| dc.description.abstract | INTRODUCTION: An individual's personality type influences the level of mental and physical health through life. To gain insight into the possible buffering effect of psychological flexibility on the connection between extraversion and neuroticism, and health this cross-sectional study examines associations between these variables.
METHODS: Data on mental and physical health using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the PHQ-15 (Patient Health Questionnaire-15), personality styles neuroticism and extraversion using the BFI-2 (Big Five Inventory-2) and psychological flexibility using the FIT-60 (Flexibility Index Test-60) where obtained by letting 373 participants (Mean age 43 years, 91 male, 224 female) fill out these questionnaires online.
RESULTS: The associations of flexibility with the relationship between personality (neuroticism and extraversion) and health (mental and physical) showed no significant interaction with p=.070, p=.782, p=.568 and p=.559. Significant correlations were found between the factors Physical health and Flexibility r=.296, p<.001, Extraversion r=.175, p<.01 and Neuroticism r=-.316, p<.001. Stronger correlations were found between Mental health and Flexibility r=.756, INTRODUCTION: An individual's personality type influences the level of mental and physical health through life. To gain insight into the possible buffering effect of psychological flexibility on the connection between extraversion and neuroticism, and health this cross-sectional study examines associations between these variables.
METHODS: Data on mental and physical health using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the PHQ-15 (Patient Health Questionnaire-15), personality styles neuroticism and extraversion using the BFI-2 (Big Five Inventory-2) and psychological flexibility using the FIT-60 (Flexibility Index Test-60) where obtained by letting 373 participants (Mean age 43 years, 91 male, 224 female) fill out these questionnaires online.
RESULTS: The associations of flexibility with the relationship between personality (neuroticism and extraversion) and health (mental and physical) showed no significant interaction with p=.070, p=.782, p=.568 and p=.559. Significant correlations were found between the factors Physical health and Flexibility r=.296, p<.001, Extraversion r=.175, p<.01 and Neuroticism r=-.316, p<.001. Stronger correlations were found between Mental health and Flexibility r=.756, p<.001, Extraversion r=.364, p<.001 and Neuroticism r=-.801, p<.001.
CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that even though psychological flexibility has a significant association with good health it does not appear to fulfil the role of buffering factor in the relationship between personality and health. The existence of an additive model showing that both psychological flexibility and personality are independently associated with physical and mental health does suggest that it is valuable to try to increase psychological flexibility.
p<.001, Extraversion r=.364, p<.001 and Neuroticism r=-.801, p<.001. | |
