Personality traits and occupational stress among Chinese academics

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to examine the predictive power of personality traits for occupational stress among Chinese university academics. Two hundred and forty-six participants responded to the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised. Results indicated that the strongest predictor for occupational stress is neuroticism, with those higher on neuroticism being more vulnerable to role overload and psychological strain. An equally important predictor is conscientiousness, with academics higher on conscientiousness reporting more frequent use of adaptive coping strategy and less susceptible to the feeling of role insufficiency. Extraversion and openness contributed modestly to occupational stress, while agreeableness was the least important factor in occupational stress. Implications of these findings are discussed concerning faculty members and university senior managers.