Personality and Lockdown: A Study on Italian Undergraduates During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Silvia Biondi; Simona Casale; Jessica Burrai; Cristina Mazza; Gabriele Cavaggioni; Stefano Ferracuti; Anna Maria Giannini; Paolo Roma

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.622366

Personality and Lockdown: A Study on Italian Undergraduates During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Front Psychiatry. 2021 May 28:12:622366. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.622366. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Silvia Biondi¹, Simona Casale¹, Jessica Burrai^{2

3}, Cristina Mazza⁴, Gabriele Cavaggioni¹, Stefano Ferracuti¹, Anna Maria Giannini³, Paolo Roma¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
² Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
³ Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
⁴ Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti Pescara, Chieti, Italy.

Abstract

The current study aimed at increasing our understanding of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on undergraduate students, particularly with respect to the association between personality traits; defense mechanisms (DMs); depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms (DASSs); and compliance with the government recommended health measures. A sample of 1,427 Italian undergraduate students were administered the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5-Brief Form; the Defense Style Questionnaire-40; and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21. Compliance with the COVID-19 behavioral recommendations was measured through a 10-item survey measure. Results showed that immature DMs and internalizing personality traits (i.e., detachment, negative affect, psychoticism) were risk factors of DASSs. Furthermore, subjects with higher levels of DASSs appeared less compliant with the health measures recommended by the Italian government. Experts may use these results to identify and subsequently support (via the Internet) young subjects at greater risk of mental health problems as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: anxiety; compliance; defense mechanisms; depression; prevention; stress.