Though high levels of neuroticism put people at risk for depression and anxiety, if those same individuals are also highly extraverted and conscientious they could have a measure of protection against those disorders.
Neuroticism is the tendency to experience different negative emotions and to react strongly to stress.
Along with extraversion and conscientiousness, it is among the "Big Five" personality traits, a group that also includes agreeableness and openness to experience.
"If someone has high levels of extraversion they might be very good at gathering social support or increasing their positive affectivity through social means," said Kristin Naragon-Gainey, from the University at Buffalo in the US.
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The findings, published in the Journal of Research in Personality, point to the importance of stepping away from focusing on single personality traits in clinical settings in favour of looking at how combinations of traits might work together to help either prevent or predict specific symptoms.
The researchers interviewed 463 adult participants who reported receiving psychiatric treatment within the past two years.
Each participant also completed numerous questionnaires. The study examined the traits of neuroticism, extraversion and conscientiousness because those three have the strongest associations with mood and anxiety disorders.
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