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Linking personality traits to psychological distress among early-career PhD faculty: a gender-based canonical analysis

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Objective Early-career doctoral faculty face unique stressors that may impact their mental health, yet gender-specific personality-mental health patterns in this population remain underexplored, especially within Chinese higher education. Methods Using simple random sampling, 329 newly appointed doctoral faculty members (<35 years, <1 year teaching experience) were recruited from three comprehensive universities in Chengdu, Southwest China. Personality traits were measured with the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), and mental health was assessed using the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). Descriptive, comparative, and canonical correlation analyses (CCA) were conducted, with interpretation based on effect sizes (Rc 2 ) and structure coefficients (|rs| ≥ 0.30) rather than nominal p -values. Results About 16.7% of participants screened positive for psychological distress, with obsessive-compulsive symptoms and interpersonal sensitivity being most frequent. Female faculty reported higher anxiety than males. Gender differences also emerged in personality profiles, with men scoring higher in dominance, privateness, and self-reliance, and women higher in warmth and abstractedness. CCA revealed moderate, theoretically consistent associations between personality and mental-health dimensions (men: Rc = 0.57, Rc 2 = 32%; women: Rc = 0.41, Rc 2 = 16.9%). Social boldness and rule-consciousness were inversely linked to interpersonal and somatic distress, whereas tension and apprehension predicted broader symptom elevation. Conclusion Personality configurations are moderately associated with mental-health outcomes among early-career doctoral faculty, with stronger multivariate coupling in men. Findings highlight the need for gender-sensitive, person–environment-fit interventions—such as supportive mentoring, balanced workloads, and accessible counseling—to promote sustainable well-being in academic settings.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1661608