemic, reporting weight discrimination or being in the underweight or obesity 2 to 3 categories was associated with more distress and lower well-being. Weight discrimination, not BMI, was associated with a twofold increased risk of incident depression from before to during the pandemic. Weight discrimination was associated with declines in purpose in life and life satisfaction across the pandemic. BMI categories were unrelated to changes in distress/well-being across the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Prior to the pandemic, BMI and weight discrimination were vulnerabilities for greater distress and lower well-being. Weight discrimination, but not BMI, increased risk for incident depression and declines in well-being during the coronavirus pandemic.

Psychological and Behavioural Responses to Coronavirus Disease 2019: The Role of Personality.

This study examined the associations between personality traits and psychological and behavioural responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Personality was assessed in January/February 2020 when the public was not aware of the spread of coronavirus in the USA. Participants were reassessed in late March 2020 with four sets of questions about the pandemic: concerns, precautions, preparatory behaviours, and duration estimates. The sample consisted of N = 2066 participants (mean age = 51.42; range = 18-98; 48.5% women). Regression models were used to analyse the data with age, gender, education, race, and ethnicity as covariates. Consistent with the preregistered hypotheses, higher neuroticism was related to more concerns and longer duration estimates related to COVID-19, higher extraversion was related to shorter duration estimates, and higher conscientiousness was associated with more precautions. In contrast to the preregistered hypotheses, higher neuroticism was associated with fewer precautions and unrelated to preparatory behaviours. Age moderated several trait-response associations, suggesting that some of the responses were associated more strongly in older adults, a group at risk for complications of COVID-19. For example, older adults high in conscientiousness prepared more. The present findings provide insights into how personality predicts concerns and behaviours related to the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2020 European Association of Personality Psychology.

Change in five-factor model personality traits during the acute phase of the coronavirus pandemic.

The rapid spread of the coronavirus and the strategies to slow it have disrupted just about every aspect of our lives. Such disruption may be reflected in changes in psychological function. The present study used a pre-posttest design to test whether Five Factor Model personality traits changed with the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. Participants (N = 2,137) were tested in early February 2020 and again during the President's 15 Days to Slow the Spread guidelines. In contrast to the preregistered hypotheses, Neuroticism decreased across these six weeks, particularly the facets of Anxiety and Depression, and Conscientiousness did not change. Interestingly, there was some evidence that the rapid changes in the social context had changed the meaning of an item. Specifically, an item about going to work despite being sick was a good indicator of conscientiousness before COVID-19, but the interpretation of it changed with the pandemic. In sum, the unexpected small decline in Neuroticism suggests that, during the acute phase of the coronavirus outbreak, feelings of anxiety and distress may be attributed more to the pandemic than to one's personality.

BMI, Weight Discrimination, and Psychological, Behavioral, and Interpersonal Responses to the Coronavirus Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine whether BMI and weight discrimination are associated with psychological, behavioral, and interpersonal responses to the coronavirus pandemic. METHODS: Using a prospective design, participants (N = 2,094) were first assessed in early February 2020 before the coronavirus crisis in the United States and again in mid-March 2020 during the President's "15 Days to Slow the Spread" guidelines. Weight, height, and weight discrimination were assessed in the February survey. Psychological, behavioral, and interpersonal responses to the coronavirus were assessed in the March survey. RESULTS: Prepandemic experiences with weight discrimination were associated with greater concerns about the virus, engaging in more preventive behaviors, less trust in people and institutions to manage the outbreak, and greater perceived declines in connection to one's community. BMI tended to be unrelated to these responses. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the risks of complications of coronavirus disease associated with obesity, individuals with higher BMI were neither more concerned about the virus nor taking more behavioral precautions than individuals in other weight categories. Weight discrimination, in contrast, may heighten vigilance to threat, which may have contributed to both positive (greater concern, more precautionary behavior) and negative (less trust, declines community connection) responses to the pandemic.

Changes in Subjective Age During COVID-19.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the change in subjective age with the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Two competing hypotheses were tested: (a) people felt increasingly older due to the stress generated by the pandemic and (b) people felt increasingly younger due to psychological distancing from older age, a vulnerability to COVID-19. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: An age- and sex-stratified sample of adults from across the United States (baseline N = 3,738) was assessed on 3 occasions: before the COVID-19 outbreak in late January/early February and during the outbreak in late March and again in late April. Multilevel modeling analysis examined the change in subjective age and tested potential moderators of individual differences in the trajectory of subjective age. RESULTS: The average trajectory of subjective age followed a concave curve, with a nadir (feeling younger) during the second assessment in late March. Older age, negative expectations about aging, absence of preexisting conditions, and less stress during COVID-19 were associated with feeling younger but did not predict the rate of change. The only significant predictor of change in subjective age was the belief that the "coronavirus is only a threat to older adults": The more individuals agreed with this statement, the more likely it was that they felt increasingly younger at follow-up. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Subjective age changed during a global health crisis, with people feeling younger with the emergence of COVID-19. The findings support the hypothesis that subjective age partly reflects a coping process of psychological distancing from older age, the age group most vulnerable to COVID-19.