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

Stephan Getzmann,Jan Digutsch,Thomas Kleinsorge

doi:10.3390/ijerph182010759

Stephan Getzmann, Jan Digutsch + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010759

Copy DOI

Abstract

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.

Highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic has implications for many areas of life for people worldwide.It is the threat of infection with the corona virus and the disease itself and the possible loss of relatives and friends that play a role
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
As a consequence of these rather indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, studies reported a decrease in mental health in the general public, with higher rates of loneliness, anxiety, and depressive symptoms (e.g., [2,3,4]; for meta-analyses, [5,6])

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has implications for many areas of life for people worldwide It is the threat of infection with the corona virus and the disease itself and the possible loss of relatives and friends that play a role. Lower psychological well-being was reported as compared to before COVID, with this decrease in well-being being associated with several factors, such as female gender, poor-self-related health and relatives infected with the corona virus [7]. In this context, the results of longitudinal studies examining mental health before and during the pandemic in the same population of individuals are informative. A British longitudinal study of mental health found

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion