How personality traits shape susceptibility to mental distress in times of crisis: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic

Empirical evidence indicates that societal crises and adverse conditions can negatively impact population mental health. The Big Five personality traits – neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness –significantly influence stress responses. In this article, we examine how personality traits were associated with mental distress during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on data from the Understanding America Study, we find that, since the pandemic began, individuals with high levels of neuroticism were more likely to experience mental distress. By contrast, the remaining personality traits exhibited weaker, inconsistent, or statistically insignificant associations with mental health trajectories. Further analyses indicate that the heightened vulnerability among individuals high in neuroticism was accompanied by elevated risk perceptions, differential adoption of protective behaviors, and less adaptive coping patterns. Taken together, these findings suggest that personality-linked differences, particularly driven by the level of neuroticism, help explain heterogeneity in mental health responses to large-scale societal stressors. Our findings point to the relevance of personality traits (particularly neuroticism) for identifying individuals who may benefit from targeted mental health support during future crises.