Date of Graduation

Summer 2026

Degree

Master of Science in Psychology

Department

Mental Health & Behavioral Science

Committee Chair

Leslie Echols

Abstract

This study focused on developing a mid-range, hierarchical, five-factor, 20-facet personality inventory (the IPIP-OCEAN) composed of 100 items drawn from both the IPIP-NEO-300 and the Abridged Big Five Circumplex. Hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate the factor structure. Depression and anxiety, measured with the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, were used to further validate the measure through discriminant and convergent validity by examining whether the domains and facets of the IPIP-OCEAN produced findings consistent with those reported for similar scales in prior depression and anxiety research. Numerous factor analyses were conducted on the IPIP-OCEAN dataset (N = 1,058), and a hierarchical model excluding the Liberalism facet—which was degrading model fit—revealed a sound structure. For the structural equation model (SEM) dataset (N = 1,059), only the Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism domains and their facets were modeled as predictors of depression and anxiety. Neuroticism predicted both depression and anxiety, whereas Conscientiousness and Extraversion negatively predicted depression only. At the facet level, Self-Efficacy negatively predicted depression, while Leadership and the Depression facet positively predicted depression; Friendliness negatively predicted anxiety, while Leadership and the Depression facet positively predicted anxiety. Although a sound factor structure was obtained for the IPIP-OCEAN, further work is needed to improve the model, potentially through changes to the facets of Openness. The SEM with depression and anxiety produced findings consistent with those in prior studies and revealed noteworthy relationships at the facet level, which tends to be underrepresented relative to the domains in the current literature.

Keywords

personality, five-factor, facet, factor analysis, anxiety, depression, structural equation model

Subject Categories

Clinical Psychology | Personality and Social Contexts | Quantitative Psychology | Social Psychology

Copyright

© Caleb Niccum

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