Relationship of Gender Roles with Personality Dimensions and General Health in People without Personality Disorders

Background and Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the correlation of male and female gender roles with the big five personality traits and general health in a group of people without personality disorders. Methods: In total, 170 participants (85 males), including the staff of Iran Psychiatric Hospital, Tehran Psychiatric Institute, and the psychiatric ward of Hazrat Rasoul Akram Hospital were enrolled in this research. These individuals did not have any personality disorder based on a semistructured clinical interview for DSM-5 (SCID-II). The required data were collected through three questionnaires, namely Gender Masculine (GM) and Gender Feminine (GF) scales of the Minnesota Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire, and NEO Five-Factor Inventory. Results: In both genders, GM scores were correlated with higher extraversion and lower neuroticism scores. On the other hand, GF scores were correlated with lower extraversion and higher neuroticism in males and lower extraversion in females. Higher levels of masculinity were also associated with higher levels of almost all general health scales in both genders. However, higher levels of femininity were associated with more anxiety and depression in males and higher anxiety and social isolation in females. Conclusion: There were clear correlations between both gender roles and some personality dimensions, including extroversion and neuroticism. Also, higher masculinity in both genders was associated with better general health, but the relationship between femininity and general health was less clear. Mediating and moderating factors have not been investigated in this study.