Positive and negative perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic: Does personality play a role?

The mechanisms of student grit at the height of a major crisis: Identifying key predictors when times get really tough

AIM

The study aims to provide insights into the key predictors of grit both before, during and throughout a common crisis event, where other more individualised challenges may not provide these insights.

DESIGN

A repeated cross-sectional design.

METHODS

Data were collected via an anonymous questionnaire among n = 818 (20.8% response rate) nursing students who were undertaking a three-year baccalaureate degree. Data collection occurred in the mid-year break of 2019, 2020 and 2021. The online questionnaire, which examined student demographics, personality, locus of control-4, general self-efficacy, psychological capital and grit, took 15-25 min to complete. Data were prepared and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences to undertake Structural Equation Modelling. Reporting methods adhered to the STROBE guidelines.

RESULTS

The pathway models of grit prior to, at the time of, and after the global pandemic varied slightly as to their predictor variables, however, neuroticism was consistently present. Locus of control and psychological capital also varied over this period with hope having a positive impact, prior to and after the initial crisis, however, negatively impacted grit afterwards. Understanding the key drivers of grit, particularly those essential at or around the time of a crisis guides our understanding of how to better support nursing or healthcare students. These insights enable a greater focus of energies towards malleable attributes that can increase grit levels and better fortify nursing students for challenges they may encounter in practice. These insights also serve to further prepare healthcare, emergency, or other professionals who may encounter regular crises. Within months of a global pandemic occurring, the key predictors of grit were shown to fundamentally alter. Each pathway model varied slightly suggesting the timing of a crisis impacts students' capacity to manage new or novel situations, with hope as a key driver of grit throughout a crisis.

Do nurses' personality traits affect the level of compassion fatigue?

AIMS

To determine whether nurses' personality traits impact their levels of compassion fatigue.

BACKGROUNDS

Compassion fatigue has become one of nursing literature's most discussed and investigated topics. Although some nurses working in the same environment and under similar conditions are more resistant to compassion fatigue, some are at risk of it.

METHODS

This descriptive study was conducted with 451 nurses selected using a simple random sampling method in Turkey. Data were collected using web-based online survey forms between February and April 2022. A questionnaire form regarding personal traits and professional characteristics, the Compassion Fatigue-Short Scale, and Basic Personality Traits Inventory were used to collect the data. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

The nurses' compassion fatigue was moderate, and personality traits were found to be agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion, respectively. There was a negative correlation between compassion fatigue and personality traits of extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience, yet a positive correlation with neuroticism and negative valence. According to the regression analysis, nurses' personality traits were effective on compassion fatigue by 21.9%. The personality trait of extraversion had a negative impact on compassion fatigue, and neuroticism had a positive impact.

CONCLUSION

This study identified a correlation between nurses' personality traits and compassion fatigue, suggesting that certain personality traits can be predictive factors of compassion fatigue. The limited number of studies discussing personality traits and compassion fatigue together increases the importance of the current study, which may shed light on future studies to be conducted on similar topics.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND OTHER POLICIES

This study has important implications for nurse managers. Nurse managers can predict whether they may experience compassion fatigue based on their personality traits.

Improving collegiate student-athletes' well-being: exploring the roles of openness to experience, knowledge sharing and perceived coaching effectiveness

Introduction

Collegiate student-athletes often encounter various stressors stemming from academic study and athletic training, which can potentially have negative effects on their well-being. This study investigates how collegiate student-athletes' openness to experience and their engagement in knowledge sharing influence their well-being, as well as the moderating role of perceived coaching effectiveness.

Methods

To examine these relationships, we propose and test a conceptual framework using an online survey conducted among collegiate student-athletes from a southeastern province of China. The participants consisted of 484 collegiate student-athletes who voluntarily participated in the study. We used regression analysis and mediation analysis to test the proposed relationships among the variables.

