Comparing 10-Item and 60-Item Big Five Personality Inventories in Explaining the Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Background: Depression is one of the most probable side effects of myocardial infarction (MI) besides its sudden occurrence, and is affected by various factors, such as personality traits. Objectives: Hence, the present study was conducted to compare 10-item and 60-item big five inventories in explaining the symptoms of depression in patients with acute MI. Methods: The study population in this cross-sectional study comprised 250 patients with MI in Iran. The patients responded to 60-item NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), 10-item Big Five Inventory- Short Version (BFI-SV), and depression subscale from Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) from April to September 2018. Data was analyzed using chi-square test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Patients’ mean age (69.2% males) was 62.1 ± 11.1 years. The results showed a significant relationship between depression and factors of extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness in BFI-SV and factors of extroversion, neuroticism, and agreeableness in NEO-FFI (P < 0.05). The results of regression analysis showed that BFI-SV explained 6.7% and NEO-FFI explained 5.8% of the variance of depression score (P < 0.05). Conclusions: BFI-SV explains the symptoms of depression in patients with MI as much as NEO-FFI. Thus, the researchers can use the 10-item version to assess the personality traits of patients with MI in future studies.