Neuroticism Subscale Research Articles

A nomogram for predicting postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder: a prospective cohort study

BackgroundPostpartumpost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as a psychological stress disorder, has long-term and widespread harm. Still, compared with other postpartum psychiatric disorders, postpartum PTSD has received relatively littleattention in China. This study aims to investigate the risk factors of postpartum PTSD and to develop a convenient and rapid nomogram screening tool to help clinical staff identify high-risk pregnant womenin time and take preventative and management measures.MethodsRecruited pregnant women hospitalized for delivery in Qingdao Municipal Hospital and Jinzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital from November 2022 to October 2023 as convenient samples for the questionnaire survey. Telephone follow-up was conducted 42 days after delivery. After univariate analysis, multicollinearity analysis, and logistic regression analysis, the risk factors of postnatal PTSD were obtained, a prediction model was established, and a nomogram was drawn by R software. G*power3.1.9.7 calculated the effectiveness of the test. The model was validated internally using the Bootstrap approach, and external validation was carried out using a verification group. The accuracy of the model's predictions and its clinical application value were evaluated by the area under the curve, calibration plot, and decision curve analysis.ResultsA total of 602 women were recruited in this study, and the incidence of postpartum PTSD was 11.1% (67/602). Multifactorial logistic regression analysis showed that poor self-assessment of sleep status in late pregnancy (OR = 5.336), cesarean section (OR = 2.825), instrumental delivery (OR = 5.994), having fear of labor (OR = 4.857), and a high score of Five Factors Inventory Neuroticism subscale (OR = 1.244) were independent risk factors for developing postpartum PTSD. A high Quality of Relationship Index score (OR = 0.891) was a protective factor for postpartum PTSD. In the training and validation sets, the nomogram model's area under the ROC curve was 0.928 and 0.907, respectively. The calibration curves showed that the nomogram model was well-fitted, and the Decision Curve Analysis indicated that the nomogram model had good value for clinical application.ConclusionsWith its strong predictive capacity, the prediction model built using postpartum PTSD risk factors can help clinical caregivers identify high-risk pregnant women early on and implement timely preventive intervention strategies.

Effects of neuroticism on pre-exam irritable bowel syndrome in female middle school students: mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty and moderating role of exercise duration.

China, which is deeply influenced by Confucianism, places special emphasis on students' test scores. Previous studies have shown that neuroticism is associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in adolescents. However, the mechanisms underlying this association before exams in female secondary school students are unknown. The present study sought to ascertain whether IU mediates the association between neuroticism and pre-exam IBS, and to determine whether exercise duration moderates the relationship between neuroticism and pre-exam IBS. The sample consisted of 685 Chinese female middle school students (Mage = 14.81, SD = 1.55, range = 11-18) who completed paper questionnaires, including the neuroticism subscale of the Chinese Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Five-Factor Inventory, the IBS Symptom Severity Scale, a simplified version of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, and a movement time questionnaire. Independent samples t-test was used to compare differences between groups and Pearson correlation coefficient was used to investigate the bivariate correlation. The SPSS PROCESS 4.1 plug-in was then used to examine the mediating role of IU as well as the moderating role of movement time between neuroticism and pre-exam IBS. Neuroticism and IU were significantly correlated with pre-exam IBS (r = 0.39, 0.30, respectively; all p < 0.01), and neuroticism was significantly correlated with IU (r = 0.46, p < 0.01). Neuroticism had a direct predictive effect on pre-exam IBS in Chinese female middle school students (β = 0.32, p < 0.001), and IU also had a positive effect on pre-exam IBS (β = 0.15, p < 0.001). The mediating effect value of IU on the total effect was 18.09%. The relationship between neuroticism and pre-exam IBS was moderated by movement time (β = -0.23, p < 0.05). IU plays a mediating role between neuroticism and pre-exam IBS, and exercise time plays a moderating role between neuroticism and pre-exam IBS. These findings provide an evidence for neuroticism intervention, IU management, and pre-exam IBS improvement in female middle school students.