Results

Openness to experience has a positive impact on knowledge sharing (β = 0.552, p < 0.05); knowledge sharing with peers positively affects collegiate student-athlete well-being (β = 0.415, p < 0.05) and mediates the relationship between openness to experience and collegiate student-athlete well-being (β = 0.086, p < 0.05). Perceived coaching effectiveness positively moderates the relationship between openness to experience and knowledge sharing (β = 0.170, p < 0.05).

Discussion

Our study contributes to the collegiate student-athlete literature by shedding light on the factors that influence their well-being, with insights that bear important managerial implications for universities and coaches.

Adolescent Loneliness and Negative Affect during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Extraversion and Neuroticism

The COVID-19 pandemic had varied but significant effects on the lives of adolescents. This study aimed to examine the effects of extraversion and neuroticism on changes in loneliness and negative affect among adolescents during the pandemic. Longitudinal data were collected in three waves from 673 German adolescents and young adults (M_age = 16.8 years, SD_age = 0.91; female = 59%), affected by local lockdowns. The data collection was one time before (T1) and two times during the pandemic (T2, T3). Change score models were used to assess the relationship between loneliness and negative affect with consideration of extraversion and neuroticism. Results showed that pre-pandemic loneliness was predictive of changes in negative affect during the pandemic, with higher loneliness predicting increases in negative affect. Negative affect did not predict later loneliness. Extraverts showed an increase in negative affect over time, particularly between pre-pandemic measurement and the first phase of the pandemic. Higher neuroticism appeared to have increased vulnerability for negative affect during the pandemic, as a rise in negative affect were found among these adolescents throughout the course of the pandemic. In conclusion, the study highlights the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of adolescents and suggests that managing the pandemic during this specific developmental period is a challenge.

Big Five personality traits and coping strategies of Italian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic first wave

Introduction

Little is known about the role personality traits may have played for university students in diminishing and compensating for the negative impact of COVID-19 in its early phases, promoting adaptive coping. University students represent a population which was consistently obliged to follow social distance rules due to the early shift of many organizations from face-to-face to online learning. Therefore, it is worth exploring whether the Big Five traits acted as risk or protective factors after the outbreak of a disaster such as the COVID-19 pandemic for Italian university students.

Methods

We involved a sample of 2,995 university students who completed an online survey in March 2020. We measured the Big Five personality traits through the Big Five Inventory-2-XS and their coping strategies through the Robust-Pandemic Coping Scale. The latter assessed four COVID-19-related coping dimensions, namely Despair (e.g., including helplessness and feeling lack of control), Aversion (e.g., referring to oppositive strategies), Proactivity (e.g., comprising problem solving and information seeking), and Adjustment (e.g., concerning reappraisal and assertiveness).

Results

Preliminarily, two Linear Mixed Models indicated that university students had higher scores in Conscientiousness, followed by Open-Mindedness, and then Agreeableness. These three traits were, in turn, higher than Extraversion and Negative Emotionality, which did not differ among them. Concerning coping, university students reacted more frequently utilizing adaptive strategies (with Proactivity used more frequently than Adjustment) rather than maladaptive strategies (with Despair higher than Aversion). A Path Analysis examining the relations between the Big Five traits and the four coping dimensions showed that Negative Emotionality can be considered as a risk factor, and that Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Open-Mindedness can be conceptualized as protective factors. More interestingly, we found that Extraversion entailed both a risk and a protective role for Italian university students after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discussion

Notwithstanding limitations, these findings can be the basis for developing disaster preparation and prevention actions, aiming at promoting students' positive coping towards current and future disasters.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Lockdown: Associations With Personality and Stress Components

