SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Afet ve Risk Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 7 Sayı: 1

Personality and Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic

İlayda Bilgin(SABANCI UNIVERSITY)0000-0002-9715-1678
Asuman Büyükcan-tetik(Utrecht University)0000-0002-0541-702X
Bülent Aykutoğlu(NUH NACI YAZGAN UNIVERSITY)0000-0003-4288-7546
Samet Baş(DOKUZ EYLUL UNIVERSITY)0000-0002-5518-7576
Pages
62–70
Publication Date
2024-03-29
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings are discussed to shed light on future studies regarding the connection between personality traits and life events.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:The COVID-19 pandemic was a health crisis eliciting a variety of stressors, leading to reductions in well-being worldwide.
📊
Key Findings & Data:Zero-order correlations in the analysis demonstrated higher resilience, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness related to higher well-being, whereas neuroticism and attachment anxiety were related to lower well-being.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The findings are discussed to shed light on future studies regarding the connection between personality traits and life events.
🔬Design:Survey & Empirical Study
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Anxiety · COVID-19 Pandemic · Depression

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic was a health crisis eliciting a variety of stressors, leading to reductions in well-being worldwide. Personality traits are among the key factors determining how individuals respond to adversity and disasters. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between a wide range of personality characteristics and different indicators of psychological well-being in Turkish university undergraduates during the first lockdown of the pandemic. The data were collected through an online cross-sectional survey. Zero-order correlations in the analysis demonstrated higher resilience, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness related to higher well-being, whereas neuroticism and attachment anxiety were related to lower well-being. The results of the multivariate regression analysis with the personality characteristics within the study showed that resilience was consistently and strongly associated with better psychological well-being. Neuroticism was related positively to depression and anxiety symptoms and negative affect but unrelated to positive affect. High self-control was linked to a more positive affect and less negative affect. Our findings illustrated personality’s potential adaptive and maladaptive effects on reported mental health during the pandemic. The findings are discussed to shed light on future studies regarding the connection between personality traits and life events.

Özet

The COVID-19 pandemic was a health crisis eliciting a variety of stressors, leading to reductions in well-being worldwide. Personality traits are among the key factors determining how individuals respond to adversity and disasters. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between a wide range of personality characteristics and different indicators of psychological well-being in Turkish university undergraduates during the first lockdown of the pandemic. The data were collected through an online cross-sectional survey. Zero-order correlations in the analysis demonstrated higher resilience, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness related to higher well-being, whereas neuroticism and attachment anxiety were related to lower well-being. The results of the multivariate regression analysis with the personality characteristics within the study showed that resilience was consistently and strongly associated with better psychological well-being. Neuroticism was related positively to depression and anxiety symptoms and negative affect but unrelated to positive affect. High self-control was linked to a more positive affect and less negative affect. Our findings illustrated personality’s potential adaptive and maladaptive effects on reported mental health during the pandemic. The findings are discussed to shed light on future studies regarding the connection between personality traits and life events.

🔖

Cite This Article

Bilgin, İ., Büyükcan-tetik, A., Aykutoğlu, B., Baş, S. (2024). Personality and Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Afet ve Risk Dergisi, Cilt: 7 Sayı: 1, 62–70. https://doi.org/10.35341/afet.1264411

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (47)

