Emotional well-being and performance of middle leaders: the role of organisational trust in early childhood education

PurposeThe current study investigated the impact of organisational trust on emotional well-being and performance of middle leaders during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA convenience sample of 265 middle leaders in kindergartens in China responded involving trust in schools (e.g. trust in principal and trust in colleagues), emotional well-being and job performance. Both confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used in the investigation.FindingsThree hypotheses on the relationships between the three constructs were verified. Trust in schools significantly influenced emotional well-being and job performance of middle leaders which correlated with each other. The interactive effects of trust in principal and trust in colleagues were discussed for improving the well-being and job performance of middle leaders. Relationships between the two kinds of trust and pride were also identified in the research.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies may put efforts towards improving these three outcomes synchronously.Practical implicationsBased on the evidence of the current study, future research may focus on how middle leaders act as a bridging role between different stakeholders such as principal and teachers, principal and parents, teachers and children, meanwhile how to boost the leaders' own well-being and performance in the early childhood education (ECE).Originality/valueThis study established the empirical linkages between school trusts, emotional well-being and job performance.

Must one take the bitter with the sweet? Sensory processing sensitivity and factors associated with resilience among artistically inclined individuals.

Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), linked with a penchant for the arts and creativity, exerts its bivalent influences, contingent on context, on individuals' health-related outcomes. But little is known about how it interacts with creative self-concept (CSC). Focusing on the role of SPS, this study identified risk and protective factors of resilience among artistically inclined individuals from middle to later life during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) restriction period and examined the interaction effect between SPS and CSC on depression. Two stages of analyses were pursued. Stage 1 identified factors associated with resilience by using regression and profile analyses on data from 224 anonymized respondents from middle to third age (Mage = 54.08, SD = 10.08, range = 40-84) with diverse disciplinary backgrounds in visual arts. Stage 2 examined the influence of SPS on the relationship between CSC and depression. SPS, lack of peer support of shared interests in the arts, and depression emerged as risk factors associated with lower levels of resilience. The profiles of SPS components among the relatively high and low resilience groups were found to be divergent. The effects of CSC on depression were contingent upon SPS, controlling for neuroticism. The findings call for future research to examine the differential correlational patterns among the SPS components and neuroticism across different populations. The risk/protective factors and patterns found in this study provide directions for research in SPS and applied work to support artistically inclined individuals from middle to later life.

The role of personality traits and the ability to detect fake news in predicting information avoidance during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThe objective of this study was to investigate the impacts of personality traits and the ability to detect fake news on information avoidance behavior. It also examined the effect of personality traits on the ability to detect fake news.Design/methodology/approachThe sample population included Shiraz University students who were studying in the second semester of academic year 2021 in different academic levels. It consisted of 242 students of Shiraz University. The Big Five theory was used as the theoretical background of the study. Moreover, the research instrument was an electronic questionnaire consisting of the three questionnaires of the ability to detect fake news (Esmaeili et al., 2019, inspired by IFLA, 2017), the Big Five personality traits (Goldberg, 1999) and information avoidance (Howell and Shepperd, 2016). The statistical methods used to analyze the data were Pearson correlation and stepwise regression, which were performed through SPSS software (version 26).FindingsThe results showed that from among the five main personality factors, only neuroticism had a positive and significant effect on information avoidance. In addition, the ability to detect fake news had a significant negative effect on information avoidance behavior. Further analyses also showed positive and significant effects of openness to experience and extraversion on the ability to detect fake news. In fact, the former had more predictive power.Practical implicationsFollowing the Big Five theory considering COVID-19 information avoidance and the ability to detect COVID-19 fake news, this study shifted the focus from environmental factors to personality factors and personality traits. Furthermore, this study introduced the ability to detect fake news as an influential factor in health information avoidance behaviors, which can be a prelude for new research studies.Originality/valueThe present study applied the five main personality factors theory in the context of information avoidance behavior and the ability to detect fake news, and supported the effect of personality traits on these variables.

Mediator role of resilience in the relationship between neuroticism and psychological symptoms: COVID-19 Pandemic and supermarket employees.

The current research aimed to examine the relationship between personality traits, resilience, and psychological symptom levels of front-line supermarket employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three-hundred and ten (310) supermarket employees participated in the research between March and May 2021. Participants filled out the questionnaire sets online The Demographic Information Form, Symptom Checklist, Five Factor Inventory and Resilience Scale for Adults were presented as questionnaire sets. Pearson Correlation Analyses were conducted to determine the relationships between variables, Multiple Regression and mediation analyses were conducted to discover the predictors of symptom level. It was found that personality traits, resilience and psychological symptom levels are related to each other. Conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness and resilience are significant predictors of psychological symptom level. In addition, resilience plays a mediating role in the relationship between neuroticism and psychological symptom levels. The findings were discussed within the framework of the relevant literature and COVID-19 research findings.

