Personality traits and the development of depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation

The present study investigated the relationship between personality traits, depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation. The participants were university students (N = 219) who completed, among other instruments, the NEO Personality Inventory Revised (NEO-PI-R), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and the Hopkin’s Symptom Checklist-25. The results of the factor-level multiple regression analyses revealed that depressive symptoms were positively predicted by Neuroticism and Openness, and negatively predicted by Extraversion. Hopelessness was positively predicted by Neuroticism and negatively predicted by Extraversion. Finally, suicide ideation was positively predicted by Neuroticism. More detailed results were obtained from facet-level multiple regression analyses. Accordingly, depressive symptoms were positively predicted by the Neuroticism facets, angry hostility and depression, and negatively predicted by the Extraversion facet, positive emotions, and by the Openness facet, actions. Hopelessness was positively predicted by the Neuroticism facet, depression, and negatively predicted by the Extraversion facets, assertiveness and positive emotions. Among the Neuroticism facets, depression positively predicted suicide ideation, while self-consciousness negatively predicted suicide ideation.