Higher Levels Of Conscientiousness Research Articles

Health-related Quality of Life After Liver Transplantation-An Important Goal, but One Definition (or Size) Does Not Fit All.

Health-related Quality of Life After Liver Transplantation-An Important Goal, but One Definition (or Size) Does Not Fit All.

Personality traits as mediators in the association between SIRT1 rs12415800 polymorphism and depressive symptoms among Chinese college students.

Previous research has linked polymorphisms in the SIRT1 gene to depressive symptoms, particularly in Chinese individuals. However, it is not clear how personality traits may contribute to this association. To explore the potential mediating effect of personality traits, we utilized a mediation model to examine the relationship between the SIRT1 rs12415800 polymorphism and depressive symptoms in 787 Chinese college students. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale, while personality traits were measured using the Big Five Inventory (BFI). Our analysis indicated a significant association between the SIRT1 rs12415800 polymorphism and depressive symptoms, with this relationship partially mediated by the personality traits of neuroticism and conscientiousness. Specifically, individuals who were heterozygous for the rs12415800 polymorphism and had higher levels of conscientiousness were less likely to experience depressive symptoms. Conversely, those who were homozygous for the rs12415800 polymorphism and had higher levels of neuroticism were more likely to experience depressive symptoms. Our results suggest that personality traits, particularly neuroticism and conscientiousness, may play a critical role in the association between the SIRT1 rs12415800 polymorphism and depressive symptoms among Chinese college students. These findings highlight the importance of considering both genetic factors and personality traits when exploring the etiology of depressive symptoms in this population.

Dementia During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences From Clinicians, Patients, and Caregivers in Switzerland.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the Swiss health care system, affecting especially vulnerable people, such as patients suffering from dementia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges experienced by dementia patients, their carers, and clinicians during the pandemic in Switzerland. Methods: An online survey was sent to all memory clinics in the German speaking part of Switzerland. Patients diagnosed with dementia and their carers were recruited for semi-structured telephone interviews at the memory clinic of the University Hospital Zurich. Results: A total of 28 clinicians, 17 carers, and seven patients participated in this study. According to the clinicians, all aspects of clinical work were affected by the pandemic. Carers did not perceive a significant role of the pandemic in the disease progression of the patients, despite many challenges faced. Patients described a high level of conscientiousness during the pandemic. Recommendations for future scenarios were provided from all groups. Conclusion: In order to increase the systemic resilience of the Swiss health care system, it is important to consider the experiences and recommendations of vulnerable groups and health care professionals for future public health measures and policies.

Exploring the Dark side of conscientiousness. The relationship between conscientiousness and its potential derailers: perfectionism and narcissism

The current study aimed to identify what individual differences and situational variables cause derailment in highly conscientious people. Data were from a representative working sample of 716 participants across 27 industries, spanning both management and non-management roles. We tested four hypotheses with regard to bright- and dark-side personality traits and the relationship between boss/manager and staff member. Hierarchical linear regressions revealed mixed findings for Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) as a stressor. For maladaptive perfectionism it was confirmed, but not for adaptive perfectionism or narcissism. Results suggest introverts may be more prone to maladaptive perfectionism, even with higher levels of conscientiousness if there are lower LMX levels. Overall, the findings suggest selecting for conscientiousness alone and discounting other personality traits and situational variables may be detrimental in practice. Further implications are discussed alongside the study limitations.

Does it pay off to act conscientiously, both now and later? Examining concurrent, lagged, and cumulative effects of state conscientiousness

Although previous research has shown that both trait and state conscientiousness are positively associated with a wide range of positive life and work outcomes, some studies indicate that acting in a conscientious way is effortful, and that behaving outside one’s conscientiousness related comfort zone (i.e., acting counterhabitual) may lead to cognitive or affective cost. Because these costs are not likely to be evident immediately, we examine how within-person fluctuations in conscientiousness relate to within-person fluctuations in emotional exhaustion, resource depletion, and negative affect, not only concurrently, but also in a delayed fashion and cumulated over time. In two experience sampling studies, we found that higher levels of conscientiousness are concurrently related to lower levels of emotional exhaustion, resource depletion, and negative affect. When looking at delayed effects, no conclusive evidence was found for affective or cognitive costs of (counterhabitual) conscientiousness. Finally, analyzing cumulative effects revealed that repeated negative deviations from one’s typical level of conscientiousness were positively associated to exhaustion, depletion, and negative affect, while repeated positive deviations were negatively associated with depletion and unrelated to exhaustion and negative affect. Altogether, our findings suggest that self-rated conscientious behavior is generally beneficial, even if this behavior goes against one’s typical behavior.

