Relationship between personality, adherence to (mental) health behaviours and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

IntroductionPublic health authorities around the world have been disseminating messages to support mental health and psychosocial well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the Portuguese guidelines, we have developed the Adherence Scale to the Recommendations for Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic (ASR-MH-COVID19) to better understand this health behaviour.ObjectivesTo analyse the relationship between sociodemographics, personality traits, Adherence (to the Recommendations for Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic) and psychological distress.Methods413 individuals (69.2% female; mean age=31.02±14,272) completed an on-line survey, in September-December 2020, including sociodemographic questions, ASR-MH-COVID19, NEO-FFI-20 and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Health Perception Scale.ResultsAdherence scores did not significantly differ by gender, age and years of education. Women presented higher DASS and Neuroticism scores (p