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. 2024 Nov 29:15:1460888.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1460888. eCollection 2024.

Big-five personality traits and depression: chain mediation of self-efficacy and walking

Han Cai  1   2 , Hongtao Song  1   3 , Yating Yang  1   4 , Zihe Xiao  1   5 , Xianlong Zhang  1   5 , Feng Jiang  6   7 , Huanzhong Liu  1   8   9 , Yi-Lang Tang  10   11
Affiliations

Big-five personality traits and depression: chain mediation of self-efficacy and walking

Han Cai et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: Depression is a major global public health concern, with research indicating a correlation between personality traits and depression. This study aimed to explore the potential mediating roles of self-efficacy and walking in the relationship between personality traits and depression among Chinese residents.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted from July 10 to September 15, 2021, involving 11,031 Chinese residents across 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, and 4 municipalities Participants provided data on demographics, personality traits (using the Ten-Item Personality Inventory), self-efficacy (using the New General Self-Efficacy Scale), chronic disease self-management (using the Chronic Disease Self-Management Study Measures), and depression (using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9). After screening, data from 8,499 participants were analyzed. Sequential mediation models were employed, with the Big Five personality traits as predictors, depression as the outcome, and self-efficacy and walking as the mediators.

Results: Extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability were negatively correlated with depression, with self-efficacy and walking as positive mediators in these relationships. Conversely, openness was positively associated with depression, and the self-efficacy-walking chain did not mediate this relationship but rather masked the effect of openness on depression.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that self-efficacy and walking are significant mediators in the relationship between personality traits and depression, potentially mitigating the risk of depressive episodes.

Keywords: depression; mediating effect; personality; self-efficacy; walking.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The handling editor YW declared a past co-authorship with author FJ.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The chain mediation model of self-efficacy and walking betweeen big-five personality traits and depression symptoms. The red line indicates the positive regression coefficient. The blue line indicates the negative regression coefficient. The solid line indicates that the regression coefficient is significant (p < 0.05). The dashed line indicates that the regression coefficient is insignificant (p > 0.05). *** indicates p < 0.001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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