Compliance with containment measures to the COVID-19 pandemic over time: Do antisocial traits matter?

Abstract

This study investigated the relationships between antisocial traits and compliance with COVID-19 containment measures. The sample consisted of 1578 Brazilian adults aged 18–73 years who answered facets from the PID-5, the Affective resonance factor of the ACME, and a questionnaire about compliance with containment measures. Latent profile analyses indicated a 2-profile solution: the antisocial pattern profile which presented higher scores in Callousness, Deceitfulness, Hostility, Impulsivity, Irresponsibility, Manipulativeness, and Risk-taking, as well as lower scores in Affective resonance; and the empathy pattern profile which presented higher scores in Affective resonance and lower scores in ASPD typical traits. The latent profile groups showed significant differences between them and interaction with the containment measures and weeks. The antisocial and empathy groups showed significant differences. These differences were sustained in the interaction with the containment measures and weeks separately, but not when all were interacting together. Our findings indicated that antisocial traits, especially lower levels of empathy and higher levels of Callousness, Deceitfulness, and Risk-taking, are directly associated with lower compliance with containment measures. These traits explain, at least partially, the reason why people continue not adhering to the containment measures even with increasing numbers of cases and deaths.

Beliefs in conspiracy theories, intolerance of uncertainty, and moral disengagement during the coronavirus crisis

“…However, they are similar in their evaluations of the adequacy of these regulations and the SARS-CoV-2 risk. These specific results are in line with recent findings (e.g., Miguel et al, 2021;Zajenkowski et al, 2020) suggesting that the individual differences in people's general perception of the COVID-19 pandemic and compliance with governmental restrictions might be explained through antisocial personality traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, callousness, or deceitfulness), traits that are generally associated with moral disengagement and low empathy toward other people.…”

The role of personality in the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of students in Germany during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…One could speculate whether more agreeable people are more willing to behave in a socially desirable way, to maintain positive relationships with others. More agreeable individuals could also have greater empathy for vulnerable people and thus be more motivated to adhere to public health measures to protect them [7][8][9]33].…”

“…Only a few previous studies have examined the role of the Big Five personality traits for specific thoughts, feelings, or behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic [3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. A recent study among 2,066 adults (aged between 18 and 98 years) from the United States examined associations of the Big Five personality traits with financial concerns, containment measures (e.g., washing hands), and hoarding supplies in early March 2020 [4].…”

“…How did young adults think, feel, and behave during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic? Psychological research suggests that individuals can differ considerably in their ways of handling this challenging new situation [2] and that these individual differences could be partially explained by the Big Five personality traits openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Investigating the role of the Big Five personality traits in students' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial not only for our understanding of human behavior, but also for applied research on targeted interventions to fight COVID-19 and associated unfavorable consequences [11][12][13].…”

The Impact of Trust in Public Institutions on Compliance With Epidemiological Measures to Slow Down the Spread of COVID-19

“…They also found that compliance decisions signi cantly depend on intrinsic motivations, such as moral support and social norms. Miguel et al (2020) studied the effect of antisocial traits on the compliance of individuals with COVID-19 measures. On the sample of Brazilian adults, they found that antisocial traits, especially lower levels of empathy and higher levels of callousness, deceitfulness, and risk-taking are directly associated with lower compliance with containment measures.…”