Big Five, Dark Triad, and face masks: The role of personality in reducing the spread of COVID-19

Face masks are an effective method to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but many people are reluctant to wear them. Recent authors have called for studies of personality to determine which people may have particularly negative face mask perceptions and reduced face mask wearing. In the current article, we assess the relation of the Big Five and Dark Triad with face mask perceptions and wearing. We apply a four-wave longitudinal research design collected via MTurk (n = 209, Mage = 36.97 years, 50% female, 85% American), and we use the eight-dimension Face Mask Perceptions Scale to test mediating mechanisms between personality and behavior. When tested together, conscientiousness, extraversion, and neuroticism did not have notable relations with perceptions or wearing;openness and the Dark Triad had significant relations with face mask perceptions, and agreeableness had significant indirect effects on face mask wearing via perceptions. These results indicate that personality does relate to face mask perceptions and behaviors. We call on future research to conduct facet-level studies of personality with face mask perceptions and behaviors to ascertain the cause of these observed relations, further identify the importance of specific face mask perceptions, and integrate personality into models of health behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Workaholism: Personality factors and conditions of professional work

Question: The need for excessive work, also known as "workaholism", is a serious health problem in our society. In this study, we examined the impact of work characteristics (low boundaries between work and home) and personality traits (Big Five) on workaholism. Method: Data were collected from a sample of 111 employees aged 19 to 66. Participants completed the Big Five Inventory-SOEP (BFI-S), a questionnaire to determine central characteristics of work (Fragebogen zur Erfassung der zentralen Merkmale der Arbeit 4.0) and a scale to measure workaholism (Skala zur Erfassung von Arbeitssucht) online. Statistical analyses (correlation analyses, moderated regression analyses) were conducted using "R" and "PSPP". Results: Workaholism scores were found to be significantly correlated with low boundaries between work and home (r = .208), with neuroticism (r = .356) and with participants' age (r = -.321). The proportion of variance explained by all three predictors was 29 %. No moderating effect of the variable 'boundaries between work and home' on the relationship between neuroticism (UV) and workaholism (AV) could be found. Conclusions: In addition to the Big Five personality factor neuroticism and the age of participants, low boundaries between work and home play a relevant role in workaholism. These results are important in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as employees more often work from home, which makes the separation between work and personal time more difficult. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (German) Fragestellung: Suchtartiges Arbeiten stellt ein ernst zu nehmendes Problem in unserer Gesellschaft dar. In dieser Studie wird der Frage nachgegangen, welche Rolle berufliche Rahmenbedingungen (Entgrenzung der Arbeit) und Personlichkeitsfaktoren (Big Five) bei suchtartigem Arbeiten spielen. Methode: 111 Erwerbstatige im Alter von 19 bis 66 Jahren beantworteten online den Personlichkeitstest Big Five Inventory-SOEP, den Fragebogen zur Erfassung zentraler Merkmale der Arbeit 4.0 und die Skala zur Erfassung von Arbeitssucht. Die statistischen Auswertungen (Korrelationsanalysen, moderierte Regressionsanalyse) erfolgten mittels R" und PSPP". Ergebnisse: Suchtartiges Arbeiten korreliert signifikant mit Entgrenzung (r = .208), Neurotizismus (r = .356) und dem Alter der Probanden (r = -.321). Alle drei Pradiktoren zusammen erklaren insgesamt 29 Prozent der Varianz von suchtartigem Arbeiten. Es konnte kein moderierender Effekt der Variablen Entgrenzung der Arbeit auf den Zusammenhang zwischen Neurotizismus und suchtartigem Arbeiten gefunden werden. Schlussfolgerungen: Neben dem Personlichkeitsfaktor Neurotizismus und dem Alter spielen bei der Vorhersage suchtartigen Arbeitens auch das Ausmas der Entgrenzung der Arbeit eine relevante Rolle. Die Ergebnisse sind vor dem Hintergrund der Covid-19-Pandemie relevant, da bei Mitarbeitern im Homeoffice die Grenzen von Arbeit und Privatleben besonders stark verwischen. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Personality and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: A quantitative study

