Correlates of Coping Styles

Five hundred participants completed a short, ten-item measure of coping along with measures of self-esteem, intelligence, belief in a just world (BJW) and conspiracy theories (CT). The scale factored into four recognisable coping styles labelled socio-emotional, cognitive, internalisation and distraction. Correlations showed all factors were related to self-esteem and trait optimism. Regressions onto each factor indicated that self-esteem was the most consistent factor being associated positively with all factors, except internalisation. Younger females with low self-esteem tended to use socio-emotional coping, optimists with high self-esteem cognitive coping, younger, less optimistic people with low self-esteem internalisation and high self-esteem, less intelligent people with BJW distraction as a coping strategy. Implications and limitations are acknowledged.

Correlates of Self-Assessed Wellness

Background: This study was concerned with correlates of self-assessed health and wellness on ten dimensions including emotional, financial and physical health. All 10 self-ratings loaded on one factor with high internal reliability. Method: In all 506 adult participants, completed short measures of the bright side, Big Five traits (TIPI) and a short measure of the dark side, personality disorders (PID-5-BF). Results: Correlations and regressions suggested that wellness was related to sex, education and religious beliefs as well as four of five bright- and dark-side traits. Being Sanguine was most positively, and Choleric most negatively, associated with subjective wellness. Detachment and Negative Affect were the highest dark-side correlates. The final regression suggested that over a third of the variance in subjective wellness could be explained by four bright- and two dark-side factors. Conclusions: Personality factors, especially instability and negative affectivity, play a crucial role in all aspects of wellness. Implications and limitations are acknowledged.

Coping with Covid

Aim and Objective: What determines how people coped with the challenges of adapting to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and requirements? In four studies, conducted in 2021, groups of European adults (N>1800) noted how they had personally coped with Covid-19. Method: In each study, participants reported on their age, sex and education, their political and religious beliefs, as well as giving self-ratings and completing a number of standard tests on such things as their personality, intelligence and belief in conspiracy theories. Results: In the first study, sex, self-esteem, optimism and intelligence were significant predictors of self-assessed coping. In the second study, only optimism and emotional stability were significant predictors. In the third study, sex, optimism, self-esteem and ratings of change were related to coping. In the fourth study, self-esteem was the only significant predictor. Discussion: The results suggest that optimistic, better adjusted people, with higher self-esteem claim to be better copers. Age, education as well as political and religious beliefs and many personality measures were not related to self-reported coping with Covid-19. Implications for targeting those who require most help were discussed, and limitations were acknowledged.

Modern Health Worries and the Personality Disorders: Two Studies Using Different Measures

This paper reports on two studies using different measures of both Modern Health Worries (MHW) and the Personality Disorders (PDs) to establish the relationship between the two concepts. Study 1 used the PID-5 which is a measure of maladaptive personality traits and the extended 40 item MHW scale. Study 2 used the original 28 item measure of MHW and PDs as measured by the Coolidge Axis-II Inventory—Short Form: SCATI. In study 1 a regression on the total MHW scale accounted for 14% of the variance: those who scored higher on Antagonism and Negative Affect had higher MHW scores. In the study 2 regressions showed four variables consistently related to MHW: sex (females with higher scores), optimism, political beliefs (left wing liberals with higher scores) and those with Cluster B personality disorders (dramatic, overly emotional, erratic). There was enough overlap in the two studies to conclude that various PDs mainly from Cluster B (Moving Against others) were modestly related to MHW as predicted. Limitations and implications are considered.

Personal Correlates of Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

The aim of the study was to examine some overlooked individual difference (demography, ideology, ability) correlates of attitudes to being vaccinated with the Covid-19 vaccine. Six hundred and sixteen adults were asked about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The relationship between demographic (age, sex, education), ideology (political and religious beliefs), intelligence (cognitive ability) and attitudes to vaccination (acceptance, hesitancy, rejection) was examined. Correlations and regressions indicated that vaccine hesitancy and rejection were associated primarily with intelligence and political beliefs as well as mental illness history, as well as religious beliefs. Effect sizes were however small. Limitations are acknowledged.