PERSONALITY TRAITS AS PREDICTORS OF SOMATIC SYMPTOMS AMONG GOVERNMENT RETIREES IN ENUGU STATE

Abstract

The study explored personality traits as predictors of somatic symptoms among government retirees in Enugu State. A total of 376 participants were drawn from the population of retired civil servants from the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) Enugu State. They comprised of 208 men and 168 women with the age range of 56 to 82 years with mean = 73.59 and Standard deviation = 5.72. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants. Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (SSS-8; Gierk et al., 2014); Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ; 1975); and Cognitive Styles Questionnaire (CSQ; Ancona et al, 1997) were used as research instruments. Correlation design was adopted while Hierarchical Multiple Regression statistics and Moderated Multiple Regression were used to analyze the data. Results showed that introverted personality trait positively predicted somatic symptoms (β = .30, t = 6.01, p<.01), while extroverted personality trait negatively predicted somatic symptoms (β = -.21, t = -4.05, p<.01). It was also found that judging cognitive style negatively predicted somatic symptoms (β = -.19, t = -3.27 p<.01) while perceiving cognitive style positively predicted somatic symptoms (β = .20, t = 4.00, p<.01). Finally, the result showed that interaction between perceiving cognitive styles and introversion personality trait is significantly positive (t = 2.97, P < .05; LLCI, ULCI = .05, .24); interaction between judging cognitive styles and extroversion personality trait is significantly negative (t = -2.60, P < .05; LLCI, ULCI = -.20, -.03) and interaction between perceiving cognitive styles and extroversion personality trait is significantly positive (t = 4.50, P < .01; LLCI, ULCI = .08, .22). The outcome of the study not only contribute to academic discourse but also has practical implications for enhancing the well-being of retirees in Enugu State through tailored support systems that consider individuals psychological characteristics.

Key Word: Somatic symptoms, personality, Traits, Retirees, Pensioners