Influence of personality profile in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy on quality of life following surgical treatment: A 1-year follow-up study.

The objectives of this study are to determine the influence of personality profile in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy on quality of life (QoL) after surgical treatment and compare the results with a non-surgical control group at the 1-year follow-up. We conducted a prospective, comparative, controlled study, including 70 patients suffering from drug-resistant epilepsy. Demographic, psychiatric, neurological, and psychological data were recorded at the baseline and at the 1-year follow-up. Assessment of personality dimensions was performed using the NEO-FFI-R questionnaire; severity of anxiety and depression were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and QoL was evaluated using the QOLIE-31. At the 1-year follow-up, comparing the control and the surgical groups, we detected differences in scores of most items of QoL, which were higher in those patients who had undergone surgery. High levels of Conscientiousness and Openness to experience at the baseline in patients who underwent surgery predicted better post-surgical outcomes in the QoL scores, whereas high neurotic patients showed worse QoL results. Postoperative changes in QoL in patients were associated with the personality profile at the baseline. QoL measures significantly improved in the surgical group compared with the non-surgical group but were not associated with baseline or postoperative seizure frequency at 1year.

Gender and age differences in the associations between personality traits and depressive symptoms among Chinese adults: Based on China Family Panel Study.

This study aims to explore the associations between personality traits and depressive symptoms among Chinese adults and analyse the gender and age differences in the associations. A national representative sample of 28,628 adults aged 18 and above were selected from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data. The short version of the Big Five Inventory (CBF-PI-15) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D 8) were used to measure personality traits and depressive symptoms respectively. Binary logistic regression models were employed to analyse the associations between personality traits and depressive symptoms in the whole participants, different age groups and genders respectively. After adjustment, higher levels of conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness were related to lower level of depressive symptoms, while higher levels of openness and neuroticism were related to higher level of depressive symptoms (p < 0.05). A significant interaction between gender and conscientiousness on depressive symptoms was found (interaction p=0.005), and the association between conscientiousness and depressive symptoms was stronger in males than females (p < 0.001). Significant interactions between age and conscientiousness (interaction p=0.007), agreeableness (interaction p=0.001) on depressive symptoms were found respectively. Moreover, the associations of conscientiousness and agreeableness with depressive symptoms were strongest among old group, followed by middle-aged group, and then young group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness had negative associations with depressive symptoms, while openness and neuroticism had positive associations with depressive symptoms. The negative association between conscientiousness and depressive symptoms was stronger among males than females, and the negative associations of conscientiousness and agreeableness with depressive symptoms were strongest among old group, followed by middle-aged group, and then young group.

Conscientiousness as a Predictor of the Gender Gap in Academic Achievement

In recent decades, female students have been more successful in higher education than their male counterparts in the United States and other industrialized countries. A promising explanation for this gender gap are differences in personality, particularly higher levels of conscientiousness among women. Using Structural Equation Modeling on data from 4719 Dutch university students, this study examined to what extent conscientiousness can account for the gender gap in achievement. We also examined whether the role of conscientiousness in accounting for the gender gap differed for students with a non-dominant ethnic background compared to students with a dominant ethnic background. In line with our expectations, we found that conscientiousness fully mediated the gender gap in achievement, even when controlling for prior achievement in high school. This was the case among both groups of students. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the gender gap in achievement in postsecondary education settings. The current study suggests that the use of conscientiousness measures in university admission procedures may disadvantage male students. Instead, the use of such measures may be a fruitful way to identify those students who may benefit from interventions to improve their conscientiousness. Future research could examine how conscientiousness can be fostered among students who are low in conscientiousness.

Family Cohesion in Adulthood as a Function of Parenting Style in Childhood and Enduring Personality Traits

This study examined family cohesion in adulthood as a function of both parenting style in childhood and enduring personality traits. One hundred and ninety eight college freshmen completed measures assessing their parents’ communication strategies during childhood, the strength of their families’ cohesion during adulthood, and their enduring personality traits. Authoritative parenting was positively associated with family cohesion; this association was stronger for individuals with higher scores of conscientiousness and nonsignificant for individuals with higher scores for neuroticism. In addition, authoritarian parenting was only significantly and negatively associated with family cohesion at high levels of conscientiousness.

