Gender difference in the relationship between personality traits and changes in depressive symptoms before and after the COVID-19 outbreak: A follow-up study among Chinese adults.

OBJECTIVES: Increasing depressive symptoms have become an urgent public health concern worldwide. This study aims to explore the correlation between personality traits and changes in depressive symptoms before and after the COVID-19 outbreak and to examine the gender difference in this association further. METHODS: Data were obtained from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS, wave in 2018 and 2020). A total of 16,369 residents aged 18 and above were included in this study. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine whether personality traits were associated with changes in depressive symptoms. We also analyzed whether there was an interaction effect of gender and personality traits on depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Conscientiousness, extroversion, and agreeableness are negatively associated with depressive symptoms, while neuroticism and openness are positively related. Gender moderates the relationship between personality traits and depressive symptoms. Compared to men, women have demonstrated a stronger association between neuroticism (OR = 0.79; 95 % CI = 0.66, 0.94), conscientiousness (OR = 1.40; 95 % CI = 1.15, 1.69), and persistent depressive symptoms. LIMITATIONS: Given its longitudinal study design, it is insufficient to draw a causal inference between personality traits and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Personality traits and their various dimensions are correlated with changes in depressive symptoms. Persistent depressive symptoms are positively related to neuroticism and negatively associated with conscientiousness. Women demonstrate a stronger association between personality traits and persistent depressive symptoms. Thus, in Chinese adults' mental health intervention and prevention programs, personality and gender-specific strategies should be considered, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personal Characteristics Related to Engagement Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic / Características Pessoais Relacionadas ao Engajamento Antes e Durante a Pandemia de COVID-19 / Características Personales Relacionados con el Engagement Antes y Durante la Pandemia de COVID-19

Abstract Personal resources influence professionals' relationships with their work and impact their engagement. Thus, we investigated whether the relationships between personality traits and meaningful work with engagement showed differences before and during the pandemic. The sample comprised 963 professionals with 828 participants, with a mean age of 35.5 years (SD = 10.7 years) before the COVID-19 pandemic, and 135 professionals with a mean age of 42.1 years (SD = 8.1 years) during the pandemic. The participants' personality traits, meaningful work, and work engagement were assessed. Differences in the relationships between personal resources and engagement were investigated through network analysis. No significant differences were observed in the relationships investigated before and during the pandemic. Significant work was related to personality traits and played a central role in the network, evidencing its importance in promoting engagement at work.

Resumo Os recursos pessoais influenciam nas relações dos profissionais com seu trabalho e impactam no seu engajamento. Desta forma, este estudo teve como objetivo investigar se as relações entre os traços de personalidade e o trabalho significativo com o engajamento apresentavam diferenças antes e durante a pandemia. A amostra compreendeu 963 profissionais, sendo 828 participantes, com idade média 35,5 anos (DP = 10,7 anos) antes da pandemia da COVID-19 e 135 profissionais, com idade média 42,1 anos (DP = 8,1 anos) durante a pandemia. Foram avaliados os traços de personalidade, trabalho significativo e engajamento no trabalho dos participantes. As diferenças nas relações entre os recursos pessoais com o engajamento foram investigadas por meio da análise de redes. Não foram observadas diferenças significativas nas relações investigadas antes e durante a pandemia. O trabalho significativo esteve relacionado aos traços de personalidade e desempenhou papel central na rede, evidenciando sua importância na promoção do engajamento no trabalho.

Resumen Los recursos personales influyen en las relaciones de los profesionales con su trabajo e impactan en su compromiso. De esta forma, investigamos si las relaciones entre rasgos de personalidad y trabajo significativo con engagement presentaban diferencias antes y durante la pandemia. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 963 profesionales, con 828 participantes, con una edad media de 35,5 años (DE = 10,7 años) antes de la pandemia de COVID-19 y 135 profesionales, con una edad media de 42,1 años (DE = 8,1 años) durante la pandemia. Se evaluaron los rasgos de personalidad de los participantes, el trabajo significativo y el compromiso laboral. Se investigaron las diferencias en las relaciones entre los recursos personales y el compromiso mediante el análisis de redes. No se observaron diferencias significativas en las relaciones investigadas antes y durante la pandemia. El trabajo significativo se relacionó con los rasgos de personalidad y jugó un papel central en la red, evidenciando su importancia en la promoción del compromiso en el trabajo.

