The Relationship between Introversion and Depression: A study on personality and depressive symptoms in Spain using European Social Survey Data

Literature in the field of personality research has found personality traits to be key when it comes to understanding mental illness (Schomerus et al, 2013). Introversion specifically has been found to be associated with several mental illnesses (Janowsky et al, 2001; Kotov et al, 2013). For this reason, it was investigated to what extent introversion is correlated with depression, as it is a highly prevalent disorder with major consequences to the wellbeing of those who suffer it (Trivedi, 2020). More specifically, the research questions is: “To what extent is personality trait introversion associated with depression?”. Based on studies such as the ones shown previously, the hypothesis was that introversion would be positively correlated with depression. For these purposes, European Social Survey data was used, as it provides a huge sample and utilises questions similar to those found in a clinical setting such as Beck’s Depression Inventory (Beck , Steer & Garbin, 1988). Logistic...Show moreLiterature in the field of personality research has found personality traits to be key when it comes to understanding mental illness (Schomerus et al, 2013). Introversion specifically has been found to be associated with several mental illnesses (Janowsky et al, 2001; Kotov et al, 2013). For this reason, it was investigated to what extent introversion is correlated with depression, as it is a highly prevalent disorder with major consequences to the wellbeing of those who suffer it (Trivedi, 2020). More specifically, the research questions is: “To what extent is personality trait introversion associated with depression?”. Based on studies such as the ones shown previously, the hypothesis was that introversion would be positively correlated with depression. For these purposes, European Social Survey data was used, as it provides a huge sample and utilises questions similar to those found in a clinical setting such as Beck’s Depression Inventory (Beck , Steer & Garbin, 1988). Logistic regression was utilised when performing the analysis, and several models were created and compared. Confounding variables like gender, income and highest achieved education level were taken into account. The results showed that introversion was correlated with depression, in line with the initial hypothesis. However, only one of the two components that make up introversion was correlated with it. One of the biggest implications of this finding is that studies in the future should look into how the components of each personality trait are associated with any given mental illness, rather than traits as a whole. Future research is needed to explore in further detail how introversion is correlated with depression.Show less

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The Relationship between Introversion and Depression: A study on personality and depressive symptoms in Spain using European Social Survey Data