Of pandemics, politics, and personality: The role of conscientiousness and political ideology in the sharing of fake news.

Sharing misinformation can be catastrophic, especially during times of national importance. Typically studied in political contexts, the sharing of fake news has been positively linked with conservative political ideology. However, such sweeping generalizations run the risk of increasing already rampant political polarization. We offer a more nuanced account by proposing that the sharing of fake news is largely driven by low conscientiousness conservatives. At high levels of conscientiousness there is no difference between liberals and conservatives. We find support for our hypotheses in the contexts of COVID-19, political, and neutral news across eight studies (six preregistered; two conceptual replications) with 4,642 participants and 91,144 unique participant-news observations. A general desire for chaos explains the interactive effect of political ideology and conscientiousness on the sharing of fake news. Furthermore, our findings indicate the inadequacy of fact-checker interventions to deter the spread of fake news. This underscores the challenges associated with tackling fake news, especially during a crisis like COVID-19 where misinformation impairs the ability of governments to curtail the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

To vaccinate or not: The relationship between conscientiousness and individual attitudes toward vaccination in real-life contexts.

Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine being well‐recognized as a critical tool to end the COVID‐19 pandemic, many individuals remain vaccine hesitant for various reasons. In the literature, one well‐established finding is that skeptical attitudes towards vaccination are higher amongst individuals low in conscientiousness. However, no research is available to corroborate whether the relationship between conscientiousness and intention to vaccinate has force in real life. The present research investigated whether, in addition to self‐reported conscientiousness, objectively observable index of conscientiousness behaviors is related to individual perception of vaccination. Based on self‐reported data, Study 1 fully replicated prior findings that higher levels of conscientiousness are associated with more positive attitudes towards vaccination in a Chinese student sample. Using the time of arrival for an appointment as a proxy measure for conscientiousness behaviors, Study 2 revealed that non‐student adults who arrived early to appointments showed stronger COVID‐vaccine uptake intentions than those who arrived late to appointments. Moving beyond vaccination intention to actual behavior, Study 3 found that the arrival punctuality rates of vaccinated participants were higher than those of unvaccinated participants. Overall, our research highlights the important role of conscientiousness‐related traits in individuals' COVID‐19 vaccination attitudes and behavior.

Personality Impact on Alzheimer's Disease - Signature and Vascular Imaging Markers: A PET-MRI Study.

Several studies postulated that personality is an independent determinant of cognitive trajectories in old age. This study explores the impact of personality on widely used Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular imaging markers. We examined the association between personality and three classical AD imaging markers (centiloid-based-amyloid load, MRI volumetry in hippocampus, and media temporal lobe atrophy), and two vascular MRI parameters (Fazekas score and number of cortical microbleeds) assessed at baseline and upon a 54-month-follow-up. Personality was assessed with the Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Personality Inventory-Revised. Regression models were used to identify predictors of imaging markers including sex, personality factors, presence of APOE ɛ4 allele and cognitive evolution over time. Cortical GM volumes were negatively associated with higher levels of Conscientiousness both at baseline and follow-up. In contrast, higher scores of Openness were related to better preservation of left hippocampal volumes in these two time points and negatively associated with medial temporal atrophy at baseline. Amyloid load was not affected by personality factors. Cases with higher Extraversion scores displayed higher numbers of cortical microbleeds at baseline. Personality impact on brain morphometry is detected only in some among the routinely used imaging markers. The most robust associations concern the positive role of high levels of Conscientiousness and Openness on AD-signature MRI markers. Higher extraversion levels are associated with increased vulnerability to cortical microbleeds pointing to the fact that the socially favorable traits may have a detrimental effect on brain integrity in old age.