The relationship between fear of COVID-19 infection, fear of COVID-19 vaccination and Big Five personality traits: a mediation model

BACKGROUND The primary objective of our correlational, cross-sectional study was to determine the relationship between fear of COVID-19 infection and fear of COVID-19 vaccination and the role of the Big Five personality traits in this re-lationship.PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE The study sample consisted of 462 participants, including 286 women and 176 men, aged 18 to 75, recruited from the general population. The Big Five personality traits were di-agnosed using the Polish version of the Ten-Item Personal-ity Inventory. We used an 11-point numerical rating scale to measure the intensity of fear of COVID-19 infection as well as fear of COVID-19 vaccination.RESULTS The results indicate that fear of infection has a weak posi-tive correlation with fear of vaccination. Both types of fear have a weak negative correlation with emotional sta-bility and openness to experience. People diagnosed with COVID-19 have significantly higher levels of fear of vac-cination and lower levels of emotional stability compared to those without a COVID-19 diagnosis. Fear of infection proves a good predictor of fear of vaccination and a likely mediator between emotional stability and fear of vaccina-tion against COVID-19.CONCLUSIONS The results may increase our understanding of the role of personality traits, such as emotional stability, in the fear of infection and COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy.

Why university students are technostressed with remote classes: Study-Family conflict, satisfaction with university life, and academic performance

Due to the global effects of COVID-19, most universities quickly went online and sent their students home, switching from traditional face-to-face classes to video conferencing platforms. Massive virtual protests in several countries showed signs that university students suffered from technostress, questioning the assumption that "digital natives” are better prepared for technology-mediated learning. We analyzed whether one cause of this technostress was the obligation to share home space and family time with studies. We also analyzed whether this technostress affected satisfaction with university life and, ultimately, academic performance. We tested the hypotheses using structural equation modeling and analyzed data from 189 college students. Our main conclusion is that study-family conflict given remote learning affects academic performance in students. The effect of this conflict on performance is mediated by technostress and satisfaction with university life. The perception of invasion and overload due to remote learning causes dissatisfaction with university life in students, and this dissatisfaction decreases academic performance. Higher education institutions should become concerned about this problem and take action. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

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)

Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Stress and strain profiles in the German population.

Clinical observations indicate that people frequently display stress-related behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although numerous studies have been published concerning pandemic-related psychological distress, systematic data on the interrelationships between stress sensitivity, personality, and behavioral characteristics of people are still lacking. In the present cross-sectional online survey study, we applied a German version of the COVID Stress Scales (CSS) and standard psychological questionnaires to systematically identify the complex interplay between stress sensitivity, gender, and personality in the modulation of quality of life and mental health in the German population (N = 1774; age ≥ 16 years). A CSS-based cluster analysis revealed two clusters characterized by higher and lower stress levels. Study participants in each cluster differed significantly with respect to neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, quality of life, depression, and anxiety. Females were significantly overrepresented in the higher stress cluster, while there was an overrepresentation of males in the lower stress cluster. Neuroticism was identified as a risk factor and extraversion as a protective factor for enhanced pandemic-related stress responses. For the first time our data show a taxonomy of factors, which modulate pandemic-related stress sensitivity and warrant consideration as key indicators of quality of life and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. We suggest that our data may advise governmental regulation of pandemic-related public health measures, to optimize quality of life and psychological health in different groups of the population.

The Switch to Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Interplay between Personality and Mental Health on University Students.

The switching from traditional to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging for students, determining an increase in physical and mental health problems. The current paper applied a two-step cluster analysis in a large sample of n = 1028 university students (Mage = 21.10 years, SD = 2.45 years; range: 18-30 years; 78.4% females). Participants responded to an online survey exploring neuroticism, trait/state anxiety, general self-efficacy, academic motivation, fear of COVID-19, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical and mental health, and the help requests. Results showed two significant clusters of students having a Maladaptive Academic Profile (n = 456; 44.4%) or an Adaptive Academic Profile (n = 572; 55.6%). Significant differences were found between the two clusters, where students belonging to the Maladaptive Academic Profile reported higher levels of neuroticism, higher dispositional and situational anxiety, and fear of COVID-19, and lower self-efficacy and academic motivation than students of the Adaptive Academic Profile cluster. In addition, more physical or mental health problems and help requests, mainly to partners during the COVID-19 pandemic, were found in the Maladaptive Academic Profile cluster compared to the Adaptive Academic Profile. Finally, the practical implications of the study's results in implementing university counseling services as protective measures to contrast psychological distress in the long-term COVID-19 pandemic are discussed.

