Philippine E-Journals

PERSONALITY AND FEAR DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Alexie Basileyo | Fernando Garcia

 

Abstract:

Personality traits are vital to further understand how people think, feel, and act in the wake of a global pandemic. This study sought to determine if the Big Five model of personality can predict the perceived fear of COVID-19 in Filipino undergraduate sample (N = 276). The findings supported the hypothesis, showing distinct associations between personality traits and fear of COVID-19. Results showed that neuroticism (β = 0.29, p = 0.001) and extraversion (β = 0.19, p = 0.002) predicted fear of COVID-19. On the contrary, conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness to experience did not predict fear of COVID-19. Knowledge on how personality traits and fear operate during the pandemic may guide administrative officers, university staff, teachers, and mental health professionals’ capacity to conceptualize measures and determine the best approaches such as psychological testing, assessment, and intervention programs to address problems arising from fear and anxiety of COVID-19.