Relationships between Dark Triad and negative emotions during COVID-19 lockdown: The chain mediating roles of negative coping and state boredom

Minqi Yang; Chunyu Qu; Zehao Zhang; Hanxiao Guo; Xicheng Guo; Liuqi Yang; Kexin Tian; Wanying Hu

doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03560-7

Relationships between Dark Triad and negative emotions during COVID-19 lockdown: The chain mediating roles of negative coping and state boredom

Curr Psychol. 2022 Sep 1:1-13. doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-03560-7. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Minqi Yang^{1

2}, Chunyu Qu¹, Zehao Zhang¹, Hanxiao Guo¹, Xicheng Guo¹, Liuqi Yang³, Kexin Tian¹, Wanying Hu¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Education, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China.
² School of Marxism, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China.
³ School of Water Conservancy Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China.

Abstract

Personality is distal vulnerability of negative emotions and vital to mental health. Dark Triad was significantly correlated with negative emotions, whereas the mechanisms beneath the relationships were less clear. Based on life history strategy theory (LHS) and cognitive vulnerability-transactional stress model, the study explored the relationships between Dark Triad and negative emotions and investigated the roles of negative coping style and state boredom in the relationships aforementioned during the strict period of COVID-19 lockdown in China. 464 participants (M _age = 36.78 years; SD = 10.53) finished a package of measurements online including Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Short Dark Triad (SD3), Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS), and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ). The results showed there were positive relationships between Dark Triad and depression, anxiety and stress. Moreover, the relationships between Dark Triad and negative emotions were sequentially mediated by negative coping style and state boredom. The present study offered fascinating perspectives in the relationships between Dark Triad and negative emotions, and revealed how Dark Triad affected depression, anxiety and stress during the initial phase of COVID-19 pandemic and strict lockdown among Chinese population. The present results may provide important implications for the prevention and intervention of depression, anxiety and stress during COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. Specifically, the intervention strategies that focus on reducing Dark Triad, negative coping and boredom may help offset occurrence of negative emotional states.

Keywords: Anxiety; Coping style; Dark Triad; Depression; State boredom; Stress.

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