Reported Personality Traits and Histories of Childhood Maltreatment in Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar 2 Disorder: A Comparative Study

This study compared borderline personality disorder (BPD) and bipolar 2 disorder (BP 2 disorder) with respect to reported childhood trauma and Five-Factor personality traits using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Participants were 50 men and women, aged 18-45, with DSM-5-diagnosed BPD and 50 men and women in the same age group with DSM-5-diagnosed BP 2 disorder. Participants could not meet criteria for both BPD and BP 2 disorder. Borderline participants had significantly higher scores on the neuroticism subscale and significantly lower scores on the agreeableness subscale of the NEO-FFI. After correction for multiple comparisons, there were no between-group differences on CTQ scores. Study results suggest that BPD and BP 2 disorder differ primarily with respect to underlying temperament/genetic architecture and that environmental factors have only a limited role in the differential etiologies of the two disorders.

The relationship between postpartum negative life events and postpartum depression: a moderated mediation model of neuroticism and psychological flexibility

BackgroundPostpartum depression (PPD) is a major public health problem worldwide. Previous studies have shown that postpartum negative life events and neuroticism are both important risk factors for PPD. However, few studies have considered the role of protective factors in the influence of postpartum negative life events and neuroticism on PPD. Based on the diathesis–stress model and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a moderated mediating model was established to examine the mediating role of neuroticism between postpartum negative life events and PPD, as well as the moderating role of psychological flexibility in this mediating effect.MethodsA sample of 776 parturients from three different Grade A hospitals in China were assessed using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, the Postpartum Negative Life Events Scale, the Neuroticism Subscale of the Big Five Personality Scale, and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire– II.ResultsPPD, postpartum negative life events, neuroticism, and experiential avoidance were significantly positively correlated with one another. Neuroticism partially mediated the relationship between postpartum negative life events and PPD. In this mediation model, the direct path and the second half of the mediation path were moderated by psychological flexibility. Specifically, the links between postpartum negative life events and PPD, as well as between neuroticism and PPD, were stronger when psychological flexibility was low, but weaker when psychological flexibility was high.ConclusionsThe results show that psychological flexibility plays an important role in buffering the negative effects of postpartum negative life events and neuroticism on PPD. These findings provide implications for the prevention and intervention of PPD using an ACT approach.

Perinatal mental health and Covid-19-related distress: the role of personality traits.

Perinatal mental health is a topic of growing interest, that could affect mothers in a period of high vulnerability, and the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic is an important factor to consider in this field. The aim of our study is to study the correlations between five dimensions of personality and subjective Covid-19-related distress in a sample of women in the perinatal period. The study included 114 Italian women in the perinatal period. Subjects were asked to complete the Big Five Inventory (BIG-5) and a version of the Impact of Event Scale - Revised (IES-R) anchored to Covid-19-related distress. When the BIG-5 personality traits and several confounding variables were included in a regression model with IES-R total score as criterion, neuroticism subscale of BIG-5 inventory was the only variable independently associated with higher IES-R total score (p<0.001). Our study highlights the importance of considering the personality vulnerability factors that can worsen psychopathological symptoms of women in the perinatal period, especially in periods of high psychological stress.

The association between borderline personality disorder, childhood trauma, neuroticism, and self-rated or clinician-rated functional impairment in euthymic bipolar disorder-1 patients.

