The Relationship of Personality Traits with Problem-Solving Styles and Perceived Social Support among Psychiatric Patients
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62843/jrsr/2026.5a199Keywords:
Personality Traits, Big-Five, Problem-Solving Styles, Perceived Social Support, Psychiatric PatientsAbstract
The current study aimed to examine the relationship of personality traits with problem-solving styles and perceived social support among psychiatric patients of Pakistan. Research design of a correlational study was used across the psychiatric population aged 18-60 years and educated at least at an intermediate level. The data collection was completed from 103 outpatients with diagnosed psychiatric disorders without psychosis. A convenient sampling technique was utilized for data collection, and three Urdu-translated versions of instruments were utilized to measure the study variable, including the Ten Item Personality Inventory, Problem-Solving Style Scale, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Permissions were taken from relevant authors and institutes. Results showcased significant correlations between conscientiousness type of personality and approach style of problem-solving, as well as between emotional stability and problem-solving self-efficacy. Moreover, strong social support networks were linked to better problem-solving capabilities. The study underscores the importance of integrating cultural and familial contexts into mental health interventions to enhance mental health stability. It also has notable implications across domains of treatment formulation and tailoring, identifying prognosis based on personality types, level of perceived social support, and styles of problem-solving in each patient. It also carries significant applicability towards therapeutic work, providing valuable insights for practitioners.
References
American Psychological Association. (2018). Mental disorder. In APA dictionary of psychology.
Cassidy, T., & Long, C. (1996). Problem Solving Style. Stress and Psychological Illness: Development of a Multi Factorial Measure. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 3, 265-277. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8260.1996.tb01181.x
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98(2), 310–357. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.98.2.310
Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). Four ways five factors are basic. Personality and Individual differences, 13(6), 653-665. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(92)90236-I
Cukrowicz, K. C., Franzese, A. T., Thorp, S. R., Cheavens, J. S., & Lynch, T. R. (2008). Personality traits and perceived social support among depressed older adults. Aging & Mental Health, 12(5), 662–669. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607860802343258
Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, G. D., & Walker, R. R. (1991). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support: a confirmation study. Journal of clinical psychology, 47(6), 756–761. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4679(199111)47:6<756::aid-jclp2270470605>3.0.co;2-l
Gosling, S. D., Rentfrow, P. J., & Swann, W. B., Jr. (2003). A very brief measure of the Big-Five personality domains. Journal of Research in Personality, 37(6), 504–528. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(03)00046-1
John, O. P., & Srivastava, S. (1999). The Big Five Trait Taxonomy: History, Measurement, and Theoretical Perspectives. In L. A. Pervin, & O. P. John (Eds.), Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research (2nd ed., pp. 102-138). Guilford Press.
Kareem, A., Khawar, R., & Maryam, R. (2023). Family support as predictor of life satisfaction and happiness in Pakistani adolescents. Journal of Development and Social Sciences, 4(2), 539–546. https://doi.org/10.47205/jdss.2023(4-II)48
Khan, M. J., Younas, T., & Ashraf, S. (2018). Problem solving styles as predictor of life satisfaction among university students. Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 28(1), 210–223.
Malik, S., Khan, M., & Rehman, R. (2017). Neuroticism as a predictor of psychiatric disorders. Pakistan Journal of Clinical Psychology, 16(2), 45-56.
Nezu, A. M. (1986). Efficacy of a social problem-solving therapy approach for unipolar depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54(2), 196–202. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.54.2.196
Patel, V., Saxena, S., Lund, C., Thornicroft, G., Baingana, F., Bolton, P., Chisholm, D., Collins, P. Y., Cooper, J. L., Eaton, J., Herrman, H., Herzallah, M. M., Huang, Y., Jordans, M. J. D., Kleinman, A., Medina-Mora, M. E., Morgan, E., Niaz, U., Omigbodun, O., … UnÜtzer, J. (2018). The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development. Lancet, 392(10157), 1553–1598. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31612-X
Pfund, G. N., & Allemand, M. (2024). Correlated Change Between Personality Traits and Perceived Social Support in Old Age. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 50(2), 167-181. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672221120493
Rahman, Md. Mehadi. (2019). 21st Century Skill “Problem Solving”: Defining the Concept. Asian Journal of Interdisciplinary Research. 64-74. https://doi.org/10.34256/ajir1917
Bleidorn, W., Hopwood, C. J., Back, M. D., Denissen, J. J. A., Hennecke, M., Hill, P. L., Jokela, M., Kandler, C., Lucas, R. E., Luhmann, M., Orth, U., Roberts, B. W., Wagner, J., Wrzus, C., & Zimmermann, J. (2021). Personality trait stability and change. Personality Science, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.5964/ps.6009
Starr, L. R., & Davila, J. (2008). Excessive reassurance seeking, depression, and interpersonal rejection: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 117(4), 762–775. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013866
Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30-41. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
