Abstract
Positive affect (PA) has emerged as a key well-being facet and a powerful predictor of physical and psychological well-being.
One of the strongest predictors of PA is personality, particularly neuroticism and extraversion. However, the mechanisms via
which personality affects PA are not well-understood. Consistent with theories that accord cognitive factors a role in mediating
the relationship between personality and outcomes, we tested whether positive automatic thoughts (PATs) mediated the relationship
between neuroticism, extraversion, and PA among 199 college students (137 women, 70% White, 66% first and second year students,
mean age = 24.13, SD = 8.86). Consistent with hypotheses, structural equation modeling indicated that PATs fully mediated
the relationship between both neuroticism and extraversion and PA. The structural model fit the data well, χ2/df = 2.33, CFI = .96, SRMR = .07, RMSEA = .08 (90% CI: .06, .10), AIC = 172.45, and accounted for 58% of the variance in PA.
An alternative model in which personality predicted PA, which in turn predicted PATs, did not provide as good a fit to the
data, χ2/df = 3.03, CFI = .94, SRMR = .09, RMSEA = .10 (90% CI: .08, .12), AIC = 207.40. Models in which negative automatic thoughts
(NATs) were construed as fully [χ2/df = 4.46, CFI = .95, SRMR = .08, RMSEA = .13 (90% CI: .11, .16)] or partially [χ2/df = 4.04, CFI = .96, SRMR = .06, RMSEA = .12 (90% CI: .10, .15)] mediating the relationship between neuroticism and negative
affect did not provide a good fit to the data. A final model in which negative affect was tested a mediator of the relationship
between neuroticism and NATs also did not fit the data well, χ2/df = 4.03, CFI = .96, SRMR = .07, RMSEA = .12 (90% CI: .10, .15).
One of the strongest predictors of PA is personality, particularly neuroticism and extraversion. However, the mechanisms via
which personality affects PA are not well-understood. Consistent with theories that accord cognitive factors a role in mediating
the relationship between personality and outcomes, we tested whether positive automatic thoughts (PATs) mediated the relationship
between neuroticism, extraversion, and PA among 199 college students (137 women, 70% White, 66% first and second year students,
mean age = 24.13, SD = 8.86). Consistent with hypotheses, structural equation modeling indicated that PATs fully mediated
the relationship between both neuroticism and extraversion and PA. The structural model fit the data well, χ2/df = 2.33, CFI = .96, SRMR = .07, RMSEA = .08 (90% CI: .06, .10), AIC = 172.45, and accounted for 58% of the variance in PA.
An alternative model in which personality predicted PA, which in turn predicted PATs, did not provide as good a fit to the
data, χ2/df = 3.03, CFI = .94, SRMR = .09, RMSEA = .10 (90% CI: .08, .12), AIC = 207.40. Models in which negative automatic thoughts
(NATs) were construed as fully [χ2/df = 4.46, CFI = .95, SRMR = .08, RMSEA = .13 (90% CI: .11, .16)] or partially [χ2/df = 4.04, CFI = .96, SRMR = .06, RMSEA = .12 (90% CI: .10, .15)] mediating the relationship between neuroticism and negative
affect did not provide a good fit to the data. A final model in which negative affect was tested a mediator of the relationship
between neuroticism and NATs also did not fit the data well, χ2/df = 4.03, CFI = .96, SRMR = .07, RMSEA = .12 (90% CI: .10, .15).
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Research Paper
- Pages 1-20
- DOI 10.1007/s10902-011-9319-x
- Authors
- Owen Richard Lightsey, Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research, The University of Memphis, 100 Ball Hall, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
- George Gharibian Gharghani, Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research, The University of Memphis, 100 Ball Hall, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
- Aron Matthew Katz, Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research, The University of Memphis, 100 Ball Hall, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
- Valerie Ann McKinney, Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research, The University of Memphis, 100 Ball Hall, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
- Eli Benjamin Rarey, Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research, The University of Memphis, 100 Ball Hall, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
- Journal Journal of Happiness Studies
- Online ISSN 1573-7780
- Print ISSN 1389-4978