Despite rigorous communication and education programs, hesitancy rates for the COVID-19 vaccination in the U.S. remain relatively unchanged at 20-25% (Kaiser Family Foundation, September 2022). Increasing the vaccination uptake to prevent further spread of the disease requires a better understanding of underlying psychological reasons for vaccine hesitancy. This study examines whether any Big Five personality traits (extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and emotional stability) could statistically significantly predict group membership into one of four vaccination status groups of adults living in the U.S. The four vaccination groups were: (Group 1) did not have the COVID-19 vaccine and will not in the future;(Group 2) did not have the vaccine but may in the future;(Group 3) had the vaccine but did not intend to have another COVID vaccine in the future, and (Group 4) had the vaccine and intended on getting future vaccinations as appropriate. Discriminant analysis was used as a statistical test to predict group membership into one of the four vaccination groups from the mean scores of a brief personality inventory. Adult participants from across the country were recruited using CloudResearch Managed Survey (N = 119) using a survey uploaded from Qualtrics. The respondents took a brief online psychological assessment, the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) (Gosling, 2003), and were asked about their current vaccine status and future intention to vaccinate. Demographic questions regarding political affiliation and religiosity were also included to understand the population better and add value to the analysis. This study did not support the hypothesis that personality type, measured by the TIPI, would statistically significantly predict membership into vaccine status/ intention groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

SI Correction

Reports an error in "COVID-19 and mental health of individuals with different personalities" by Eugenio Proto and Anwen Zhang (PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2021[Sep][14], Vol 118[37][e2109282118]). In the original article, the authors note that the numbers of observations were reported incorrectly for Table 1 in the main text and Tables S11, S17, S20, and S21 in the SI Appendix. The online version and the SI Appendix have been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2021-87295-001). Several studies have been devoted to establishing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health across gender, age, and ethnicity. However, much less attention has been paid to the differential effect of COVID-19 according to different personalities. We do this using the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), a large-scale panel survey representative of the UK population. The UKHLS allows us to assess the mental health of the same respondent before and during the COVID-19 period based on their "Big Five" personality traits and cognitive skills. We find that during the COVID-19 period, individuals who have more extravert and open personality traits report a higher mental health deterioration, while those scoring higher in agreeableness are less affected. The effect of openness is particularly strong: One more SD predicts up to 0.23 more symptoms of mental health deterioration in the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) test during the COVID-19 period. In particular, for females, cognitive skills and openness are strong predictors of mental health deterioration, while for non-British White respondents, these predictors are extraversion and openness. Neuroticism strongly predicts worse mental health cross-sectionally, but it does not lead to significantly stronger deterioration during the pandemic. The study's results are robust to the inclusion of potential confounding variables such as changes in physical health, household income, and job status (like unemployed or furloughed). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Who is impacted? Personality predicts individual differences in psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to changes in people's private and public lives that are unprecedented in modern history. However, little is known about the differential psychological consequences of restrictions that have been imposed to fight the pandemic. In a large and diverse German sample (N = 1,320), we examined how individual differences in psychological consequences of the pandemic (perceived restrictiveness of government-supported measures, global pandemic-related appraisals, subjective well-being) were associated with a broad set of faceted personality traits (Big Five, Honesty-Humility, Dark Triad). Facets of Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Openness were among the strongest and most important predictors of psychological outcomes, even after controlling for basic sociodemographic variables (gender, age). These findings suggest that psychological consequences of the pandemic depend on personality and thus add to the growing literature on the importance of considering individual differences in crisis situations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Influence of five-factor personality traits on the transactional model of stress in relation to driving strain

This study investigated the relationships between driving stressors, stressor appraisal, personality traits, negative affect, and work engagement as they relate to the transactional model of stress (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and the Job Demands-Resources Model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007). A moderated mediation model was used to analyze these relationships, with the number of traffic cut offs as the driving stressor. Results suggested that neuroticism directly influenced stressor appraisal (H3c), neuroticism had a positive moderating effect on the relationship between stressor intensity and negative affect (H4d), and that the influence of stressor intensity on work engagement was smaller with negative affect as a mediator (H5c'). No support was found for stressor appraisal as a moderator (H1), yet it was seen to act as a mediator. Conscientiousness and openness also moderated the moderation effect of appraised threat on stressor intensity and negative affect (H2), but not in the expected direction. Findings were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as commuting to work declined during the period of data collection. Future research can delve into the changes of the commuting environment, and how it pertains to the stress model. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Can psychological traits explain mobility behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The current COVID-19 pandemic is a global, exogenous shock, impacting individuals' decision making and behavior allowing researchers to test theories of personality by exploring how traits, in conjunction with individual and societal differences, affect compliance and cooperation. Study 1 used Google mobility data and nation-level personality data from 31 countries, both before and after region-specific legislative interventions, finding that agreeable nations are most consistently compliant with mobility restrictions. Study 2 (N = 105,857) replicated these findings using individual-level data, showing that several personality traits predict sheltering in place behavior, but extraverts are especially likely to remain mobile. Overall, our analyses reveal robust relationships between traits and regulatory compliance (mobility behavior), both before and after region-specific legislative interventions, and the global declaration of the pandemic. Further, we find significant effects on reasons for leaving home, as well as age and gender differences, particularly relating to female agreeableness for previous and future social mobility behaviors. These sex differences, however, are only visible for those living in households with two or more people, suggesting that such findings may be driven by division of labor. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

