The Mediating Role of Health Anxiety and Corona Virus Anxiety in the Relationship between Personality and Depression Among General Population during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goal-3 attempts to achieve health and well-being for all. Due to Covid-19 pandemic the general population across the globe have witnessed adverse mental health problems. This posed multiple challenges in ensuring wellbeing for all. In this context, this study is attempted to explore the relationship between big five personality traits and depression among general population during COVID-19 pandemic and the mediation role of health anxiety and coronavirus anxiety in relationship between personality and depression. Incidental sampling technique is utilized to collect the data using Google Form. Participants (N=216) filled up the questionnaires such as Big Five Inventory -10 Whitely Index 14, Coronavirus Anxiety Scale and Patient Health questionnaire–9. Results revealed that extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness factors of personality had negative relationship with health anxiety, coronavirus anxiety and depression where as neuroticism had significant positive association. Multiple regression analysis revealed that 9% of variance in depression can be explained by personality factors and 32.5% of variance was accounted by health anxiety and corona virus anxiety with respect to depression. Parallel mediation analysis indicated that extraversion factor had significant negative total effect on depression where as neuroticism factor had significant positive total effect on depression. The results and implications are discussed in the article.