The significance of personality profiles and psychological flexibility for mental health

Abstract

Background and aim. The link between personality and mental health has been thoroughly studied. Psychological flexibility shows potential to be a buffer against maladaptive personality profiles. This study examined the moderation effect of psychological flexibility on the relationship between personality profiles and mental health. Method. Participants were 208 Dutch individuals aged between 18 and 72 (86.1% female). They completed the Big Five Inventory 2 (BFI-2), Flexibiliteits Index Test 60 (FIT-60) and RAND Short Form 36 (SF-36). Hierarchical clustering with Ward’s method and K-means cluster analysis were performed. Then, a moderation effect was tested. Results. Adaptive and maladaptive personality profiles were found. These profiles and psychological flexibility were significantly and additively associated with mental health. No moderation effect of psychological flexibility on the relationship between personality profiles and mental health was found. Implications. Interventions that aim to develop psychological flexibility taking into account personality profiles may help increase mental health and prevent the development of psychopathology.