Objective
The aim of this multicenter study was to investigate the differences in personality traits, particularly Neuroticism, in three clinical samples and three student samples in Austria and Italy and their impact on suicide.
Methods
In total, 1,043 people (410 psychiatric inpatients and 633 university students) were tested in three regions of Europe: central Italy, northeast Italy, and eastern Austria. Psychiatric diagnoses were evaluated using the Mini‐International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and the following instruments were used: Sociodemographic Questionnaire, Columbia‐Suicide Severity Rating Scale‐B, Symptom‐Checklist‐90‐Standard, and Big Five Inventory.
Results
The study found that the intensity of Suicidal Ideation was associated with the personality traits of Neuroticism, Anxiety, and Extraversion but also with Depression.
Conclusions
In conclusion, without the presence of Depression symptoms, neuroticism was a protective factor against Suicidal Ideation, whereas neuroticism when comorbid with Depression symptoms increased suicide risk in psychiatric patients. In all three regions, the clinical samples had higher scores for Neuroticism and for Depression symptoms than the student sample and consequently higher scores for Suicide. Furthermore, we demonstrated an interaction between gender and culture on personality traits, supporting the hypothesis that the distribution of self‐reported personality traits is organized geographically.
The purpose of this study was to adapt the Austrian-German version of the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (MI-RSWB) into the Italian language and culture, and to investigate possible associations between the RSWB dimensions, "Big Five" personality factors and mental illness within an Italian student sample. Hence, the first Italian translation of the MI-RSWB scale was applied on a sample of 412 undergraduate students in three different cities and regions of Italy: Padova (northern Italy), Rome (central Italy), and Palermo (southern Italy). Like the original Austrian-German scale, we were able to find convincing psychometric properties for the new Italian version of the scale. By mirroring previous research, the RSWB-dimensions turned out to be substantially associated with personality dimensions, as well as negatively related with a global measure of mental illness. Our initial results confirm that these RSWB-dimensions are important facets of personality and mental health
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