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Do neuroticism inventories measure personality traits or psychosocial stress?
Author(s) -
Ormel J.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1980.tb07691.x
Subject(s) - neuroticism , psychology , psychosocial , personality , big five personality traits , clinical psychology , personality assessment inventory , psychiatry , social psychology
This study was carried out to determine the influence of environmental factors and of personality factors on a person's responses to a neuroticism inventory. In 1970, 1976 and 1977, a sample of approximately 300 Dutchmen aged 15–60 years completed a number of questions from Wilde's neuroticism and neurosomaticism inventories. In addition, a psychiatric interview was conducted to obtain information about their life situation, stressful life events, and long‐term difficulties. The results indicate that neuroticism, and to a lesser extent neurosomaticism scores, reflect personality traits rather than psychosocial stress or a person's reactions to it. The relation between emotional disturbance and high scores on the inventories suggests that people with high scores are poor copers both psychological (defense) and in instrumental behavior and problem‐solving.