Perceptions of politics and organizational citizenship behavior: political skill and conscientiousness as moderators

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how perceptions of politics (POP) impact individuals’ willingness to engage in organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and how this relationship is impacted by individuals’ conscientiousness and political skills.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data collected from 211 employee working in the consultancy sector in India were analyzed using hierarchical moderated regression technique.FindingsThe authors found a significant three-way interaction between POP, conscientiousness and political skill in predicting OCB. Presence of high conscientiousness and high political skill alleviates the negative effect of politics on OCB.Research limitations/implicationsThe data were collected from consultancy sector organizations, and thus, generalizability of the results is somewhat limited. Further, self-report surveys are used for data collection. Future studies should use multiple methods to collect data to avoid common method bias.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that to alleviate the negative effect of POP on OCB, practitioners should recruit employees with high levels of conscientiousness and impart training to develop political skill.Originality/valueThis study attempts to take a holistic person-centric approach to study the moderating effect of personality variable and political skill when examining the linkage between perceived politics and citizenship behavior.

Conscientiousness moderates the relationship between neuroticism and health-risk behaviors among adolescents.

Health-Risk-Behaviors (HRBs) are considered significant antecedent conditions of adolescents' poor health and mortality. Prevention of any adverse health outcome requires an in-depth understanding of the risk and protective factors associated with its development and maintenance. Among other potential causal pathways, the "neuroticism- HRBs-adverse health" link has been supported in previous studies. Trait neuroticism has been associated with poor health and HRBs, but several moderators were also observed, which might transform neuroticism into a desirable phenomenon, that is, healthy neuroticism, that leads to better health. Conscientiousness is one such potential moderator; however, the moderating effect of conscientiousness in the neuroticism-HRBs link has not been explored extensively among adolescents, especially in India; therefore, no conclusive evidence is available. Thus, the present study was planned to explore the moderating effect of conscientiousness in the relationship between neuroticism and HRBs among adolescents. The study was conducted in India and its cross-sectional sample, procured through a multi-stage stratified random sampling, consists of 648 (364 males) adolescents (Mage = 16.08). Participants provided relevant information on standardized questionnaires. Moderated regression analysis was applied to test the stated hypotheses. Individuals high on neuroticism and low on conscientiousness reported more indulgence in health-risk behaviors than individuals high on both neuroticism and conscientiousness. It indicates that a higher level of conscientiousness may reduce the negative impact that neuroticism has on HRBs. The findings imply that the assessment of conscientiousness and strategies to increase the same should be part of interventional programs to achieve adolescents' wellbeing.

Medication Adherence in a Cross-Diagnostic Sample of Patients From the Affective-to-Psychotic Spectrum: Results From the PsyCourse Study.

IntroductionAccording to the World Health Organization, medication adherence is defined as the extent to which a person's behavior corresponds with an agreed recommendation from a healthcare provider. Approximately 50% of patients do not take their medication as prescribed, and non-adherence can contribute to the progress of a disease. For patients suffering from mental diseases non-adherence plays an important role. Various factors have been proposed as contributing to non-adherence, however the literature remains heterogeneous dependent on the analyzed patient subgroups. This study comprehensively evaluates the association of sociodemographic, clinical, personality and quality of life related factors with medication adherence by analyzing data from the PsyCourse study. The PsyCourse study is a large and cross-diagnostic cohort of psychiatric patients from the affective-to-psychotic spectrum.MethodsThe study sample comprised 1,062 patients from the PsyCourse study with various psychiatric diagnoses (mean [SD] age, 42.82 [12.98] years; 47.4% female). Data were analyzed to identify specific factors associated with medication adherence, and adherence was measured by a self-rating questionnaire. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated by a logistic regression for binary outcomes. Missing data were imputed using multiple imputation.ResultsThe following factors showed the strongest association with medication adherence: never having used illicit drugs (OR, 0.71), number of prescribed antipsychotics (OR, 1.40), the personality trait conscientiousness (OR, 1.26), and the environmental domain of quality of life (OR, 1.09).ConclusionIn a large and cross-diagnostic sample, we could show that a higher level of conscientiousness, a higher number of antipsychotic medication, a better quality of life within the environmental domain, and the absence of substance abuse contribute to a better medication adherence independent of the underlying disorder.

