scholarly journals COVID-19 and mental health of individuals with different personalities

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (37) ◽  
pp. e2109282118
Author(s):  
Eugenio Proto ◽  
Anwen Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Job Status ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Health Deterioration

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).

scholarly journals Covid-19 and Mental Health of Individuals with Different Personalities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenio Proto ◽  
Anwen Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Job Status ◽  
Big Five Traits ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Health Deterioration ◽  
Longitudinal Dataset

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 lockdown according to different personalities. We do this using the UKHLS longitudinal dataset, representative of the UK population. The UKHLS dataset allows us to assess the mental health of the same respondent during the Covid-19 period and the year before based on their personality "Big Five" traits and cognitive skills. We find that during the Covid-19 period individuals who have more Extrovert and Open personality report a higher mental health deterioration, while the ones scoring higher in Agreeableness are less affected. The effect of Openness is particularly strong: one more standard deviation predict one more symptom on the GHQ12 test for about 1 respondent over 4. In female respondents, Cognitive Skills and Openness are particularly strong predictors of deterioration. Neuroticism seems to predict more mental health deterioration, as it is normal to expect, but this effect is not significant in the main specifications of the estimated model. 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)

scholarly journals COVID-19 and mental health deterioration by ethnicity and gender in the UK

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0244419
Author(s):  
Eugenio Proto ◽  
Climent Quintana-Domeque
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Average Increase ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Ethnicity And Gender ◽  
Health Deterioration ◽  
Gender Specific

We use the UK Household Longitudinal Study and compare pre-COVID-19 pandemic (2017-2019) and during-COVID-19 pandemic data (April 2020) for the same group of individuals to assess and quantify changes in mental health as measured by changes in the GHQ-12 (General Health Questionnaire), among ethnic groups in the UK. We confirm the previously documented average deterioration in mental health for the whole sample of individuals interviewed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we find that the average increase in mental distress varies by ethnicity and gender. Both women –regardless of their ethnicity– and Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) men experienced a higher average increase in mental distress than White British men, so that the gender gap in mental health increases only among White British individuals. These ethnic-gender specific changes in mental health persist after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Finally, we find some evidence that, among men, Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani individuals have experienced the highest average increase in mental distress with respect to White British men.

Gender Differences in Earnings Rewards to Personality Traits in Wage-employment and Self-employment Labour Markets

2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-228
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Mohammed ◽  
Priscilla Twumasi Baffour ◽  
Wassiuw Abdul Rahaman
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Big Five Personality Traits ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Wage Employment ◽  
Wage Equations

In an extensive review of wage determination papers, it is concluded that the standard demographic and human capital factors explain little of earning differentials. Consequently, there is a growing interest among economists to include non-cognitive skills measured by personality traits in recent empirical literature to explain variations in earnings. In a bid to contribute empirical evidence to this strand of literature, this study examines the associations between the Big-Five personality traits (i.e., agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, extraversion and neuroticism) and earnings, using the World Bank’s Skills towards Employment and Productivity (STEP) data on Ghana. The study employed regression techniques to estimate a series of semi-logarithmic wage equations that include demographic and human capital factors and the Big-Five personality traits to determine how important these factors are in explaining wage and self-employment earnings. Furthermore, the estimations of the wage equations are done separately for males and females to highlight any gender differences in the way personality traits contribute to earnings. Findings are largely consistent with the literature but uniquely demonstrate that in a power-distant culture like Ghana, where, traditionally, girl-child education has been relegated to the background, agreeable females, and not males, are rewarded in the formal wage employment labour market. However, in the informal self-employment labour market, conscientious males, and not females, are positively rewarded with higher earnings. These unique findings contribute to our understanding of the gender differences in the relative importance of non-cognitive skills in the formal and informal labour markets. JEL Codes: J31, J24

scholarly journals Persistent distress after psychological exposure to the Nagasaki atomic bomb explosion