  1. Anglim, J., & Horwood, S. (2021). Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and big five personality on subjective and psychological well-being. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(8), 1527-1537. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550620983047
  2. Anglim, J., Horwood, S., Smillie, L. D., Marrero, R. J., & Wood, J. K. (2020). Predicting psychological and subjective well-being from personality: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 146(4), 279-323. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000226
  3. Aschwanden, D., Strickhouser, J. E., Sesker, A. A., Lee, J. H., Luchetti, M., Stephan, Y.,. & Terracciano, A. (2021). Psychological and behavioural responses to coronavirus disease 2019: The role of personality. European Journal of Personality, 35(1), 51-66. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2281
  4. Atak, H. (2013). The Turkish adaptation of the ten-item personality inventory. Nöro Psikiyatri Arşivi, 50(4), 312-319. https://doi.org/10.4275/npa.y6128
  5. Bozdağ, F., & Ergün, N. (2021). Psychological resilience of healthcare professionals during COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Reports, 124(6), 2567-2586. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294120965477
  6. Buyukcan-Tetik, A., Finkenauer, C., & Bleidorn, W. (2018). Within-person variations and between-person differences in self-control and wellbeing. Personality and Individual Differences, 122, 72-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.10.013
  7. Carleton, R. N. (2012). The intolerance of uncertainty construct in the context of anxiety disorders: Theoretical and practical perspectives. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 12(8), 937-947. https://doi.org/10.1586/ern.12.82
  8. Chmitorz, A., Kunzler, A., Helmreich, I., Tüscher, O., Kalisch, R., Kubiak, T.,. & Lieb, K. (2018). Intervention studies to foster resilience–A systematic review and proposal for a resilience framework in future intervention studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 59, 78-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2017.11.002
  9. Dogan, T. (2015). Adaptation of the Brief Resilience Scale into Turkish: A validity and reliability study. The Journal of Happiness & Well-Being, 3(1), 93-102.
  10. Fraley, R. C., Waller, N. G., & Brennan, K. A. (2000). An item response theory analysis of self-report measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(2), 350-365. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.78.2.350
  11. Friese, M., Frankenbach, J., Job, V., Loschelder, D.D. 2017. Does self-control training improve self-control? A meta-analysis. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(6), 1077–1099. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1745691617697076
  12. Gençöz, T. (2000). Positive and Negative Affect Schedule: A study of validity and reliability. Türk Psikoloji Dergisi, 15(46),19-28.
  13. Gosling, S. D., Rentfrow, P. J., & Swann Jr, W. B. (2003). A very brief measure of the Big-Five personality domains. Journal of Research in Personality, 37(6), 504-528. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(03)00046-1
  14. Gupta, K., & Parimal, B. S. (2020). Relationship between personality dimensions and psychological well-being among university students during pandemic lockdown. Journal of Global Resources, 6(01a), 10-19. https://doi.org/10.46587/JGR.2020.v06si01.002
  15. Karataş, Z., & Tagay, Ö. (2021). The relationships between resilience of the adults affected by the covid pandemic in Turkey and Covid-19 fear, meaning in life, life satisfaction, intolerance of uncertainty and hope. Personality and Individual Differences, 172, 110592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110592
  16. Killgore, W.D.S., Taylor, E.C., Cloonan, S.A., Dailey, N.S. (2020). Psychological resilience during the COVID-19 lockdown. Psychiatry Research, 291, 113216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113216
  17. Kumar, S., Lee, N. K., Pinkerton, E., Wroblewski, K. E., Lengyel, E., & Tobin, M. (2022). Resilience: A mediator of the negative effects of pandemic-related stress on women’s mental health in the USA. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 25(1), 137-146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-021-01184-7
  18. Li, J.-B., Yang, A., Dou, K., & Cheung, R. Y. M. (2020). Self-control moderates the association between perceived severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and mental health problems among the Chinese Public. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(13), 4820. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134820
  19. Liu, S., Lithopoulos, A., Zhang, C. Q., Garcia-Barrera, M. A., & Rhodes, R. E. (2021). Personality and perceived stress during COVID-19 pandemic: Testing the mediating role of perceived threat and efficacy. Personality and Individual Differences, 168, 110351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110351
  20. Lopez, F. G., & Brennan, K. A. (2000). Dynamic processes underlying adult attachment organization: Toward an attachment theoretical perspective on the healthy and effective self. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47(3), 283–300. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.47.3.283
  21. López-Núñez, M. I., Díaz-Morales, J. F., & Aparicio-García, M. E. (2021). Individual differences, personality, social, family and work variables on mental health during COVID-19 outbreak in Spain. Personality and Individual Differences, 172, 110562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110562
  22. Luo, M., Guo, L., Yu, M., Jiang, W., & Wang, H. (2020). The psychological and mental impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on medical staff and general public–A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research, 291, 113190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113190
  23. Micillo, L., Rioux, P. A., Mendoza, E., Kübel, S. L., Cellini, N., Van Wassenhove, V.,. & Mioni, G. (2022). Time perspective predicts levels of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 outbreak: A cross-cultural study. Plos One, 17(9), e0269396. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269396
  24. Moccia, L., Janiri, D., Pepe, M., Dattoli, L., Molinaro, M., De Martin, V.,. & Di Nicola, M. (2020). Affective temperament, attachment style, and the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak: an early report on the Italian general population. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 87, 75-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.048