Flourishing or Languishing? Predictors of Positive Mental Health in Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical students were burdened with high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. The objective of the present study was to investigate predictors of positive mental health among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an online survey from September 2021 to March 2022. We applied the snowball recruitment technique involving medical students from the University of Catania, Italy. We administered, anonymously, a questionnaire about demographic characteristics, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), and the short form of the Mental Health Continuum (MHC-SF). Participants showed moderate anxiety, depression, and stress levels, and more than half had positive mental health status overall. This finding was inversely related to age, depression severity, cyclothymic, and depressive temperaments. Our results showed that medical students with depressive and cyclothymic temperaments were more at risk of worsening mental health status during the pandemic. Our findings may allow for further developments about the impact of personological characteristics on students' mental health to enable more efficient support for the most vulnerable.

The association between trait anxiety and the fear of being laughed at in college: A preliminary study with a Brazilian sample.

AIM: To evaluate how gelotophobia correlates with trait anxiety in a sample of Brazilian college students. METHODS: We evaluated the association of GELOPH < 15 > scores with both self-reported experiences of bullying victimization and trait anxiety measures assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The study consisted of a sample of 65 adult volunteers (M = 21.48, SD = 2.54 years, 38 females), recruited through social media or flyer distribution, and submitted to online versions of the gelotophobia assessment instrument (GELOPH < 15 >) and the STAI. RESULTS: Most participants (N = 56, 86.15%) had an STAI-T score indicative of high trait anxiety. The average GELOPH < 15 > score of the sample was 2.69 (0.65) and 39 of the subjects (60%) were considered gelotophobes. There was a strong positive correlation between the GELOPH < 15 > and STAI-T scores but no correlation between bullying and either the STAI-T and GELOPH < 15 > scores. However, the great majority of subjects with gelotophobia reported been previously bullied. CONCLUSION: In our sample, all gelotophobes had trait anxiety, but only a fraction of anxious subjects had gelotophobia. These preliminary findings expand on previous reports underscoring the high prevalence of mental health problems afflicting higher education students in Brazil.

Big Five Traits as Predictors of a Healthy Lifestyle during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a Russian Cross-Sectional Study.

The healthy lifestyle of people around the world has changed dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. The personality risk factors for these processes from around the world remain understudied. This study aimed to examine the associations of the Big Five traits with a healthy lifestyle during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a cross-sectional study, data from 1215 Russian university students were analyzed. Participants completed the Big Five Inventory-10 and Short Multidimensional Inventory Lifestyle Evaluation. The results showed that personality traits predicted many dimensions of a healthy lifestyle during the COVID-19 pandemic. Diet and nutrition were positively predicted by extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, and it was negatively predicted by neuroticism. Substance abuse was positively predicted by agreeableness and conscientiousness, and it was negatively predicted by extraversion. Physical activity was positively predicted by extraversion and conscientiousness, and it was negatively predicted by neuroticism. Stress management was positively predicted by extraversion and conscientiousness, and it was negatively predicted by neuroticism. Restorative sleep was positively predicted by extraversion and conscientiousness, and it was negatively predicted by neuroticism. Social support for healthy practices was positively predicted by extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Environmental exposures were positively predicted by extraversion, and neuroticism was positively and negatively predicted by conscientiousness. Our findings may be useful for further exploration of personality risk factors for healthy practices in challenging life circumstances.

The role of neuroticism and conscientious facets in academic motivation.

INTRODUCTION: Personality differences have been demonstrated to influence an individual's academic performance in different ways. Notably, conscientiousness is the most consistent significant predictor of academic performance, while neuroticism shows inconsistent results. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the relationship between the facets of conscientiousness and neuroticism on academic motivation. METHOD: The study was conducted in Australia and consisted of 285 undergraduate students. The International Personality Item Pool and Motivated Strategies Learning Questionnaire were used to measure personality and motivation, respectively. Structural equation modeling results revealed that conscientiousness had the most significant relationship with academic motivation, while neuroticism was negatively related. The conscientious facets of self-efficacy and achievement striving were positively related to academic motivation. The results also revealed that the anxiety facet of neuroticism was the only significant positive predictor for academic motivation, while depression and vulnerability were negatively related. CONCLUSION: This study reveals how personality facets contribute to academic motivation over assessing grades and superordinate factors alone. Trait-level anxiety significantly contributes to academic motivation, helping us shed light on underlying mechanisms such as defensive pessimism, resulting in higher motivation due to fearing the worst.

