Psychological reactions of different affective temperaments to the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Various studies show that the temperament characteristics of individuals play a decisive role in how much and how they will be affected by traumatic events. However, no research has been found in the literature examining the relationship between affective temperament and trauma. The Covid 19 pandemic process is described as a social trauma. In this context, in this study, it is aimed to examine the reactions of different affective temperaments to social trauma within the framework of the pandemic. Within the scope of the research, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, San Diego Autoquestionaire (TEMPS-A) were used. The scales were applied online to a total of 1075 volunteer participants (653 women and 422 men). Multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the significance of temperament types in the prediction of depression, anxiety, and stress levels of individuals. The method employed was stepwise regression analysis. In the data obtained, it was observed that depression, anxiety, and stress levels and anxious, cyclothymic, depressive, and irritable temperament types showed a positive correlation at different levels and a low level of negative correlation with hyperthymic temperament type during the pandemic process. The four aforementioned affective temperament types were significant predictors for depression, three were predictors for stress, and two for anxiety. Additionally, the results of this study indicated that hyperthymic temperament can be protective against the effects of trauma.