Abstract
The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals’ psychosocial functioning was widely attested during the last year. However, the extent to which individual differences are associated with adaptive and maladaptive outcomes during quarantine in Italy remains largely unexplored. Using a person-oriented approach, the present study explored the association of personality profiles, based on three broad individual dispositions (i.e., positivity, irritability, and hostile rumination) and two self-efficacy beliefs in the emotional area (i.e., expressing positive emotions and regulating anger emotion), with adaptive and maladaptive outcomes during the first Italian lockdown (March–June 2020). In doing so, we focused also on how different age groups (i.e., young adults and adults) differently faced the pandemic. The study was conducted through an online survey from May to June 2020 and included 1341 participants living in Italy, divided into two groups: 737 young adults aged 18–35 and 604 adults aged 36–60 years old. Latent Profile Analysis identified three personality profiles: resilient, vulnerable, and moderate. A subsequent path analysis model showed that the resilient profile was positively associated with prosocial behavior as an indicator of adaptive outcome, and negatively associated with three maladaptive outcomes: interpersonal aggression, depressive symptoms, and anxiety problems. Contrarily, the vulnerable profile resulted negatively associated with prosocial behavior and positively associated with the three maladaptive outcomes. Finally, regarding age group differences, young adults belonging to the vulnerable profile showed a greater association especially with interpersonal aggression, depression, and anxiety problems, as compared to adults belonging to the same profile. Overall, the results of the present study highlighted the importance to analyze individual functioning during an isolation period by using a person-oriented approach. Findings evidenced the existence of three different profiles (i.e., Resilient, Vulnerable, and Moderate) and subsequent path analysis revealed, especially for the vulnerable profile and young adults, a greater maladaptive consequence of the quarantine. The practical implications will be discussed.
Highlights
In February 2020, Italy became the first and most affected country in Europe by the COVID-19 pandemic
latent profile analyses (LPAs) was used to identify personality profiles characterized by broad individual dispositions, standard error (SE)-positive emotions, and SE-anger
To explore whether the identified personality profiles were related with adaptive and maladaptive COVID-related outcomes, we conducted a path analysis with a multiple-group approach, in which the probability of belonging to two (i.e., Resilient and Vulnerable profiles) of the three emerged personality profiles were simultaneously regressed on one indicator of adjustment and three indicators of maladjustment occurred during the first Italian lockdown
Summary
In February 2020, Italy became the first and most affected country in Europe by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to some authors (e.g., Harriger et al, 2021), while some people reported maladaptive problems (i.e., anxiety, depression, aggression) in response to the uncertainty and extraordinary preventive measures implemented during COVID-19, other people put into action adaptive responses mostly associated to the welfare of others. In this vein, prosocial-oriented actions, such as the desire to help, comfort, and care about others in need might represent an alternative response to COVID19 related stress
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