Extraversion Moderates the Relationship Between the Stringency of COVID-19 Protective Measures and Depressive...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Mental Health

Background:

• Psychologists hypothesized extraverts experience greater negative social consequences from COVID-19 protective measures compared to introverts.
• Empirical evidence for this hypothesis was limited at the pandemic's outset.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test if extraversion moderates the relationship between COVID-19 measure stringency and depressive symptoms.
• Investigate the differential psychological impact of pandemic restrictions based on personality traits.

Main Methods:

• Survey data from 93,125 respondents across 47 countries collected early in the COVID-19 pandemic (March 20-April 6, 2020).
• Utilized publicly available data on the stringency of COVID-19 protective measures.
• Statistical analysis to examine the moderating role of extraversion.

Main Results:

• Extraversion significantly moderated the association between measure stringency and depressive symptoms.
• For introverts, increased measure stringency correlated with decreased depressive symptoms.
• For extraverts, measure stringency showed a non-significant positive association with depressive symptoms.

Conclusions:

• The psychological impact of COVID-19 protective measures varies by personality, specifically extraversion.
• While stringent measures may increase feelings of safety, the associated lifestyle impacts introverts and extraverts differently.
• Introverts may adapt more readily to the social restrictions inherent in stringent public health measures.