Influence of sad affect induction on self-reported personality traits and personality functioning

Self-report measures are an effective and popular tool for assessing the latent constructs in personality and personality pathology. However, external biasing effects such as temporary affective states might impact this assessment method. The current project examined the effect of a sad affect induction on self-reports of the five-factor model domains, facets, DSM-5 Section III maladaptive traits, and personality functioning domains. One hundred and forty-two (Mₐ₉ₑ = 19.52; SD = 2.14) adult psychology undergraduates were randomized into a control or sad condition. Findings indicated limited effectiveness of the induction procedure, in reducing positive affect and increasing negative affect and sadness beyond the control condition. Despite the limited effectiveness of the induction procedure, small mean differences were demonstrated among the FFM domains, facets, and maladaptive trait variants. This result was particularly pertinent for the maladaptive traits and facets. Additional implications of the findings regarding affect induction methods and other biases that may impact self-reports are discussed.