Do Personality, Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy, and Depressive Symptomatology Affect Abstinence Status in Treatment-Seeking Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder?

Given the high global incidence and disabling nature of alcohol use disorders, alongside high relapse rates, we sought to investigate potential predictors of abstinence, considered a prerequisite of full remission. With an aim to examine (i) the effect of personality, alcohol abstinence self-efficacy, and depressive symptomatology on abstinence status as our primary objective, and (ii) interactions between these three factors, as well as (iii) their changes over time as two secondary objectives, we recruited 51 inpatients at an alcohol rehabilitation center to complete the International Personality Item Pool, the Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory, and to provide information on abstinence attainment 2 months post-treatment. Although regression analyses revealed no evidence for the effect of the investigated factors (personality, self-efficacy, or depressive symptoms) on post-therapy abstinence, other findings emerged, demonstrating (i) a significant reduction in the severity of depressive symptoms, (ii) the effect of personality and alcohol abstinence self-efficacy on depressive symptom severity, and (iii) the role of personality in predicting the temptation to use alcohol in recovering drinkers. These preliminary indications of links between personality, self-efficacy, and subjective well-being mark a promising area for future research on powerful and relevant cues of relapse and abstinence efficacy.

The role of personality traits in following quarantine orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patients' personalities seem to affect their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the association of personality traits and characteristics of Iranian COVID-19 outpatients with their compliance to nonmandatory quarantine orders. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020-2021 on 97 COVID-19 outpatients. The temperament and character inventory-revised short version (TCI-RS) and a self-report checklist assessing compliance with quarantine orders were used to collect data. SPSS was used to analyze the data and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Of 142 patients who were contacted, 97 participated in the study (68% response rate). The mean age of patients was 39.21 ± 10.27 years and 54 (55.7%) of them were men. Compliance with quarantine orders was correlated with cooperativeness (r = 0.33; P = 0.001), persistence (r = 0.23, P = 0.020), self-transcendence (r = 0.27, P = 0.006) and harm avoidance (r = -0.26, P = 0.008). Linear regression analysis demonstrated persistence (P = 0.034), cooperativeness (P = 0.008) and being married (P = 0.002) as predictors for following the quarantine orders. Lower levels of cooperativeness, persistence, self-transcendence, and higher levels of harm avoidance are associated with noncompliance with quarantine orders. These traits should be considered while persuasive communication to the public is formulated to recognize the target population and increase compliance with nonmandatory quarantine orders.

A Cross-Sectional Survey on the Association between Dental Health Conditions and University Personality Inventory Scores among University Students: A Single-Center Study in Japan.

This study examined the association between dental health conditions and scores on the University Personality Inventory (UPI) among university students in Japan. Participants were freshmen at Yamagata University between 2010 and 2019. Dental check-ups, including dental caries, periodontal disease, malocclusion, and temporomandibular disorders (TMD), and mental health screening using the UPI were performed; 12,433 students were included in the final analysis. A logistic regression analysis was performed to confirm the association between dental health conditions and >30 UPI scores, which indicate the need to consult mental health professionals. Overall, students who required treatment for TMD had a 3.165-fold higher risk of >30 UPI scores (OR = 3.165, 95% CI = 1.710-5.857). Periodontal disease and TMD in male participants (periodontal disease: OR = 1.329, 95% CI = 1.108-1.595; TMD: OR = 3.014, 95% CI = 1.107-8.204) and TMD in female participants (OR = 2.938, 95% CI = 1.340-6.445) were significant risk factors for >30 UPI scores. Students requiring treatment for TMD were at risk of obtaining >30 UPI scores. Although our study has several limitations, students with subjective symptoms (e.g., disturbance in opening the mouth) should take the UPI test or in some cases consult mental health professionals.

Development and standardization of a COVID-19 Vaccination Anxiety scale for Adult Urban Indian Population (CVAS-A).

