Personality correlates of hopelessness in depressed inpatients 50 years ofage and older

In this study we examined the relationship between scores on the Beck Hopel essness Scale (Beck, Weissman, Lester, & Trexler, 1974) and the personality traits that constitute the Five-Factor Model in a sample of 77 depressed i npatients, 50 years of age and older. Multiple regression analyses showed t hat Hopelessness is related to low Extraversion domain scores, and to speci fic facets of both Extraversion (low positive emotions) and Neuroticism (lo w self-consciousness, high impulsiveness). Efforts to tie Hopelessness with the motivational, affective, and interpersonal constructs subsumed under E xtraversion are warranted.