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)

Quality of Sleep among Medical Students in Relationship with Personality Traits after COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Erode, Tamilnadu: The Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Few studies have explored the correlations between personality traits and mental health during the outbreak period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students' academic success, interpersonal interactions, and propensity for mental illnesses are all impacted by their sleep quality. One of the recognised elements influencing a person's sleep design is their personality. Medical students' personality and academic success are both negatively impacted by poor sleep quality. Aim(s): The current research looked into the connection between personality traits and sleep quality among medical students in Post Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Erode, Tamil Nadu. Material(s) and Method(s): 288 undergraduate medical students participated in a cross-sectional study that was performed on an institutional level. Structured questionnaires that were administered by interviewers were used to gather the data. Medical students learning in Erode had their personality and sleep quality evaluated using the NEO personality inventory (NEO-PI) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Result(s): 226 (78.5%) of the 288 medical students said they had poor sleep. The results of our study demonstrate a significant correlation between neuroticism and the global PSQI score (P< 0.05). Students who slept poorly scored more highly on the neuroticism scale. The findings show that, among students during the COVID-19 outbreak, personality characteristics were risk factors for psychological disorders. Our findings might serve as a guide for those conducting psychological disorder screenings. Conclusion(s): In the Post Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown, medical students who don't get enough sleep become neurotic. Medical students' mental health and academic success are impacted by COVID-19. The findings show that, among students during the COVID-19 outbreak, personality characteristics were risk factors for psychological disorders. Future research on these personality traits may help to better understand how sleep disorders affect academic achievement.Copyright © 2023, Dr Yashwant Research Labs Pvt Ltd. 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)

Being a parent, emotional stability, and adjustment disorder symptoms in the face of COVID-19

Objective: The current study examines the correlation between emotional stability and symptoms related to adjustment to the stresses related to the pandemic for parents and nonparents at the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in Israel. Background: At the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, governments prohibited public gatherings and demanded social distancing. These challenges may be especially difficult for individuals with low levels of emotional stability as adaptation difficulties may lead to stress-related outcomes, such as adjustment disorder symptoms. Additionally, in the face of a significant external threat and the demand for intensive joint familial time at home, the parental role becomes especially salient. Methods: Two hundred forty-four Israeli adults filled in self-reported e-version questionnaires regarding emotional stability, adjustment disorder symptoms, and background variables. A cross-sectional design was used to examine the association between emotional stability and adjustment disorder symptoms, as well as the potential moderation by parenting status. Results: The findings revealed that the levels of emotional stability were negatively correlated with adjustment disorder symptoms, while being a parent mitigated this correlation. This correlation was nonsignificant among parents. Conclusion and Implications: It appears that the identity salience of parental role in the current stressful situation and its associated strain may have overcome the advantage of emotional stability. The identity of being a parent has the potential to dismiss it. Here, the social role emerges as more forcible than the personality trait. Recommendations for practice are discussed. 202305303 (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Determinants of COVID-19 vaccination readiness

The topic of the COVID-19 vaccination is widely present, and, since many countries struggle with vaccine hesitancy, the aim of this study was to examine determinants of vaccination readiness. The study involved 1,769 participants (76.3% females, 23% males, and 0.7% other) age range from 18 to 77 years. Participants completed online questionnaires related to demographic characteristics, personality traits (neuroticism and consciousness), vaccination readiness scale, and two scenarios related to social relations in the context of attitudes towards vaccination. The results showed that demographic characteristics were significant predictors of vaccination readiness, where women, the elderly, the more educated, those with higher socioeconomic status, and those who were not ill from COVID-19 had higher vaccination readiness. Contrary to expectations, persons high in neuroticism and low in conscientiousness had higher vaccination readiness. Vaccine-acceptant individuals, when compared to vaccine-resistant and vaccine-hesitant individuals, had higher vaccination readiness. Regarding the scenario in which the close person has similar or dissimilar attitudes towards vaccination, the obtained results showed that the manipulation with similar/dissimilar attitude has led to the attribution of different characteristics to close persons. A close person with similar attitudes was assessed more positively than a close person with different attitudes. The results of this study support the fact that individual factors are important for vaccination readiness and that differences in attitudes toward vaccination can affect close social relations, which has not been investigated so far in the context of COVID-19 vaccination. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The experience of resilience and stress as related to personality types in college students

This study investigated the relationship between stress, resilience, and personality types by using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 25), and the Big Five Inventory (BFI). These measures were used to help identify the relationship between stress and resilience. They were also used to investigate the connection between stress, resilience, and personality types. A correlation showed a negative relationship between stress and resilience. Results of this study also showed overall higher mean PSS scores than in previous studies which is likely the result of the study being conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic. Independent samples t-tests indicated that participants in the high resilience category scored significantly lower on neuroticism, higher on openness, higher on conscientiousness, and higher on extraversion than the participants in the low resilience category. The data also showed that participants in the high stress category scored significantly higher than the participants in the low stress category on the neuroticism scale. These results highlight certain personality types that are more likely to have higher stress and resilience and that clinical interventions should be tailored to fit different client's needs as related to their personalities. Results also show that individuals that identify as white have lower stress and lower resilience levels than many of their non-white counterparts. Future research should investigate these differences and connect the results with BFI scale scores. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

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)

Determinants of the Attitude to COVID-19 Vaccine in Lima-Peru: Path Analysis and Structural Regression.

