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Change in five-factor model personality traits during the acute phase of the coronavirus pandemic.
- Source :
-
PloS one [PLoS One] 2020 Aug 06; Vol. 15 (8), pp. e0237056. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Aug 06 (Print Publication: 2020). - Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- The rapid spread of the coronavirus and the strategies to slow it have disrupted just about every aspect of our lives. Such disruption may be reflected in changes in psychological function. The present study used a pre-posttest design to test whether Five Factor Model personality traits changed with the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. Participants (N = 2,137) were tested in early February 2020 and again during the President's 15 Days to Slow the Spread guidelines. In contrast to the preregistered hypotheses, Neuroticism decreased across these six weeks, particularly the facets of Anxiety and Depression, and Conscientiousness did not change. Interestingly, there was some evidence that the rapid changes in the social context had changed the meaning of an item. Specifically, an item about going to work despite being sick was a good indicator of conscientiousness before COVID-19, but the interpretation of it changed with the pandemic. In sum, the unexpected small decline in Neuroticism suggests that, during the acute phase of the coronavirus outbreak, feelings of anxiety and distress may be attributed more to the pandemic than to one's personality.<br />Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
- Subjects :
- Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Anxiety pathology
Anxiety psychology
Betacoronavirus isolation & purification
COVID-19
Consciousness
Coronavirus Infections epidemiology
Coronavirus Infections virology
Depression pathology
Depression psychology
Female
Humans
Internet
Male
Middle Aged
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral epidemiology
Pneumonia, Viral virology
SARS-CoV-2
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States epidemiology
Young Adult
Coronavirus Infections pathology
Neuroticism
Pneumonia, Viral pathology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1932-6203
- Volume :
- 15
- Issue :
- 8
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- PloS one
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 32760108
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237056