Personality as a predictor of changes in perceived availability of social support during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Personality is a well-established contributor to perceptions of social support availability, a coping resource that was particularly affected by the social repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study uses lagged regression to examine the role of Big Five personality traits in predicting changes in perceived availability of social support during the COVID-19 pandemic among a sample of 1386 North Americans. Controlling for perceived availability of social support in 2020, we found that extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with greater perceived support in 2021, whereas neuroticism was associated with less. The findings provide insight into how perceived availability of social support, although often found to be stable, exhibited variability during the COVID-19 pandemic and point to personality as a key contributor to the process. Expanding on previously documented cross-sectional associations between perceptions of social support availability and Big Five personality traits, the present study reveals how such traits may serve as risk and protective factors and be used to identify those at risk of degradation in perceived availability of social support during times of heightened stress. In doing so, results also point to the potential clinical utility of brief measures of personality for preventive interventions.