Relationship Between the Big 5 Personality Factors, Perceived Social Supports and Gelotophobia Symptoms

Abstract

     The purposes of this research were to study the relationship between the big 5 personality factors and perceived social supports and gelotophobia symptoms; to study the impact of the role of perceived social supports on the relationship between the big 5 personality factors and gelotophobia symptoms; and to predict gelotophobia symptoms on the basis of the big 5 personality factors and perceived social supports. The subjects were 358 undergraduate students who were studying at the Faculty of Humanities, Srinakharinwirot University in the academic year 2008. Findings showed that neuroticism had significantly positive correlations with gelotophobia symptoms at the .01 level. Extraversion, openness to experience and conscientiousness had significantly negative correlations with gelotophobia symptoms at the .01 level. Agreeableness had significantly negative correlations with gelotophobia symptoms at the .05 level. Perceived social supports from both family and friends had significantly negative correlations with gelotophobia symptoms at the .01 level. However, results revealed that levels of perceived social supports from both family and friends did not have any impact on the relationship between extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness and gelotophobia symptoms and found that level of perceived social support from friends did not have any impact on the relationship between neuroticism and gelotophobia symptoms. It was also found that gelotophobia symptoms can be predicted by neuroticism, perceived social support from friends, and extraversion.