The Influence of Personality Traits On Mental Symptoms in 5, 449 Chinese University Volunteers : A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Background Mental health of university volunteers is essential for the successful holding of essential meetings and sports games. The impact of personality traits on the mental symptoms of university volunteers is not well studied. The study objective is to assess personality traits as predictors of mental symptoms in university volunteers in China. Method We carried out a cross-sectional study. The study sample consisted of volunteers from sixteen main universities in the city of Hangzhou. The OQ-45 scale was used to evaluate mental symptoms and the PHI was used for the measurement of personality traits. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to study relationships between personality factors and mental symptoms. Results Estimation of personality traits revealed higher scores on subscales of hypomania, depression, and psychopathic deviance. The OQ-45 scale identified 1.4% of volunteers as having psychological disorders. PHI scores were positively correlated with scores on the OQ-45 scale (P < 0.01). Anxiety was correlated particularly strongly with interpersonal relationship score and total OQ-45 score (r = 0.6, P < 0.05). Furthermore, we found that personality traits could influence the explicit mental symptoms of the volunteers. Volunteers with traits of anxiety and depression reported a significant impact on their mental symptoms. Conclusions The OQ-45 and PHI scales can be used to screen volunteers with mental symptoms. Inner personality traits could be used to predict the mental symptoms of volunteers in China. Our results might assist organizers of future conferences and games in selecting appropriate university volunteers.