The present study examines the role of personality traits, interpersonal relationships, and sociodemographic factors on perceived stress, related to COVID-19, and compliance with measures to mitigate its spread. Data were collected in the midst of the 'first wave' lockdown, with the survey completed in full by 963 participants. We measured stress, directly related to the pandemic, rather than general stress, and were able to distinguish between symptoms of emotional, behavioural, cognitive, physical stress, and alienation with high concordance. We included personality scoring with standardized T-scores, allowing for cross-study comparison, and a broader questionnaire on the participants' support for COVID-19 mitigation measures. Results of the multiple regression models indicated that low emotional stability and introversion, and high conscientiousness, common conflicts with loved ones, and some demographics (female gender, middle age, chronic health problems) correspond to elevated stress. Conscientiousness was positively associated with total stress and some of its components, whereas opposite results were found for emotional stability. Extraversion was negatively correlated to total stress, its emotional and physical components, and alienation. Surprisingly, increased stress was not related to greater measure adherence. The present results shed light on how personality, interpersonal relationships, and sociodemographic factors influence people's stress response during a pandemic.

Self-esteem influences the willingness to engage in COVID-19 prevention behavior and persuasion efficacy

RATIONALE

Behaviors such as hand-washing and vaccination save human lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Yet, people differ widely in their willingness to engage in them. This investigation examines whether people's willingness to protect themselves physically from contracting coronavirus depends on their self-esteem. Based on self-verification theory, we propose that people who hold negative self-views are less motivated to protect their health which reduces their willingness to engage in recommended preventive measures such as mask-wearing and social-distancing.

OBJECTIVE

We set out to test (i) whether self-esteem predicts people's willingness to engage in COVID-19 prevention behaviors, (ii) whether this relationship is due to variance in motivation to protect one's health (as well as alternative mechanisms), and (iii) whether health messages can more successfully persuade low self-esteem people to follow preventive measures by framing those behaviors around protecting the health of others (vs. oneself).

METHODS

Four studies were conducted with U.S. and German residents. In Study 1, we examine the association between self-esteem, willingness to engage in self-protection behavior, health motivation, and several alternative accounts. In Study 2, we manipulate state self-esteem, and in Studies 3 and 4, we vary the target of COVID-19 prevention behaviors (self vs. other).

RESULTS

People with chronic or temporarily induced low self-esteem report a lower willingness to engage in COVID-19 prevention behaviors because they lack motivation to protect their health. Varying the protection target of preventive behaviors (self vs. others) interacts with self-esteem: Low self-esteem people are more willing to follow preventive measures (e.g., vaccination) when they are framed as protecting others (vs. oneself).

CONCLUSIONS

Self-esteem impacts people's behavior during a global pandemic and needs to be considered when designing health communications. Public health messages can increase compliance among individuals with lower self-esteem by framing prevention behaviors as a way to protect the health of others.

Exploring users' content creation and information dissemination behavior in social media: The moderating effect of social presence

Users' personality traits reveal different social media behavior characteristics. In order to explore the intrinsic relationships between personality traits and social media behavior, this study analyzes the influence of users' personality traits on social media content creation and information dissemination behavior, as well as the moderating effect of social presence. We collect users' personality data via questionnaires, crawl social media behavior data of samples from social media sites, and then establish regression models to test the research hypotheses. The results show that extraversion has a positive impact on content creation and information dissemination behavior, conscientiousness has a negative impact on content creation behavior, openness and agreeableness have no significant impact on social media behavior, and social presence has significant moderating effects on the relationships between personality traits and social media behavior.

Personality, Defenses, Mentalization, and Epistemic Trust Related to Pandemic Containment Strategies and the COVID-19 Vaccine: A Sequential Mediation Model

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has considerably influenced all domains of people's lives worldwide, determining a high increase in overall psychological distress and several clinical conditions. The study attempted to shed light on the relationship between the strategies adopted to manage the pandemic, vaccine hesitancy, and distinct features of personality and mental functioning.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 367 Italian individuals (68.1% women, 31.9% men; M age = 37, SD = 12.79) who completed an online survey, including an instrument assessing four response styles to the pandemic and lockdown(s), the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-Brief Form, the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales-Self-Report-30, the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, and the Epistemic Trust, Mistrust, Credulity Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Maladaptive response patterns to pandemic restrictions were related to dysfunctional personality traits, immature defense mechanisms, poor mentalization, and epistemic mistrust or credulity. Moreover, more severe levels of personality pathology were predictive of an extraverted-maladaptive response style to health emergency through the full mediation of low overall defensive functioning, poor certainty of others' mental states, and high epistemic credulity.

