COVID-19 fear, stress, sleep quality and coping activities during lockdown, and personality traits: A person-centered approach analysis

COVID-19 has impacted the world on a psychological level. With cases continuing to rise, understanding mental health and vulnerability factors are vital for researchers and mental health professionals to address. This study examines personality factors—using a person-centered approach compared to the majority of studies that use a variable-centered approach—to investigate the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on people's fear, stress, sleep quality and activities during lockdown. The study, conducted among a Bangladeshi sample from April 17 to 20, 2020, contained n = 521 participants. Latent profile analysis identified three personality profiles – maladaptive, adaptive, and highly adaptive. Results indicated that participants with a highly adaptive personality profile exhibited lower COVID-19 fear and perceived stress as well as better sleep quality compared to the other personality profiles. Our findings yield support for person-centered approaches to personality in relation to COVID-19 experiences, which can be beneficial for researchers and mental health professionals alike in understanding these psychological interworkings.