Given the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive across the globe, a significant amount of confusion, mistrust, misunderstanding, and hesitancy had surfaced regarding the vaccine. A standardized tool to understand the possible reasons of COVID-19 vaccination anxiety and hesitancy would be valuable in this context. The current study aimed at developing a standardized tool to measure COVID-19 Vaccination Anxiety among Urban Indian adults. A 19-item scale was administered to an Urban adult Indian population (N = 760) between the period of February 2021- May 2021 to obtain factors associated with COVID-19 Vaccination Anxiety and establish reliability estimates of the scale. Infection-related anxiety, information-related anxiety and vaccine side-effect-related anxiety were the three factors determined through Factor Analysis. The scale was validated with Convergent and Discriminant Validity by finding correlation between the three factors of the scale and five factors of the Brief version of the Big-Five personality Inventory (extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, conscientiousness, and neuroticism). It is expected that a tool such as CVAS-A would help in understanding and managing COVID-19-related vaccination hesitancy.

Analysis of Relationships between DAT1 Polymorphism Variants, Personality Dimensions, and Anxiety in New Psychoactive Substance (Designer Drug) (NPS) Users.

The use of 'new psychoactive substances' appears to be increasingly common. The aim of this study was to examine biological and personality determinants in individuals who choose to use these substances, which may help in the prevention and treatment of psychoactive substance use disorders. The study group consisted of 374 male volunteers; all were users of 'new psychoactive substances' (NPS). The NPS users were recruited after they had abstained-for at least 3 months-from any substance of abuse in addiction treatment facilities. The NPS patients and the control subjects were examined by a psychiatrist using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.), the NEO Five-Factor Personality Inventory (NEO-FFI), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scales. The real-time PCR method was used for genotyping. When we compared the controls with the study group, statistically significant interactions were found between DAT1 polymorphism, neuroticism, and NPS use. NPS use and DAT1 polymorphism were associated with a higher level of neuroticism on the NEO-FFI scale. The study group of NPS users showed a higher severity of anxiety symptoms, both in terms of trait and state, compared to the control group. The results may support the idea that neuroticism and anxiety correlate strongly with coping motives for using NPS.

Skepticism and defiance: Assessing credibility and representations of science.

Since the 1970s, there has been a growing interest in how individuals appropriate scientific knowledge, which has recently been reinforced by societal issues such as vaccine releases and skepticism about global warming. Faced with the health and social consequences of the mistrust of scientific knowledge, there is an urgent need for tools to measure the acceptance or rejection of scientific knowledge, while at the same time gaining a more detailed understanding of the processes involved. This is the purpose of this article. Thus, we conducted 4 empirical studies to provide a validation of the Credibility of Science Scale from the perspective of a French population, which aims to assess the credibility that individuals attribute to science and to empirically evaluate the link that may exist between the different levels of credibility attributed to science and the social representations of science. Studies 1a and 1b demonstrated good structural validity, the good fidelity (homogeneity and temporal stability), and the good criterion validity of the French version of the scale. In Study 2, we observed the same psychometric qualities of the French version of the scale. We also noted a structuring of the social representation of science based on age (Factor 1) and on the credibility attributed to science (Factor 2). Our results also raise the question of possible means of intervention to promote a better perception of science.

Association between Big Five Personality Traits and Participation in Cardiac Rehabilitation in Japanese Patients with Cardiovascular Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) remains underutilised, despite its established clinical benefit. A personality traits assessment may help promote CR implementation, as they are determinants of health-related behaviour. This study aimed to examine the association between the Big Five personality traits and outpatient CR participation in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) after discharge. This retrospective cohort study included 163 patients aged <80 years, who underwent inpatient CR when hospitalised for CVD. The Big Five personality traits (conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness, extraversion, and agreeableness) of each patient were evaluated at discharge, using the Japanese version of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory. We examined the relationship of each personality trait with non-participation in outpatient CR and dropout within three months, using logistic regression analysis. Out of 61 patients who initiated the outpatient CR, 29 patients dropped out, leaving us with 32 subjects. The logistic regression analysis results showed that high conscientiousness was associated with non-participation in CR. The primary reason for this was a lack of motivation. Conversely, low conscientiousness and high openness were predictors of dropout. This study suggests that the assessment of the Big Five personality traits, especially conscientiousness and openness, can help improve health communication with patients to promote outpatient CR participation after discharge.

Anxious temperament and cyberchondria as mediated by fear of COVID-19 infection: A cross-sectional study.