In this study, we mainly evaluated the associations of borderline personality disorder (BPD), neuroticism, and childhood trauma with the self-rated and clinician-rated overall functional impairment levels of adult euthymic patients with bipolar disorder-1 (BD-1). In addition, we compared patient and healthy control groups regarding the levels of of childhood trauma, neuroticism, BPD and functional impairment. In total, 90 euthymic BD-1 patients and 90 healthy controls were enrolled. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, the neuroticism subscale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised-Abbreviated Form, the Borderline Personality Questionnaire, the Functioning Assessment Short Test, and the Sheehan Disability Scale were administered to the participants. The study revealed that the levels of BPD, neuroticism, emotional abuse, physical abuse, global childhood trauma, self-rated overall functional impairment, all the subdomains of self-rated functional impairment, clinician-rated overall functional impairment, and all the subdomains of clinician-rated functional impairment (except leisure time) were significantly higher in the patients than those in the healthy controls (p < 0.05). Clinician-rated functional impairment levels were significantly correlated with levels of BPD (r = 0.555, p<0.001), neuroticism (r = 0.429, p < 0.001), global childhood trauma (r = 0.391, p <0.001), and all subtypes of childhood trauma except sexual abuse. Self-rated functional impairment levels were significantly correlated with levels of neuroticism (r= 0.289, p = 0.006), physical neglect (r = 0.213, p = 0.044), and BPD (r = 0.557, p < 0.001). In the regression analyses, the self-rated overall functional impairment levels were only significantly associated with the BPD feature levels (β = 0.319, p < 0.001) and the clinician-rated overall functional impairment levels were only significantly associated with the BPD feature levels (β = 0.518, p < 0.001). The present study's findings suggest that BPD features should be addressed in psychosocial interventions aimed at ameliorating functional impairment in patients with BD-1. Only BPD features were associated with self-rated and clinician-rated overall functional impairment levels in the regression analyses in the BD-1 patients. Performing self-rated and clinician-rated functional impairment assessments in the same clinical trial may give rise to relevant findings in the future.

Relationship of personality traits with stigmatization, depression, and quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis

Background &amp; Objective: Personality traits are associated with mental health and quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to determine personality traits in patients with MS and to examine the relationship between these traits and stigmatization, depression and quality of life. Method: This descriptive, cross-sectional study included 80 MS patients and 96 healthy controls. Data were collected online between June and July 2022. Patient/person information form, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised-Short Form (EPQ-RS), Neuro Quality of Life-Stigma Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and MS Quality of Life Scale-54 were used for data collection. Results: When the age variable was controlled, it was found that the mean neuroticism subscale score was higher (p=0.003) and the mean extraversion subscale score was lower (p=0.018) than the control group. In addition, the mean extraversion score was found to be negatively correlated with stigmatization (p&lt;0.05) and depression (p&lt;0.01), and positively correlated with the physical sub-dimension of quality of life (p&lt;0.01). Neuroticism and psychoticism sub-dimensions were positively correlated with stigmatization and depression and negatively correlated with all sub-dimensions of quality of life (p&lt;0.01). In addition, regression analysis showed that depression significantly contributed to the physical health dimension of quality of life and neuroticism personality trait significantly contributed to the mental health dimension. Conclusions: Neurotic personality traits were found to be more dominant in patients with MS. Moreover, all sub-dimensions of personality traits were associated with stigmatization, depression and quality of life. Therefore, personality traits should be considered in interventions to improve mental health and quality of life.

Validation of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Bangla Using Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory

ObjectivesMindfulness-based interventions are common in contemporary mental health practices. Hence, the assessment of mindfulness is necessary during those interventions, and the 39-item Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) is one of the most frequently used tools. As there is a scarcity of mindfulness scales for Bangla-speaking people, we translated this questionnaire into Bangla and validated it with a Bangladeshi community sample.MethodWe collected data from 532 Bangladeshi adults (mean age = 30.22; SD = 5.19), of which 390 were females and 142 were males. The participants completed FFMQ-Bangla, Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, Emotional Intelligence Scale, Depression Scale, and Openness and Neuroticism sub-scales of the Big Five Personality Inventory. Item response theory–based analysis evaluated the item quality of the Bangla FFMQ. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) assessed the scale’s structural validity.ResultsItem response theory–based analysis discarded 10 items. Both CFA and ESEM supported the five-faceted model (CFA: CFI = 0.94; TLI = 0.94; ESEM: CFI = 0.99; TLI = 0.99) and indicated satisfactory reliability for the remaining 29-item scale (≥ 0.80). ESEM revealed two general components (self-regulated attention and orientation to experience) encompassing the five facets (CFI = 0.99; TLI = 0.93). All those facets exhibited positive correlations with the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, Emotional Intelligence Scale, and the Openness trait and negative correlations with Depression and the Neuroticism trait, revealing the scale’s concurrent validity.ConclusionsSince the FFMQ-Bangla has exhibited satisfactory reliability and structural and concurrent validity, we recommend that researchers and mental health practitioners use this scale to assess mindfulness among Bangla-speaking people.PreregistrationThis study is not preregistered.