Introduction: Research on the effects of COVID-19 has shown that a favorable attitude toward the COVID-19 vaccine would help reduce the pandemic's sequelae and avoid lethal variants. Objective: A theoretical model was tested through the strategy of path analysis and structural equation modeling, seeking to evaluate the direct effect of neuroticism and the indirect effects of risk-avoidance and rule-following behaviors, mediated by attitudes toward science. Methods: A total of 459 adults, mostly women (61%), mean age 28.51 (SD = 10.36), living in Lima (Peru), participated. The scales of neuroticism, risk avoidance behavior (RAB), norm following (NF), attitudes toward science, and attitudes toward vaccination were administered. Results: The path analysis explained 36% of the variance in vaccine attitude, whereas the latent structural regression model achieved a 54% explanation; according to this model attitude toward science (ß=.70, p < .01) and neuroticism (ß=-.16, p < .01) are significant predictors of vaccine attitude. Likewise, risk avoidance behavior and rule-following have indirect effects on attitudes toward vaccination. Conclusion: Low neuroticism and a positive attitude toward the science that mediates the effects of RAB and NF directly condition the possibility of vaccination against COVID-19 in the adult population.

Relationship Between Mental Health Education Competency and Interpersonal Trust Among College Counselors: The Mediating Role of Neuroticism.

Objective: Based on the motivated cognition account, this study aimed to explore the relationship between mental health education competency and interpersonal trust among college counselors, as well as the mediating effect of neuroticism. Materials and Methods: A total of 483 college counselors were selected, including 155 men and 328 women. The youngest college counselor was 22 years old and the oldest was 56 years old (M = 31.69, SD = 6.12). The college counselors were asked to fill out the Mental Health Education Competency Scale for College Counselors, a 10-item short version of the Big Five Inventory, and an Interpersonal Trust Scale. Results: (1) This study found a significantly positive correlation between mental health education competency and interpersonal trust. (2) Mental health education competency and interpersonal trust were negatively correlated with neuroticism. (3) The mediating role of neuroticism in the association between mental health education competency and interpersonal trust was significant. Conclusion: Mental health education competency partly affected interpersonal trust via the mediating effect of neuroticism.

The Black Unicorn Effect: Micro-daily Events and Satisfaction Decrease the COVID-19 Xenophobia, but Only for Those With Low Levels of Neuroticism.

Drawing on the behavioral concordance model and the trait activation theory, this study examined how and when daily micro-events influence COVID-19 xenophobic attitudes. First, we examined the mediating role of satisfaction, and then, tested the moderating role of neuroticism in the mediated relationship. Overall, 340 working adults volunteered to participate in this study. The findings revealed that (1) satisfaction mediated the negative relationship between daily micro-events and xenophobic attitudes and (2) neuroticism moderated this relationship such that xenophobic attitudes increased for neurotic individuals, even when their satisfaction increased. Our findings contribute to understanding the relationship between daily micro-events and COVID-19 xenophobia and provide empirical evidence for the combined effects of personality factors and affective factors on xenophobic attitudes. Furthermore, we evidence the existence of the black unicorn effect, that is, neurotic individuals tend to transpose their neurotic cognitions and emotions to xenophobic attitudes despite the uplifting and satisfying nature of positive events.

The interplay of personality traits and motivation in leisure travel decision-making during the pandemic.

COVID-19 has negatively affected the travel and tourism industry and may continue to do so in the future. Therefore, hospitality businesses need to pay attention to consumer reactions, concerns, and motives for travelling in this era. This study leverages the stimulus-organism-behaviour-consequence (SOBC) model to examine psychological factors that influence Japanese travellers' intention to travel and willingness to pay premiums for safe travel by analysing data from 790 respondents. The findings of the study reveal that extraversion positively associates with introjected motivation and negatively with amotivation. Neuroticism personality type positively associates with amotivation and negatively associates with introjected motivation. Introjected motivation positively associates with perception of safe travel during COVID-19, whereas amotivation has a non-significant association with perception of safe travel during COVID-19. Perception of safe travel positively associates with intention to travel and willingness to pay premiums for safe travel. Finally, intention to travel has no effect on willingness to pay premiums for safe travel. These findings provide valuable theoretical and managerial implications.