Jialu Ye, Jie Zhang, Jiafeng Li, Yushu Tang, Qingrong Liu, Lijun Jiang
Personality traits provided substantial incremental explanatory value for anxiety symptoms in this Tibetan sample. Neuroticism emerged as a robust correlate of anxiety, whereas extraversion was also positively associated with anxiety symptoms, a pattern differing from findings commonly reported in Western populations. These findings highlight the importance of interpreting personality-anxiety associations within their sociocultural and psychometric context and underscore the need for culturally validated personality measures when extending personality research to understudied populations.
BACKGROUND: Personality traits are well-established correlates of anxiety symptoms, yet whether these associations generalize across culturally distinct populations remains insufficiently understood. This study examined the incremental explanatory value of neuroticism and extraversion for anxiety symptoms in a Tibetan sociocultural context after accounting for sociodemographic, health-related, and social-contextual factors.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 583 community-dwelling Tibetan adults recruited through convenience sampling in western China. Participants completed the Tibetan adaptations of the Brief Big Five Personality Scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), together with measures of sociodemographic characteristics, mental health history, perceived social support, and religious affiliation. Given the absence of published psychometric validation of the Tibetan adaptation, internal consistency was assessed and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to evaluate the reliability and underlying factor structure of the personality measure. Hierarchical multiple regression and exploratory moderation analyses examined the incremental explanatory value of personality traits and the potential moderating effects of perceived social support and religious affiliation.
RESULTS: Neuroticism and extraversion explained an additional 34.3% of the variance in anxiety symptoms beyond sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, increasing the total explained variance from 5.0 to 39.3%. Both traits were positively associated with anxiety symptoms. Perceived social support and religious affiliation contributed negligible additional explanatory value and did not moderate the association between neuroticism and anxiety symptoms. EFA supported a theoretically informed two-factor solution despite substantial overlap between neuroticism and extraversion.
CONCLUSION: Personality traits provided substantial incremental explanatory value for anxiety symptoms in this Tibetan sample. Neuroticism emerged as a robust correlate of anxiety, whereas extraversion was also positively associated with anxiety symptoms, a pattern differing from findings commonly reported in Western populations. These findings highlight the importance of interpreting personality-anxiety associations within their sociocultural and psychometric context and underscore the need for culturally validated personality measures when extending personality research to understudied populations.