CONCLUSIONS

Recognizing and understanding dysfunctional psychological pathways associated with individuals' difficulties in dealing with the pandemic are crucial for developing tailored mental-health interventions and promoting best practices in healthcare services.

A Qualitative Investigation of the Positive and Negative Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Post-Secondary Students' Mental Health and Well-Being

Evidence suggests that post-secondary students without pre-existing mental health concerns may have experienced worsening mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, relative to students with pre-existing mental health concerns. To clarify the psychological impacts of the pandemic, and elucidate why differences may exist among students, 20 interviews were conducted with emerging adults enrolled in university. Using directed content analysis, eight themes were identified: three more common among students with pre-existing mental health concerns, three more common among students without pre-existing mental health concerns, and two shared. Although all students experienced novel stressors during the pandemic, students without pre-existing mental health concerns reported greater increases in social and academic isolation, relative to students with pre-existing mental health concerns. Students with pre-existing mental health concerns also leveraged existing coping repertoires, which further supported their ability to manage pandemic-related challenges. Findings highlight how postsecondary institutions can bolster student well-being.

Relationship Between COVID-19 Threat Beliefs and Individual Differences in Demographics, Personality, and Related Beliefs

Individual differences in demographics, personality, and other related beliefs are associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) threat beliefs. However, the relative contributions of these different types of individual differences to COVID-19 threat beliefs are not known. In this study, a total of 1,700 participants in Croatia (68% female; age 18-86 years) completed a survey that included questions about COVID-19 risks, questions about related beliefs including vaccination beliefs, trust in the health system, trust in scientists, and trust in the political system, the HEXACO 60 personality inventory, as well as demographic questions about gender, age, chronic diseases, and region. We used hierarchical regression analyses to examine the proportion of variance explained by demographics, personality, and other related beliefs. All three types of individual differences explained a part of the variance of COVID-19 threat beliefs, with related beliefs explaining the largest part. Personality facets explained a slightly larger amount of variance than personality factors. These results have implications for communication about COVID-19.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Affect, Fear, and Personality of Primary School Children Measured During the Second Wave of Infections in 2020

In relation to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, a large body of research has identified a negative impact on individuals' affectivity, frequently documented by increased prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms. For children, this research was less extensive, was mainly based on caregivers' reports and neglected personality assessment. In order to measure the impact of the pandemic, and the fears it caused, on primary school children's affect and personality, 323 (180 boys and 143 girls) Italian third, fourth and fifth graders were assessed between October and November 2020, namely during the second wave of COVID-19 infections in Italy, with validated self-reports of affect (Positive and Negative Affect Scale for Children, PANAS-C), fear of COVID-19 (Fear of COVID-19 Scale, FCV-19S) and personality (junior Temperament and Character Inventory, jTCI). In comparison with PANAS-C and jTCI normative scores collected prior to the pandemic, data obtained from children in 2020 showed unchanged affect scores in the overall sample, a decrease of Positive Affect in girls, and a decrease in the Harm Avoidance and an increase in the Self-Transcendence scales of personality. Fear of COVID-19 scores were positively correlated with Negative Affect scores and negatively predicted by children's personality profile of resilience (calculated using scores on the Harm Avoidance and the Self-Directedness scales of personality). These results suggested that Italian primary school children, especially boys, maintained their pre-pandemic levels of affect (or restored them after the first COVID-19 wave) and partially diverged from the typical development of personality in an apparently positive sense, namely toward more courageous/optimistic and spiritual profiles. This sort of children's post-traumatic growth might also be attributed to children's family and education systems, which should continue to be supported to promote and maintain community mental health.

