Personality types and subjective well-being among people living with HIV: a latent profile analysis

Marcin Rzeszutek,Ewa Gruszczyńska

doi:10.1007/s11136-019-02288-5

Marcin Rzeszutek, Ewa Gruszczyńska

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-019-02288-5

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Abstract

PurposeWe examined whether three types of personality (i.e. resilient, undercontrolled and overcontrolled) based on the Big Five personality taxonomy could be replicated among people living with HIV (PLWH). We also aimed to establish significant sociodemographic and clinical covariates of profile membership and verify whether these profiles are related to the subjective well-being (SWB) of participants.Methods770 PLWH participated in this study. The Big Five personality traits were evaluated with the NEO-FFI questionnaire. SWB was operationalised by satisfaction with life (Satisfaction with Life Scale) and positive and negative affects (PANAS-X). Moreover, sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected.ResultsLatent profile analysis was used to identify personality types among participants. Instead of the three profiles most frequently reported in the literature, we identified a four-profile model (the resilient, undercontrolled, overcontrolled and the average profile type) as the best fit to the data. These profiles did not differ with regard to sociodemographic and clinical covariates. However, significant differences in SWB across profiles were noted, i.e. the highest SWB was observed among members of the resilient profile, and overcontrollers and undercontrollers were almost equally regarded as second best in SWB level, whereas the average profile consists of PLWH with the worst SWB.ConclusionIdentifying personality types in clinical settings enables more comprehensive understanding of interrelations between personality and health. Regarding PLWH, the typological approach may shed new light on ambiguous results devoted to the role of personality in well-being of these patients.

Highlights

For at least two decades, there has been ongoing debate between proponents of the traditional, dimensional approach to the study of personality traits [e.g. 1, 2] and their opponents, advocating for broader implementation of the typological perspective, which operationalises personality not via interindividual differences across isolated traits, but in1 3 Vol.:(0123456789)Quality of Life Research (2020) 29:57–67‘self-confident, emotionally stable, energetic’), undercontrolled type (‘stubborn, active, impulsive’) and overcontrolled type (‘sensitive, introverted and dependable’)
As far as Big Five taxonomy is concerned, the resilient type is characterised by high extraversion and conscientiousness, low neuroticism and relatively high values on the other traits; the overcontrolled type reveals especially high neuroticism and conscientiousness, low extraversion and openness; and the undercontrolled type obtains predominantly low scores in conscientiousness and agreeableness [3, 14]
Almost all studies on personality types have been conducted in non-clinical samples [8, 9], very little is known whether these three types of personality are recognisable in the clinical settings among individuals struggling with chronic disease and related psychological distress [15]

Summary

Introduction

For at least two decades, there has been ongoing debate between proponents of the traditional, dimensional approach to the study of personality traits [e.g. 1, 2] and their opponents, advocating for broader implementation of the typological perspective, which operationalises personality not via interindividual differences across isolated traits, but in1 3 Vol.:(0123456789)Quality of Life Research (2020) 29:57–67‘self-confident, emotionally stable, energetic’), undercontrolled type (‘stubborn, active, impulsive’) and overcontrolled type (‘sensitive, introverted and dependable’). Almost all studies on personality types have been conducted in non-clinical samples [8, 9], very little is known whether these three types of personality are recognisable in the clinical settings among individuals struggling with chronic disease and related psychological distress [15]. It is especially important regarding studies suggesting that personality is more strongly associated with subjective health indicators (e.g. distress, quality of life) compared with objective medical parameters [16]. It was observed that extraversion might be differently linked to health depending on its link with other Big Five traits, with conscientiousness [11]

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