This study's main goal was to evaluate the association between anxious temperament and the fear of COVID-19-related self-infection and infection in loved ones (family members, friends, relatives) and cyberchondria. The sample consisted of 499 men and women aged between 18 and 72 who were gathered from the general population via an online recruitment platform. A numerical rating scale comprising 11 degrees of fear was used to assess participants' COVID-19-related fear, and affective temperaments were evaluated using Akiskal's Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) scales. Cyberchondria was assessed using McElroy and Shevlin's Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS). Small to medium positive correlations were found between depressive, cyclothymic, irritable and anxious temperaments and cyberchondria and between depressive and anxious temperaments and COVID-19 fears. However, no correlation was observed between the hyperthymic temperament and cyberchondria. Cyberchondria positively correlated with both COVID-19 fears scales, though the correlation coefficients were medium. Based on the results of linear regression analysis, only anxious temperament and COVID-19 fear of self-infection were significant predictors of cyberchondria. The analysis also revealed a significant indirect effect of anxious temperament on cyberchondria through fear of COVID-19 self-infection as a mediator between anxious temperament and cyberchondria.

The Moderating Role of Personality in the Relationship between Internet Use and Study Abroad Difficulties.

Studying abroad can be stressful due to culture shock and various other difficulties. However, with the current prevalence of information communication technology, we can surmise that study abroad difficulties should be minimal. Since it has been shown that an individual's personality is highly associated with their internet use behaviors, it would be interesting to determine the effects of personality traits on the relationship between internet use motives and perceived study abroad difficulties. Data were collected from 1870 volunteer study abroad students in Taiwan. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that when controlling for the effects of age, gender, duration of stay, student status (short-term exchange or degree-seeking), and internet use motives (online benefits, habits, and facilitation), the personality trait neuroticism consistently showed significant relationships with the various study abroad difficulties. Moreover, moderation analyses revealed that all the personality traits except conscientiousness showed significant interactions with internet use, while simple slope comparisons showed significant differences between the high personality traits and their lower counterparts. In sum, an examination of the moderating role of personality traits in the relationship between internet use and study abroad difficulties may be useful for preemptively identifying at-risk students.

Temperament and character of patients with alcohol toxicity during COVID - 19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Corona virus epidemic may be acts as a stressor or trauma that affects both physical health and mental health. People exhibited various reactive behaviors to confront with this stressful situation. In Iran, one of the common motives for alcohol consumption is to scape problems and cope with stresses. It has been shown that personality factors influence alcohol consumption, since they are associated with drinking motives. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between temperament and character and alcohol abuse. METHODS: This cross-section study was conducted on 135 alcohol intoxicated patients admitted to emergency room in March 2020 and 255 participants who were randomly selected from public in Shiraz. A questionnaire consisted of TCI (Temperament and character inventory) and several questions about COVID-19 pandemic. It was completed by a trained interviewer using the matched answer technique. Demographic factors were self-reported. RESULTS: Among the alcohol intoxicated group, 117 (86.7%) were males and 18(13.3%) were females. The mean age of the participants was 32.43 ± 10.81 years. Among control group, 99 (38.8%) were males and 156 (61.2%) were females. The mean age of control group was 33.12 ± 14.77 years. Alcohol toxicity was mostly observed among the young males (male/female ratio was 6.45). According to temperament and character index, mean scores of novelty seeking, harm avoidant, and self-transcendence were higher in the alcohol toxicity group than normal population (P < 0.01). Mean scores of reward dependent, cooperativeness, and self-directedness were higher in normal population than the alcohol toxicity group (P < 0.001). The mean score of persistence was not significantly different between methanol intoxicated and normal population groups (P = 0.718). CONCLUSION: Alcohol intoxicated patients had higher scores of novelty-seeking and self-transcendence and lower scores of reward-dependency scores, cooperativeness and self-directedness. These scores are associated with higher likelihood of personality disorders.

Demographic, personality, and social cognition correlates of coronavirus guideline adherence in a U.S. sample.

