Cognitive emotion regulation strategies mediate the relationships between Dark Triad traits and negative emotional states experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic

Justyna Mojsa-Kaja; Klaudia Szklarczyk; Sara González-Yubero; Raquel Palomera

doi:10.1016/j.paid.2021.111018

Cognitive emotion regulation strategies mediate the relationships between Dark Triad traits and negative emotional states experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic

Pers Individ Dif. 2021 Oct:181:111018. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111018. Epub 2021 May 26.

Authors

Justyna Mojsa-Kaja¹, Klaudia Szklarczyk¹, Sara González-Yubero², Raquel Palomera²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurobiology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
² Department of Education, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain.

Abstract

COVID-19 has become a major source of stress as it puts individuals at risk of a range of mental health problems. Personality traits may predispose people to use adaptive or maladaptive coping strategies that lead to different health-related outcomes. The goal of the present study was to examine whether the use of distinct coping strategies during this stressful COVID-19 outbreak mediates the relationships between Dark Triad (DT) traits and stress, depression, and anxiety. The study was conducted in Poland (N = 1086) and Spain (N = 582), thus cross-culturally validated measures were used to assess depression, anxiety and stress (DASS-21), cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CERQ) and socially aversive traits covered by DT (Dirty Dozen scale). The study shows that maladaptive CERS mediates the relationships between narcissism/Machiavellianism and stress, anxiety and depression. Additionally, adaptive CERS mediates the relationship between psychopathy and depression. The results provide a better understanding of the mediating role of CERS on the relationships between DT traits and the stress, anxiety and depression experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Anxiety; COVID-19; Cognitive emotion regulation strategies; Dark Triad; Depression; Stress.