Neuroticism mediates the association between childhood abuse and the well-being of community dwelling adult volunteers

BackgroundPrevious studies reported that the experience of maltreatment in childhood reduces subjective well-being in adulthood and that neuroticism is negatively associated with subjective well-being. However, the interrelationship between childhood maltreatment, adult life events, neuroticism, and subjective well-being has not been analyzed to date.MethodsA total of 404 adult volunteers provided responses to the following questionnaires: 1) Childhood Abuse and Trauma Scale, 2) Life Experiences Survey, 3) Neuroticism Subscale of the Shortened Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised, and 4) Subjective Well-Being Inventory. The path model was used to analyze possible interrelationships among these parameters.ResultsThe effect of childhood abuse on subjective well-being was indirect and was mediated by neuroticism. The effect of neuroticism on the negative, but not positive, change score on the Life Experiences Survey was significant. The indirect effect of neuroticism on subjective well-being was not significant via either negative or positive change scores.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that age, subjective social status, neuroticism, and negative and positive life events were significantly associated with subjective well-being. Furthermore, using path analysis, we demonstrated the mediating role of neuroticism in the indirect effect of childhood abuse on subjective well-being.

Disorganized schizotypy and neuroticism in daily life: Examining their overlap and differentiation

Positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy dimensions are associated with differential patterns of symptoms and impairment. Historically, disorganized schizotypy has been the least studied of the three schizotypy dimensions. Disorganized schizotypy has been found to be associated with emotional dysregulation, negative affect, and neuroticism. The current study examined the overlapping and differential associations of disorganized schizotypy and neuroticism with experiences assessed in daily life using experience sampling methodology (ESM). A total of 279 undergraduates completed the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale and the NEO-FFI neuroticism subscale, followed by ESM surveys administered eight times daily for one week. The ESM surveys assessed affect, appraisals of the current situation, social experiences, and schizotypic experiences in daily life. Disorganized schizotypy and neuroticism had similar bivariate associations with daily life experiences. However, multilevel regression analyses indicated that, when entered simultaneously, disorganized schizotypy was predominately associated with elevated schizotypic experiences, negative affect, and emotional dysregulation, whereas neuroticism was associated with elevated negative affect and diminished positive affect. The findings indicate that the pathological expressions of disorganized schizotypy are not simply ascribable to its overlap with neuroticism. Furthermore, the results provide further evidence that disorganized schizotypy is a complex construct that involves disruption of emotion regulation, as well as cognition, communication, and behavior.

Psychometric property study of the Affective Lability Scale-short form in Chinese patients with mood disorders.

This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Affective Lability Scale-short form (ALS-SF) among Chinese patients with mood disorders, and to compare ALS-SF subscale scores between patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and patients with bipolar disorder (BD) depression. A total of 344 patients with mood disorders were included in our study. Participants were measured through a set of questionnaires including the Chinese version of ALS-SF, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), and NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were applied to examine the psychometric properties of ALS-SF. Besides, correlation and regression analyses were performed to explore the relationship between affective lability and depression, anxiety, and neuroticism. Independent samples t-tests were used to compare the subscale scores of ALS-SF between the MDD and BD depression groups. Results of factor analysis indicated that the model of ALS-SF was consistent with ALS-SF. The ALS-SF showed a solid validity and high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.861). In addition, each subscale of ALS-SF was significantly correlated with PHQ-9, GAD-7, and NEO-FFI neuroticism subscale, except for the anger subscale showed no significant correlation with PHQ-9. Besides, the depression/elation and anger factor scores in patients with BD depression were higher than in patients with MDD. Our study suggests that the Chinese version of ALS-SF has good reliability and validity for measuring affective lability in Chinese patients with mood disorders. Assessing affective lability would assist clinicians to distinguish between MDD and BP depression and may decrease the risks of misdiagnosis.