2011 ◽  
Vol 199 (5) ◽  
pp. 411-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiharu Kim ◽  
Atsuro Tsutsumi ◽  
Takashi Izutsu ◽  
Noriyuki Kawamura ◽  
Takao Miyazaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Atomic Bomb ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Primary Outcome Measure ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Radiological Hazard ◽  
Sample Group ◽  
Individual Perception ◽  
Health Deterioration ◽  
Bomb Explosion

BackgroundAlthough there is speculation that individuals living in the vicinity of nuclear disasters have persistent mental health deterioration due to psychological stress, few attempts have been made to examine this issue.AimsTo determine whether having been in the vicinity of the Nagasaki atomic bomb explosion in the absence of substantial exposure to radiation affected the mental health of local inhabitants more than half a century later.MethodParticipants were randomly recruited from individuals who lived in the vicinity of the atomic bomb explosion in uncontaminated suburbs of Nagasaki. This sample (n = 347) was stratified by gender, age, perception of the explosion and current district of residence. Controls (n = 288) were recruited from among individuals who had moved into the area from outside Nagasaki 5–15 years after the bombing, matched for gender, age and district of residence. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of those at high risk of mental disorder based on the 28-item version of the General Health Questionnaire, with a cut-off point of 5/6. Other parameters related to individual perception of the explosion, health status, life events and habits were also assessed.ResultsHaving been in the vicinity of the explosion was the most significant factor (OR = 5.26, 95% CI 2.56–11.11) contributing to poorer mental health; erroneous knowledge of radiological hazard showed a mild association. In the sample group, anxiety after learning of the potential radiological hazard was significantly correlated with poor mental health (P<0.05), whereas anxiety about the explosion, or the degree of perception of it, was not; 74.5% of the sample group believed erroneously that the flash of the explosion was synonymous with radiation.ConclusionsHaving been in the vicinity of the atomic bomb explosion without radiological exposure continued to be associated with poorer mental health more than half a century after the event. Fear on learning about the potential radiological hazard and lack of knowledge about radiological risk are responsible for this association.

Probing Birth-Order Effects on Narrow Traits Using Specification-Curve Analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 1821-1832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia M. Rohrer ◽  
Boris Egloff ◽  
Stefan C. Schmukle
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Birth Order ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Order Effect ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Curve Analysis ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Birth Order Effect ◽  
Self Reports

The idea that birth-order position has a lasting impact on personality has been discussed for the past 100 years. Recent large-scale studies have indicated that birth-order effects on the Big Five personality traits are negligible. In the current study, we examined a variety of more narrow personality traits in a large representative sample ( n = 6,500–10,500 in between-family analyses; n = 900–1,200 in within-family analyses). We used specification-curve analysis to assess evidence for birth-order effects across a range of models implementing defensible yet arbitrary analytical decisions (e.g., whether to control for age effects or to exclude participants on the basis of sibling spacing). Although specification-curve analysis clearly confirmed the previously reported birth-order effect on intellect, we found no meaningful effects on life satisfaction, locus of control, interpersonal trust, reciprocity, risk taking, patience, impulsivity, or political orientation. The lack of meaningful birth-order effects on self-reports of personality was not limited to broad traits but also held for more narrowly defined characteristics.

scholarly journals Project Managers’ Personality and Project Success: Moderating Role of External Environmental Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9477
Author(s):  
Amjad Hussain ◽  
Mohsin Jamil ◽  
Muhammad Umar Farooq ◽  
Muhammad Asim ◽  
Muhammad Zeeshan Rafique ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Moderating Role