  25. Modersitzki, N., Phan, L. V., Kuper, N., & Rauthmann, J. F. (2021). Who is impacted? Personality predicts individual differences in psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(6), 1110-1130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550620952576
  26. Nebioglu, M., Konuk, N., Akbaba, S., & Eroglu, Y. (2012). The investigation of validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Brief Self-Control Scale. Klinik Psikofarmakoloji Bülteni-Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 22(4), 340-351. https://doi.org/10.5455/bcp.20120911042732
  27. Osimo, S. A., Aiello, M., Gentili, C., Ionta, S., & Cecchetto, C. (2021). The influence of personality, resilience, and alexithymia on mental health during COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 630751. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.630751
  28. Öner, N., & LeCompte, A. (1985). Durumluk-sürekli Kaygı Envanteri El Kitabı. Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Yayınları, Istanbul
  29. Qian, K., & Yahara, T. (2020). Mentality and behavior in COVID-19 emergency status in Japan: Influence of personality, morality and ideology. PloS One, 15(7). e0235883. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235883
  30. Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1(3), 385-401. https://doi.org/10.1177/014662167700100306
  31. Romero, E., Villar, P., Gómez-Fraguela, J. A., & López-Romero, L. (2012). Measuring personality traits with ultra-short scales: A study of the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) in a Spanish sample. Personality and Individual Differences, 53(3), 289-293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.03.035
  32. Selçuk E, Gunaydin G, Sümer N, Uysal A (2005). Yetişkin Bağlanma Boyutları İçin Yeni Bir Ölçüm: Yakın İlişkilerde Yaşantılar Envanteri II'nin Türk Örnekleminde Psikometrik Açıdan Değerlendirilmesi. Türk Psikoloji Yazıları, 8(16), 1 - 11.
  33. Smith, B. W., Dalen, J., Wiggins, K., Tooley, E., Christopher, P., & Bernard, J. (2008). The Brief Resilience Scale: Assessing the ability to bounce back. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 15(3), 194-200. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705500802222972
  34. Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., Lushene, R., Vagg, P. R., & Jacobs, G. A. (1983). Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto
  35. Staneva, A., Carmignani, F., & Rohde, N. (2022). Personality, gender, and age resilience to the mental health effects of COVID-19. Social Science & Medicine, 301, 114884. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114884
  36. Sutin, A. R., Luchetti, M., Aschwanden, D., Lee, J. H., Sesker, A. A., Strickhouser, J. E.,. & Terracciano, A. (2020). Change in five-factor model personality traits during the acute phase of the coronavirus pandemic. PloS One, 15(8), e0237056. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237056
  37. Sutin, A. R., Stephan, Y., Luchetti, M., Aschwanden, D., Lee, J. H., Sesker, A. A., & Terracciano, A. (2022). Differential personality change earlier and later in the coronavirus pandemic in a longitudinal sample of adults in the United States. Plos One, 17(9), e0274542. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274542
  38. Tangney, J. P., Baumeister, R. F., & Boone, A. L. (2004). High self‐control predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success. Journal of Personality, 72(2), 271-324. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3506.2004.00263.x
  39. Tatar, A., & Saltukoglu, G. (2010). The adaptation of the CES-depression scale into Turkish through the use of confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory and the examination of psychometric characteristics. Klinik Psikofarmakoloji Bülteni-Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 20(3), 213-227. https://doi.org/10.1080/10177833.2010.11790662
  40. Vowels, L. M., Carnelley, K. B., & Stanton, S. C. (2022). Attachment anxiety predicts worse mental health outcomes during COVID-19: Evidence from two studies. Personality and Individual Differences, 185, 111256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111256
  41. Yıldırım, M., Arslan, G., & Wong, P. T. (2022). Meaningful living, resilience, affective balance, and psychological health problems among Turkish young adults during coronavirus pandemic. Current Psychology, 41(11), 7812-7823. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01244-8
  42. Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063-1070. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.54.6.1063
  43. Aschwanden, D., Strickhouser, J. E., Sesker, A. A., Lee, J. H., Luchetti, M., Stephan, Y.,. & Terracciano, A. (2021). Psychological and behavioural responses to coronavirus disease 2019: The role of personality. European Journal of Personality, 35(1), 51-66. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2281
  44. Chmitorz, A., Kunzler, A., Helmreich, I., Tüscher, O., Kalisch, R., Kubiak, T.,. & Lieb, K. (2018). Intervention studies to foster resilience–A systematic review and proposal for a resilience framework in future intervention studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 59, 78-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2017.11.002
  45. Micillo, L., Rioux, P. A., Mendoza, E., Kübel, S. L., Cellini, N., Van Wassenhove, V.,. & Mioni, G. (2022). Time perspective predicts levels of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 outbreak: A cross-cultural study. Plos One, 17(9), e0269396. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269396
  46. Moccia, L., Janiri, D., Pepe, M., Dattoli, L., Molinaro, M., De Martin, V.,. & Di Nicola, M. (2020). Affective temperament, attachment style, and the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak: an early report on the Italian general population. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 87, 75-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.048
  47. Sutin, A. R., Luchetti, M., Aschwanden, D., Lee, J. H., Sesker, A. A., Strickhouser, J. E.,. & Terracciano, A. (2020). Change in five-factor model personality traits during the acute phase of the coronavirus pandemic. PloS One, 15(8), e0237056. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237056