Automatic attention to sexual stimuli: exploring the role of neuroticism and sexual excitation/inhibition through event-related potentials.

Previous findings have shown that neuroticism is a higher-order vulnerability factor in the development and maintenance of sexual dysfunctions and can have an impact on the attentional processing of sexual stimuli; however, the influence of psychosexual dimensions on the early automatic phases of such cognitive processes has not been established yet. To examine the mediating role of sexual inhibition/excitation propensity in the relationship between neuroticism and automatic attention to visual erotica and to identify the neuroelectric correlates of such a process. We analyzed the answers provided by 58 individuals on the Neuroticism subscale of the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised and the Sexual Inhibition/Excitation Scales. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a modified oddball paradigm containing romantic and sexually explicit pictures. Parallel mediations were performed to simultaneously test the mediating role of sexual inhibition/excitation in the relationship between neuroticism and each ERP. Three early attention ERP components (P1, P2, and N2) were assessed. Findings revealed an indirect effect of neuroticism on automatic attention, via sexual inhibition due to threat of performance failure (SIS1), for romantic and sexually explicit stimuli. This effect was significant only for component N2, which showed increased amplitudes and earlier latencies in participants with high SIS1. Sexual stimuli, due to their emotional valence and arousal potential, might be perceived as virtually threatening by individuals with neuroticism, who may benefit from strategies that decrease hyperarousal and sympathetic activation. This was one of the first studies to analyze neuroelectric activity associated with automatic attention toward sexual stimuli in relation to personality and sexual excitation/inhibition propensity. Nevertheless, the limited number of participants demands caution in generalizing the results. These results provide a better understanding of the relationship between personality and sexual cognition and open new avenues of research in relation to other automatic cognitive phenomena related to human sexual behavior.

The Effect of Integrated Religious Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (IRCBT) on Psychological Symptoms of Women with Breast Cancer

Breast cancer exacerbates psychological problems and raises existential concerns, and decreases hope and quality of life. The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of integrated religious cognitive behavioral therapy (IRCBT) on psychological symptoms among Iranian women with breast cancer. A total sample of 178 patients referred to the community healthcare centers in Mashhad (Iran) was selected. Patients were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. For the experimental group, eight 120-min sessions of IRCBT were administered. All patients completed the Symptom Checklist-25 (SCL-25). At baseline, there was no significant difference between the two groups on the SCL-25 subscales scores. After the intervention, the mean scores on all subscales of the SCL-25 in the experimental group were significantly lower than the control group, except for the obsessive-compulsive, somatization, and neuroticism subscales. The IRCBT may be useful for improving negative psychological symptoms among Iranian women with breast cancer. Keywords: IRCBT, Psychological symptoms, Breast cancer, Religion, Iran

Personality Traits and Parental Burnout Among Fathers: A Moderated Mediation Model

Focusing on a sample of fathers, this study examined the effects of two personality traits, agreeableness and neuroticism, on parental burnout, as well as the mediating role of parenting sense of competence and moderating effects of parental psychological flexibility. Data were collected from 263 fathers of middle-school children in central China, with questionnaires including the agreeableness and neuroticism subscales from the Big Five personality trait scale, Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, Parenting Psychological Flexibility scale, and Parental Burnout Assessment. To analyze the hypothesized moderated mediation model, bootstrapping analysis and structural equation modeling were performed. Results showed that agreeableness was negatively correlated with parental burnout, while neuroticism was positively correlated with parental burnout; both these relationships were partially mediated by parenting sense of competency. Further, psychological flexibility moderated the relationship between parenting sense of competence and parental burnout. When parenting psychological flexibility was low, parenting sense of competence was significantly related to parental burnout, while parenting psychological flexibility was high, parenting sense of competence was not related to parental burnout significantly. These preliminary findings provide theoretical guidance and an empirical basis for intervention strategies to prevent burnout among fathers.