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined patterns and psychosocial correlates of coronavirus guideline adherence in a U.S. sample (N = 500) during the initial 15-day period advocated by the White House Coronavirus Task Force. METHOD: Descriptive and correlational analyses were used to examine the frequency of past 7-day adherence to each of 10 guidelines, as well as overall adherence. Guided by a disposition-belief-motivation model of health behavior, path analyses tested associations of personality traits and demographic factors to overall adherence via perceived norms, perceived control, attitudes, and self-efficacy related to guideline adherence, as well as perceived exposure risk and perceived health consequence if exposed. RESULTS: Adherence ranged from 94.4% reporting always avoiding eating/drinking inside bars/restaurants/food courts to 13.6% reporting always avoiding touching one's face. Modeling showed total associations with overall adherence for greater conscientiousness (ß = .191, p < .001), openness (ß = .098, p < .05), perceptions of social endorsement (ß = .202, p < .001), positive attitudes (ß = .105, p < .05), self-efficacy (ß = .234, p < .001), and the presence versus absence or uncertainty of a shelter-in-place order (ß = .102, p < .01). Age, self-rated health, sex, education, income, children in the household, agreeableness, extraversion, neuroticism, perceived exposure risk, and perceived health consequence showed null-to-negligible associations with overall adherence. CONCLUSIONS: The results clarify adherence frequency, highlight characteristics associated with greater adherence, and suggest the need to strengthen the social contract between government and citizenry by clearly communicating adherence benefits, costs, and timelines. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Modelling the contribution of the Big Five personality traits, health anxiety, and COVID-19 psychological distress to generalised anxiety and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the current study we sought to extend our understanding of vulnerability and protective factors (the Big Five personality traits, health anxiety, and COVID-19 psychological distress) in predicting generalised anxiety and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (n = 502), who were United States residents, completed a variety of sociodemographic questions and the following questionnaires: Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10), Whitley Index 7 (WI-7), Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS), COVID-19 Anxiety Syndrome Scale (C19-ASS), and Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression Scale (PHQ-ADS). Results showed that extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness were negatively correlated with generalised anxiety and depressive symptoms and that neuroticism, health anxiety and both measures of COVID-19 psychological distress were positively correlated with generalised anxiety and depressive symptoms. We used path analysis to determine the pattern of relationships specified by the theoretical model we proposed. Results showed that health anxiety, COVID-19 anxiety, and the COVID-19 anxiety syndrome partially mediated the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and generalised anxiety and depressive symptoms. Specifically, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness were negatively associated with the three mediators, which, in turn, were positively associated with generalised anxiety and depressive symptoms, with COVID-19 anxiety showing the strongest effect. Conversely, neuroticism and openness were positively associated with COVID-19 anxiety and the COVID-19 anxiety syndrome, respectively. These relationships were independent of age, gender, employment status and risk status. The model accounted for a substantial variance of generalised anxiety and depression symptoms (R2 = .75). The implications of these findings are discussed.

A Large-Scale Survey on Trauma, Burnout, and Posttraumatic Growth among Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

A large-scale survey study was conducted to assess trauma, burnout, posttraumatic growth, and associated factors for nurses in the COVID-19 pandemic. The Trauma Screening Questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form were utilized. Factors associated with trauma, burnout, and posttraumatic growth were analysed using logistic and multiple regressions. In total, 12 596 completed the survey, and 52.3% worked in COVID-19 designated hospitals. At the survey's conclusion in April, 13.3% reported trauma (Trauma ≥ 6), there were moderate degrees of emotional exhaustion, and 4,949 (39.3%) experienced posttraumatic growth. Traumatic response and emotional exhaustion were greater among (i) women (odds ratio [OR]: 1.48, 95% CI 1.12-1.97 P = 0.006; emotional exhaustion OR: 1.30, 95% CI 1.09-1.54, P = 0.003), (ii) critical care units (OR: 1.20, 95% CI 1.06-1.35, P = 0.004; emotional exhaustion OR: 1.23, 95% CI 1.12-1.33, P < 0.001) (iii) COVID-19 designated hospital (OR: 1.24, 95% CI 1.11-1.38; P < 0.001; emotional exhaustion OR: 1.26, 95% CI 1.17-1.36; P < 0.001) and (iv) COVID-19-related departments (OR: 1.16, 95% CI 1.04-1.29, P = 0.006, emotional exhaustion only). To date, this is the first large-scale study to report the rates of trauma and burnout for nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study indicates that nurses who identified as women, working in ICUs, COVID-19 designated hospitals, and departments involved with treating COVID-19 patients had higher scores in mental health outcomes. Future research can focus on the factors the study has identified that could lead to more effective prevention and treatment strategies for adverse health outcomes and better use of resources to promote positive outcomes.