Author Information
Shih-Wei Yang, Tainan University of Technology, TaiwanTsai-Wei Huang, National Chiayi University, Taiwan
Malcolm Koo, Tzu Chi University, Taiwan
Abstract
As the global prevalence of mental health issues continues to rise, the accurate assessment of negative emotions is crucial in both clinical and research settings. While previous studies have shown that societal expectations can lead to response biases in emotional self-reports, the role of personality traits, specifically the Big Five, in influencing such biases (i.e., concealment and exaggeration) remains underexplored. This study aims to examine how Big Five personality traits affect aberrant responding in the assessment of negative emotions. A sample of 564 university students completed the Big Five Inventory (BFI) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). The Poly-BW Indices, developed by Huang and Lu (2017), were used to measure concealment (W index), exaggeration (B index), and adjusted personality trait scores (C index). Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between the Big Five traits and aberrant responding in depression, anxiety, and stress assessments. Results showed that Neuroticism (β =.32, p < .001) and Agreeableness (β = −.12, p = .005) significantly predicted concealment in depression assessment (R² = .13). Neuroticism (β = .27, p < .001), Extraversion (β = −.09, p =. 040), Agreeableness (β = −.11, p = .010), and Conscientiousness (β = −.107, p = .010) significantly predicted exaggeration in depression assessment (R² = .15). Similar patterns were observed for anxiety and stress assessments, with Neuroticism emerging as the most consistent predictor of both concealment and exaggeration across all domains. These findings suggest that individuals high in Neuroticism are more likely to both conceal and exaggerate negative emotions. Future assessments should account for these personality-driven response styles to enhance the accuracy and reliability of emotional evaluations.
Paper Information
Conference: ACP2025Stream: Qualitative/Quantitative Research in any other area of Psychology
This paper is part of the ACP2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Yang S., Huang T., & Koo M. (2025) Impact of Big Five Personality Traits on Response Biases in the Assessment of Negative Emotions: A Cross-Sectional Study ISSN: 2187-4743 – The Asian Conference on Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences 2025 Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 283-292) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2187-4743.2025.23
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2187-4743.2025.23
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