COVID-19 lockdown related stress among young adults: The role of drug use disorder, neurotic health symptoms, and pathological smartphone use

ABSTRACT This study examined the roles of drug use disorder, neurotic health symptoms, and pathological smartphone use in COVID-19 lockdown–related stress. A sample of 288 young adults were purposively recruited. Data were collected using four standardized measures with robust psychometric properties: Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST), the Smartphone Addiction Scale, COVID Stress Scale, and a Neuroticism subscale of the Big Five Inventory. The participants’ ages ranged from 17 to 34 years, with a mean age of 24.09 (SD = 3.81) years. The hierarchical regression confirmed the hypotheses and results were consistent with expectations, F(3, 284) = 4.79, p < .05, such that 4.8% of the variance in COVID-19 lockdown stress was a result of the joint function of drug use disorder, neurotic health symptoms, and pathological smartphone use. Drug use disorder contributed to COVID-19 lockdown stress independently, whereas when merged with neuroticism, it did not predict outcome variable independently; the same was true for pathological smartphone use when entered into the third model. The preventive and control advocacy is a harm-reduction approach. Further empirical investigations of other predictors of COVID-19 lockdown stress, with a goal of initiating telebehavioral health interventions targeted at identifying and treating people with mental health needs—especially in times of global pandemic or movement restrictions—are recommended.

The role of healthy emotionality in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and mental health problems: a cross-sectional study.

Understanding pandemic-related psychopathology development is limited due to numerous individual and contextual factors. It is widely accepted that individual differences to endure or cope with distress predict psychopathology development. The present study investigated the influence of individual differences in neuroticism and healthy emotionality concerning the association between fear of COVID-19 and mental health problems. It was hypothesized that healthy emotionality would moderate the mediated link between fear of COVID-19 and mental health problems. A sample of 752 participants (351 males and 401 females) completed an online survey including the Emotional Style Questionnaire, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, the Neuroticism subscale of the Big Five Inventory, and General Health Questionnaire. The results showed that the fear of COVID-19 positively predicted mental health problems (β = .43, SE = .05, p < .001, Cohen’s f 2 = .24). Neuroticism also showed a significant mediation effect on the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and mental health problems. Fear of COVID-19 indirectly predicted psychopathology through neuroticism (β = − .16, SE = .04, p < .001, t = 4.53, 95% CI [0.11, 0.23]). Moreover, healthy emotionality had a moderating effect on the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and mental health problems, β = − .21, SE = .03, p < .001, t = 5.91, 95% CI [− 0.26, − 0.14]. The study’s findings are expected to contribute to a better understanding of the roles of both individual differences in personality traits and healthy emotionality in psychopathology development during the current pandemic.

The effect of stillbirth and late termination of pregnancy on the emergence of post-traumatic symptoms among attending medical personnel

The purpose of this paper was to assess the impact and the post-traumatic potential of late termination of pregnancy (TOP) and stillbirth on medical staff and characterise personal attributes that modulate these possible outcomes. Fifty-one participants involved in the treatment of women undergoing late TOPs and stillbirths answered questionnaires including demographics, Neuroticism subscale of the Big Five Inventory (BFI), Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS), Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18) and questions regarding exposure to stillbirths and late TOPs. None of the participants met the full post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) criteria. A correlation with a marginal significance was found between the number of TOP's/stillbirths attended during the past year and traumatic symptoms. Neuroticism moderated the association between presence in TOP's/stillbirths and post-traumatic symptoms among those who attended this event over the past month. According to our results, medical personnel do not appear to develop long-term and lingering posttraumatic symptoms following attending TOP’s/stillbirths. Impact Statement What is already known on this subject ? There is a very little research on the ways in which medical personnel respond to Stillbirths, late miscarriages and terminations of pregnancy (TOP) of their patients and on the possible effect of their personality traits in this response. What do the results of this study add ? According to our results, medical personnel do not appear to develop long-term and lingering posttraumatic symptoms following attending TOP’s/stillbirths. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research ? Further studies are warranted to better assess the impact of exposure to traumatic events in general and on the effect of late TOP and stillbirths in particular, on medical personnel and to identify interventions that may prevent posttraumatic symptoms among staff members when they happen.

