Abstract
Although long postulated, it has been scarcely researched how personality traits play out differently in distinct situations. We examined if Neuroticism and Extraversion, personality traits known to moderate stress processes, function differently in highly stressful situations requiring reduced social contact, that is, the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on past findings, we expected neuroticism to be associated with exacerbated perceptions of stress. In contrast to past findings, we expected extraversion, which usually ameliorates stress, to be associated with intensified perceptions of stress, especially in regard to the sociability facet. During the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, one-hundred-thirty adults (age M = 21.7 years) reported on their personality traits including their facets with the BFI-2, COVID-19-related stressors, and their perceived stress during the last month (using the PSS). Findings indicated that neuroticism was associated with higher perceived stress regardless of the COVID-19-related stressors experienced. Facet level analysis revealed differences for anxiety, depression, and volatility. Importantly, trait extraversion was unassociated with stress experiences, whereas specifically the facet of sociability was associated with higher perceived stress. Also, the facets of assertiveness and energy both moderated the relationship between COVID-19-related stressors and perceived stress. In line with the transactional theory of stress, our findings indicate that perceptions of stress were best understood by looking at the interaction of environmental stressors and personality differences. Furthermore, the study substantiates that facets of personality traits offer unique information beyond broad traits in specific contexts.
Highlights
During stressful events and severe crises, most people turn to others for support, connection, and belongingness (Scott et al, 2014)
We focus on individual differences in extraversion and neuroticism because both traits have been most consistently linked to affective experiences (Hughes et al, 2020)
The most consistent findings exist for neuroticism, characterized by depression, anxiety, and emotional volatility, which is associated with higher stress appraisals and greater reactivity to stressful events (Ebstrup et al, 2011; Leger et al, 2016)
Summary
During stressful events and severe crises, most people turn to others for support, connection, and belongingness (Scott et al, 2014). The COVID-19 pandemic might be a unique situation where, paradoxically, more extraverted people are more stressed due to reduced social contact during the pandemic, which is normally vital for them Their stress responses may Transactional Theory of Stress. The most consistent findings exist for neuroticism, characterized by depression, anxiety, and emotional volatility, which is associated with higher stress appraisals and greater reactivity to stressful events (Ebstrup et al, 2011; Leger et al, 2016). The transactional theory of stress (Lazarus & Folkman, 1987) suggests that personal characteristics will not necessarily predict stress appraisals in the same fashion in all circumstances, but may function differently when the situational context varies. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, individuals higher in neuroticism were more likely to perceive the pandemic as strongly affecting their personal lives (Schmiedeberg & Thönnissen, 2021). Given the consistency of the neuroticism effects through the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, we anticipate that high levels of neuroticism will continue to predict higher stress appraisals in the third wave of the pandemic in Germany
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