SI Correction

Reports an error in "COVID-19 and mental health of individuals with different personalities" by Eugenio Proto and Anwen Zhang (PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2021[Sep][14], Vol 118[37][e2109282118]). In the original article, the authors note that the numbers of observations were reported incorrectly for Table 1 in the main text and Tables S11, S17, S20, and S21 in the SI Appendix. The online version and the SI Appendix have been corrected. (The following of the original article appeared in record 2021-87295-001). Several studies have been devoted to establishing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health across gender, age, and ethnicity. However, much less attention has been paid to the differential effect of COVID-19 according to different personalities. We do this using the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), a large-scale panel survey representative of the UK population. The UKHLS allows us to assess the mental health of the same respondent before and during the COVID-19 period based on their "Big Five" personality traits and cognitive skills. We find that during the COVID-19 period, individuals who have more extravert and open personality traits report a higher mental health deterioration, while those scoring higher in agreeableness are less affected. The effect of openness is particularly strong: One more SD predicts up to 0.23 more symptoms of mental health deterioration in the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) test during the COVID-19 period. In particular, for females, cognitive skills and openness are strong predictors of mental health deterioration, while for non-British White respondents, these predictors are extraversion and openness. Neuroticism strongly predicts worse mental health cross-sectionally, but it does not lead to significantly stronger deterioration during the pandemic. The study's results are robust to the inclusion of potential confounding variables such as changes in physical health, household income, and job status (like unemployed or furloughed). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Influence of five-factor personality traits on the transactional model of stress in relation to driving strain

This study investigated the relationships between driving stressors, stressor appraisal, personality traits, negative affect, and work engagement as they relate to the transactional model of stress (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and the Job Demands-Resources Model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007). A moderated mediation model was used to analyze these relationships, with the number of traffic cut offs as the driving stressor. Results suggested that neuroticism directly influenced stressor appraisal (H3c), neuroticism had a positive moderating effect on the relationship between stressor intensity and negative affect (H4d), and that the influence of stressor intensity on work engagement was smaller with negative affect as a mediator (H5c'). No support was found for stressor appraisal as a moderator (H1), yet it was seen to act as a mediator. Conscientiousness and openness also moderated the moderation effect of appraised threat on stressor intensity and negative affect (H2), but not in the expected direction. Findings were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as commuting to work declined during the period of data collection. Future research can delve into the changes of the commuting environment, and how it pertains to the stress model. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Emotional and behavioral responses to COVID-19: Explanations from three key models of personality

This review appraises evidence for the role of personality in COVID-19 related emotions and behaviors. Three key models of personality are considered: the Five-factor Model, HEXACO model, and Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST). In line with personality research, more generally, most studies focus on the Five-Factor model. Key findings are that neuroticism is most associated with poor mental health, and extraversion is associated with a reluctance to socially isolate. Conscientiousness predicts compliance with safety guidelines but also with fewer prosocial behaviors, particularly stockpiling. Research within the HEXACO framework largely confirms these findings, especially for emotionality and mental health. The additional HEXACO Honesty-Humility factor is found to be associated with prosocial views and abstention from panic buying. Studies based on the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of personality indicate emotional conflict as people wish to stay safe while maintaining a sense of normality. Behavioral compliance is driven by activation in the Fight-Flight-Freeze System (FFFS;fear-related) and the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS;anxiety-related). The Behavioral Approach System (BAS) is implicated in approach-driven behaviors such as avoiding infection. These findings have implications for health communications and post-pandemic support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)