Exploring social identity as a mediator of the relationship between personality and wellbeing using latent profile analysis

Objective: The well-established link between personality and wellbeing has been rarely explored using a social identity approach. This is despite social support typically mediating the association between personality and wellbeing, and the foundational importance of social identity to the provision and receipt of social support.

Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional online survey research design with 308 adult participants (mean age = 25.31 ± 9.69, 82.4% female, 87.7% white). Latent profile analysis was performed based on participants’ Interpersonal Sensitivity, Dispositional Optimism, Type D personality and Big-5 personality scores. Data were analysed using a combination of MANOVA, ANOVA and mediation analysis to explore between-profile differences in wellbeing and social identity, and the mediating role of social identity within these associations.

Results: Latent profile analysis identified four personality profiles that differed in wellbeing and social identification. Mediation analyses indicated a partial, modest indirect association for social identification linking profile membership and wellbeing when contrasting profiles characterised by higher versus lower optimism, emotional stability, and extraversion.

Conclusions: These exploratory findings support social identification as a theoretically relevant pathway linking personality profile typology and wellbeing. Future research could examine whether interventions designed to strengthen social identification can be adapted to reflect differences in personality profiles.