Community Participation and Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults: The Roles of Sense of Community and Neuroticism.

Participation in community affairs and activities is beneficial to the mental health of older adults. The current study attempted to confirm the mediating role of sense of community (SoC) between community participation (CP) and subjective well-being (SWB), and the moderating role of neuroticism between CP and SoC. A total of 465 older adults aged ≥65 years from China participated in both two-wave online surveys. The self-developed Community Participation questionnaire, the SoC scale, and the Neuroticism subscale were used to assess CP, SoC, and neuroticism, respectively. The four indicators of SWB were assessed by the Satisfaction with Life Scale, Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale. The results revealed that CP was associated with three indicators of SWB including life satisfaction, positive affect, and depressive symptoms, SoC mediated the above associations, and neuroticism negatively moderated the association between CP and SoC, after controlling for age, sex, education, spouse status, monthly income, and physical health. CP enhances older adults’ SWB through increasing their SoC. When compared to those older adults with a higher score of neuroticism, the enhancing effect of CP on SoC is stronger for those with lower scores of neuroticism.

Social Anxiety Disorder among Undergraduate Students: Exploring Association with Self-esteem and Personality Traits

Background: Social phobia impacts negatively on the social and academic life of students and exerts a detrimental effect on the quality of life of the bearer. The study examined the burden of social anxiety disorder (SAD), the relationship of SAD with sociodemographic variables and self-esteem, and the big five personality traits correlates of both SAD and self-esteem among undergraduate students. Methods: Participants completed the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), the Big Five Personality Trait Inventory (BFPI), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The relationships between variables were explored using bivariate and multivariate statistics. Results: Two hundred and eighty (62.5%) participants reported significant SAD, mostly in the mild form (50.9%). There was a significant negative correlation between the SPIN scores and the total score on BFPI, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and self-esteem and a positive correlation with the neuroticism subscale. Similarly, a significant positive correlation with self-esteem and agreeableness, extraversion and conscientiousness, and a negative correlation between neuroticism subscale of BFPI were noted. Younger age also significantly increased the risk of social anxiety among the participants. Conclusions: The burden of social phobia among the undergraduate students was high, and highly correlated with personality traits and self-esteem. The study underscores the need to consider several factors in reducing social performance anxiety among undergraduate students with central effort geared toward reducing neuroticism and promotion of positive self-imagery and appraisal.

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire in College Students

Objectives: This study aims to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) in college students. Methods: This is a descriptive study. Participants were 551 students from selected universities in Tehran, Iran who were enrolled using a stratified random sampling method. The students completed the Persian version of TEIQue as well as the Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) and the Neo-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Data were analyzed in SPSS v. 22 software using independent t-test, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson correlation and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Results: The results of EFA confirmed that the Persian TEIQue had four factors of well-being, self-control, emotionality and sociability. Cronbach’s alpha value was reported 0.95 for the global EI, and ranged 0.69-0.90 for its four factors. In the split-half reliability, the Cronbach’s alpha was obtained 0.92 for the first half and 0.89 for the second half. The convergent/discriminant validity assessment in relation to SSEIT and NEO-FFI, showed a positive correlation with the most subscales of SSEIT and a negative correlation with the neuroticism subscale of NEO-FFI. There were gender differences in TEIQue scores between males and females, where females had higher scores in the global index and in factors of well-being and emotionality. Conclusion: The Persian version of TEIQue has acceptable reliability and validity for measuring trait emotional intelligence in Iranian adult population.