You can't do anything about it, but you can make the best of it: a qualitative analysis of pandemic-related experiences in six European countries

BACKGROUND

The complex system of stressors related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the global population, provoking a broad range of psychological reactions. Although numerous studies have investigated the mental health impact of COVID-19, qualitative research and cross-country comparisons are still rare.

OBJECTIVE

This qualitative study aimed to explore self-perceived challenges and opportunities related to COVID-19 across six European countries. The overall objective was to provide a differentiated picture of individual subjective experiences in the early stages of the pandemic.

METHOD

The present study included 7309 participants from Austria, Croatia, Georgia, Greece, Poland, and Portugal. We performed qualitative content analysis according to Mayring analyse open-ended questions regarding stressful events, positive and negative aspects of the pandemic, and recommendations to cope with the pandemic situation. MAXQDA software was used for data management and analysis.

RESULTS

Participants' accounts were moderately consistent across the countries. The most prominent themes regarding stressful and negative pandemic aspects included: Restrictions and changes in daily life, Emotional distress, and Work and finances. Answers about positive pandemic consequences were mainly centred around the themes Reflection and growth, Opportunity for meaningful/enjoyable activities, and Benefits on interpersonal level. Key themes identified from participants' recommendations to cope with the pandemic included Beneficial behavioural adjustment, Beneficial cognitive-emotional strategies, and Social support.

CONCLUSIONS

Participants experienced various challenges, but also shared several positive pandemic consequences and recommendations to cope with the pandemic. These first-hand data could inform mental health practices to promote well-being during COVID-19 and similar global challenges in the participating countries and possibly beyond.

HIGHLIGHTS

We examined COVID-19-related experiences in 7309 adults from six European countries.Besides challenges, participants identified many positive pandemic consequences.Participants' recommendations to cope with COVID-19 included behavioural and cognitive-emotional strategies.

The role of extraversion and neuroticism for experiencing stress during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

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.

Emotional and Behavioral Responses to COVID-19

Abstract. This review appraises evidence for the role of personality in COVID-19 related emotions and behaviors. Three key models of personality are considered: the Five-factor Model, HEXACO model, and Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST). In line with personality research, more generally, most studies focus on the Five-Factor model. Key findings are that neuroticism is most associated with poor mental health, and extraversion is associated with a reluctance to socially isolate. Conscientiousness predicts compliance with safety guidelines but also with fewer prosocial behaviors, particularly stockpiling. Research within the HEXACO framework largely confirms these findings, especially for emotionality and mental health. The additional HEXACO Honesty-Humility factor is found to be associated with prosocial views and abstention from panic buying. Studies based on the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of personality indicate emotional conflict as people wish to stay safe while maintaining a sense of normality. Behavioral compliance is driven by activation in the Fight-Flight-Freeze System (FFFS; fear-related) and the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS; anxiety-related). The Behavioral Approach System (BAS) is implicated in approach-driven behaviors such as avoiding infection. These findings have implications for health communications and post-pandemic support.

Factors Influencing Residents' Psychological Status During Standardized Training in COVID-19

Objectives: To explore the influencing factors of residents' psychological status during standardized training in COVID-19 for finding ways to promote their mental health. Methods: A total of 760 residents were surveyed with a structured questionnaire. Correlation analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of psychological status of the residents, and a mediation model was constructed to verify the mediating role of satisfaction. Results: Age, willingness to study medicine, and satisfaction were positively correlated with negative psychological status (P < 0.05). And gender, only child or not, and annual household income (RMB) were negatively correlated with negative psychological status (P < 0.01). Residents' satisfaction with standardized training mode plays a complete mediating role between annual household income and negative psychological status. Conclusions: Our findings emphasize the importance of concentrating on resident's psychological status and family economic situation. And relative departments should take action to optimize the standardized training mode to improve the satisfaction.