Personality and coping with professional demands: a behavioral genetics analysis

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health Psychology
• Behavioral Genetics

Background:

• Work-related mental health problems contribute to absenteeism and early retirement.
• Early diagnosis and intervention for psychological strain and coping deficits are desirable.
• Work engagement, stress resistance, and occupational attitude are key coping facets related to psychological health.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the relationship between personality and coping with professional demands.
• Explore the etiological basis of the personality-coping relationship.
• Inform the development of targeted interventions for workplace mental health.

Main Methods:

• Assessed personality and coping facets (work engagement, stress resistance, occupational attitude) in 302 adult twin pairs.
• Utilized correlational analyses to examine associations between personality and coping.
• Employed twin study methodology to investigate heritability and etiological influences.

Main Results:

• Moderate correlations were found between personality and coping with professional demands.
• Significant heritabilities were observed for work engagement and stress resistance.
• Genetic and environmental influences on coping were largely independent of those on personality.

Conclusions:

• Interventions for workplace mental health should prioritize work engagement, stress resistance, and occupational attitude.
• Personality traits do not need to be specifically considered when designing these interventions.
• Findings support the development of targeted coping strategies to mitigate work-related mental health issues.