The role of neuroticism and extraversion in the stress-anxiety and stress-depression relationships.
Though there is a considerable amount of research supporting the association between stressful life events and major depression, there is a paucity of research concerning a range of other life stress constructs, non-depressive disorders, the role of stable personality traits, and gender differences. This study addresses these deficits by: (a) focusing on the association between interpersonal and non-interpersonal chronic life stress (CLS) and both depressive and anxiety disorders; (b) examining the roles of neuroticism and low extraversion in these associations; and (c) assessing gender differences. Participants were 603 adolescents from a study examining risk factors for emotional disorders. Depression and social phobia were associated with interpersonal CLS (IP-CLS), with neuroticism partially accounting for these associations. Low extraversion partially accounted for the association between social phobia and IP-CLS. Depression was also associated with non-interpersonal CLS (NI-CLS), but only in females. This study provides preliminary evidence for the importance of personality variables in explaining shared associations between stress and depression. Additionally, the stress-social phobia relationship is highlighted with no evidence supporting an association between other anxiety disorders and CLS.
Uliaszek
Amanda A
AA
Department of Clinical Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. a-uliaszek@northwestern.edu <a-uliaszek@northwestern.edu>
Zinbarg
Richard E
RE
Mineka
Susan
S
Craske
Michelle G
MG
Sutton
Jonathan M
JM
Griffith
James W
JW
Rose
Raphael
R
Waters
Allison
A
Hammen
Constance
C
D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D001245:Association Learning; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D010551:Personality; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires