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Association of personality and work conditions with depressive symptoms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Dolores Jurado*
Affiliation:
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Facultad de Medicina, University of Granada, Avenida de Madrid 11 , E-18012Granada, Spain
Manuel Gurpegui
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Neurosciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
Obdulia Moreno
Affiliation:
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Facultad de Medicina, University of Granada, Avenida de Madrid 11 , E-18012Granada, Spain
M. Carmen Fernández
Affiliation:
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Facultad de Medicina, University of Granada, Avenida de Madrid 11 , E-18012Granada, Spain
Juan D. Luna
Affiliation:
Department of Statistics, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
Ramón Gálvez
Affiliation:
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Facultad de Medicina, University of Granada, Avenida de Madrid 11 , E-18012Granada, Spain
*
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 958 243 544; fax: +34 958 246 118. E-mail address: djurado@ugr.es (D. Jurado).
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Abstract

Background

Previous studies have found a relationship between job-related stress and depressive symptoms in different occupational groups, and that personality may modify the risk of developing depressive symptoms. We aimed to examine the association of personality and other individual and work conditions with depressive symptoms.

Methods

A sample of 498 teachers answered a questionnaire concerning individual and work characteristics, some job-related perceptions, and the wish to change jobs. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) and personality was measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125).

Results

Depressive symptoms were associated with female gender, age, low job satisfaction, high job stress, the wish to change jobs, working at a public school, and with higher scores on harm avoidance and novelty seeking and lower scores on self-directedness.

Conclusions

Our results underline the influence of personality traits on the development of depressive symptoms independently of other individual characteristics and the occupational context.

Type
Original article
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier SAS 2005

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