Successful project completion is a challenging phenomenon for project managers. Various factors play an indispensable role in the success of a project. The objective of this study is to examine the role of project managers’ personalities in project success with the moderating role of external environmental factors i.e., political, economic, social. The study includes 145 project managers from 36 large-scale construction projects, from both the public and private sectors. The big five personality model was used to evaluate the personality traits of project managers and triple constraint criteria (cost, time, and quality) was used to gauge project success. Data has been collected through a well-structured questionnaire. The analysis of data indicated that personality traits like extraversion and openness are positive predictors of project success, whereas conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism did not have any direct relationship with project success. Importantly, the findings of this study concluded that external environmental factors—like political, economic, and social—moderately influence the link of specific project managers’ personality traits to project success. The role of external environmental factors as moderators has been discussed. The findings indicate the essential personality traits, as well as the role of external factors for achieving project success. The research contributions have relevance to both theory and practice and provide a deeper insight that is useful for individuals, organizations, researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Pandemic and Personality: Agreeable People Are More Stressed by the Feeling of Missing

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (20) ◽  
pp. 10759
Author(s):  
Stephan Getzmann ◽  
Jan Digutsch ◽  
Thomas Kleinsorge
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Big Five Personality Traits ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Related Individual

The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to contain it have substantial consequences for many people, resulting in negative effects on individual well-being and mental health. In the current study, we examined whether individual changes in perceived stress relative to pre-pandemic levels depended on differences in behavior, appraisal, and experience of pandemic-related constraints. In addition, we tested whether this potential relationship was moderated by personality traits. We conducted an online survey during the end of the first lockdown in Germany in spring 2020, and assessed pandemic-related individual consequences as well as perceived stress. These data were related to the big five personality traits and to ratings of perceived stress obtained from the same participants in a study conducted before the outbreak of the pandemic, using the same standardized stress questionnaires. There was no overall increase, but a large interindividual variety in perceived stress relative to pre-pandemic levels. Increased stress was associated especially with strong feelings of missing. This relationship was moderated by agreeableness, with more agreeable people showing a higher association of the feeling of missing and the increase of perceived stress. In addition, openness and conscientiousness were positively correlated with an increase in stress. The results highlight the importance of considering personality and individual appraisals when examining the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceived stress and well-being.

scholarly journals Big Five personality trait differences between students from different majors aspiring to the teaching profession

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian G. Hartmann ◽  
Bernhard Ertl
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Personality Trait ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Person Environment Fit

AbstractPerson-Environment fit theories claim that students choose their academic path according to their personality. In this regard, teacher candidates are of special interest. On the one hand, they all make the same choice to enroll in a teacher education program. On the other hand, they make different choices with respect to the subjects they are going to teach. If the Person-Environment fit approach also applies to the selection regarding teacher candidates’ subject areas, teacher candidates from different majors might have different personality traits and as a result, different starting conditions for becoming a successful teacher. Such differences need to be taken into account by teacher education in order to create programs that allow teacher candidates from different majors to equally succeed. Therefore, the current study investigates to what extent personality group differences across majors occur within the population of teacher candidates. Using data from a large-scale study, the Big Five personality traits of 1735 female and 565 male teacher candidates were analyzed, with teacher candidates compared to male (n = 1122) and female (n = 1570) students who studied the same major but who did not intend to become teachers. Unlike previous studies, academic majors were not grouped into few broad categories, but eight different majors were distinguished. The results indicate that teacher candidates are more extraverted than their non-teaching counterparts. In addition, personality trait differences between teacher candidates from different majors could be observed. The results are discussed as they relate to the recruitment and training of future teachers.

scholarly journals New Directions in Mental Health Care Evaluation

1988 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-78
Author(s):  
Isaac Marks ◽  
Joseph Connolly ◽  
Matthijs Muijen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Health Care Evaluation ◽  
Evaluative Research ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Care Evaluation

Mental health care evaluation is a priority area as mental health care services are changing rapidly, more than are most other medical services. Budgets are finite, and there is concern for value for money in meeting the needs of patients and families. A one-day workshop brought together leading figures in the USA and Europe to discuss how a unit and consortium might be established to give cohesion and catalyse evaluative research in this fragmented field in the UK. Sound scientific data are available which have not yet been widely disseminated or used in policy making. There are rich opportunities for cross-national projects. The USA has intriguing innovations in evaluative research in mental health, some on a large scale, and these are relevant to the UK.

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