An Analysis of Difference in Preventive Health Behaviors for COVID-19 by Personality Characteristics in College Athletes

Background: Due to the uniqueness of COVID-19 compared with other infectious diseases, the need for various countermeasures against it should be emphasized, and considering that most athletes are not allowed to wear masks during competitions, stricter preventive health behaviors for COVID-19 are required among these individuals. Therefore, in an attempt to yield data that may be used to increase the engagement in preventive health behaviors for COVID-19 among college athletes, this study investigated the differences in preventive health behaviors for COVID-19 according to personality types. Material and Methods: Based on the Big Five personality theory, the relationship between preventive health behaviors for COVID-19 and personality characteristics was tested. Data were collected from 65 participants (male: n = 53, female: n = 12) through a questionnaire survey. Results: The results showed no differences in preventive health behaviors according to demographic characteristics such as sex, grade, sports type, and career. The highest score for a personality type was for conscientiousness, and those with a higher level of conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness reported higher scores for preventive health behavior for COVID-19. Interestingly, those with low openness also reported higher scores for preventive health behaviors for COVID-19. Conclusions: These results are expected to be used as important information to restrict the spread of COVID-19 and promote preventive health behaviors among college athletes.

Features of conscientiousness, emotional stability and autonomy in preadolescents

The article presents the results of an experimental research of personality traits (conscientiousness, emotional stability, autonomy) in preadolescence. In research sample was included 239 preadolescents age of 10 to 15 years. As results of 5-Factor Personality Questionnaire (CP55 Questionnaire) we established that a small number of preadolescents have a high level of conscientiousness, emotional stability, autonomy. Also we underlined that emotional stability and autonomy are more developed at boys than girls. Emotional stability and autonomy are more accentuated at preadolescents of 14-15 years.

Changes in the labor market status during the COVID-19 pandemic and subjective well-being of Russians

This paper investigates the association between changes in the labor market status and subjective well-being of Russians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The materials of the first stage of the international project “Values in crisis” form the empirical dataset. Regression analysis shows that individuals who lost their jobs or closed their business during the initial period of the pandemic are somewhat less satisfied with their lives than those who did not. Being reduced to part-time work and working from home are not directly related to subjective well-being. At the same time, the strength of the association between subjective well-being and possible changes of the labor market status depends on such factors as the presence of children, as well as the value of self-enhancement (according to Schwartz) and conscientiousness (one of the Big Five personality traits). The job or business loss is associated with a decrease in subjective well-being among respondents without children; this association is not observed among those with children. In addition, the negative relationship between life satisfaction and job or business loss is stronger among individuals with high level of self-enhancement and weaker among those with high level of conscientiousness. Among respondents who had to switch to part-time or remote work, having children reduces the level of subjective well-being; among those without such experience, it is positively associated with subjective well-being.

Changes in the labor market status during the COVID-19 pandemic and subjective well-being of Russians

This paper investigates the association between changes in the labor market status and subjective well-being of Russians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The materials of the first stage of the international project “Values in crisis” form the empirical dataset. Regression analysis shows that individuals who lost their jobs or closed their business during the initial period of the pandemic are somewhat less satisfied with their lives than those who did not. Being reduced to part-time work and working from home are not directly related to subjective well-being. At the same time, the strength of the association between subjective well-being and possible changes of the labor market status depends on such factors as the presence of children, as well as the value of self-enhancement (according to Schwartz) and conscientiousness (one of the Big Five personality traits). The job or business loss is associated with a decrease in subjective well-being among respondents without children; this association is not observed among those with children. In addition, the negative relationship between life satisfaction and job or business loss is stronger among individuals with high level of self-enhancement and weaker among those with high level of conscientiousness. Among respondents who had to switch to part-time or remote work, having children reduces the level of subjective well-being; among those without such experience, it is positively associated with subjective well-being.

The Effect of Abusive Supervision on Safety Behaviour: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Leadership behavior has an impact on the behavior of employees. Previous studies have mainly studied the impact of positive leadership behaviors on employees’ behaviors, but there is an absence of research on the impact of negative leadership behaviours (abusive supervision) on safety behaviours (including safety participation and safety compliance). In this study, 599 front-line employees in the petrochemical industry were selected as subjects. Abusive supervision, safety behaviour, safety motivation and a conscientiousness questionnaire were used as measurements to explore the relationship between abusive supervision and employee safety behaviors, and to further explore the roles of safety motivation, conscientiousness and the relationship between them. This study found that abusive supervision is negatively related to employee safety behaviours (safety compliance and safety participation); that safety motivation plays a mediating role in the relationship between abusive supervision and employees’ safety behavior; and that conscientiousness moderates the role of safety motivation between the relationship of abusive supervision and employees’ safety behaviour. With a higher level of conscientiousness, the indirect relationship between abusive supervision and employee safety behaviours is weaker. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and practical significance of these findings for abusive supervision and the management of safety behaviours.