Page 41 - GHES-3-3

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability

REVIEW ARTICLE
Shaping adolescent lives: The influence

of personality traits on mental health and
behavioral outcomes

Georgios Giannakopoulos*

Department of Child Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,
Agia Sofia Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Socio-behavioral Determinants of Adolescent and
Children’s Cardiovascular Health: Early Strategies)

Abstract

Adolescence is a pivotal developmental period during which personality traits begin
to crystallize and significantly impact mental health and behavioral outcomes. This
review synthesizes existing literature on the role of personality traits in adolescence,
with a particular focus on longitudinal studies and dimensional assessments. Key
personality traits, such as conscientiousness, emotional stability, and extraversion,
are associated with positive outcomes, including mental well-being and pro-social
behavior. In contrast, traits such as neuroticism and impulsivity, as well as callous-
Academic editor:
Mihajlo Jakovljevic M.D. Ph.D. MAE unemotional traits, are linked to internalizing disorders, substance use, and antisocial
behavior. Longitudinal research demonstrates that personality traits exhibit both
*Corresponding author:
Georgios Giannakopoulos stability and malleability during adolescence, offering critical insights into how
(ggiannak@med.uoa.gr) these traits predict long-term outcomes, such as academic achievement, mental
Citation: Giannakopoulos, G. health disorders, and criminal behavior. The review identifies several research
(2025). Shaping adolescent lives: gaps, including the need for more cross-cultural studies and investigations into
The influence of personality traits under-researched traits like openness to experience. Policy implications include
on mental health and behavioral the integration of personality assessments into mental health screening programs
outcomes. Global Health Econ
Sustain, 3(3):33-56. and the development of tailored interventions that focus on emotional regulation,
https://doi.org/10.36922/ self-control, and pro-social behaviors. By addressing these gaps and advancing
GHES025080013 intervention strategies, researchers and clinicians can better support adolescents in
Received: February 20, 2025 developing healthy personality traits that foster long-term mental well-being and
Revised: March 11, 2025 positive behavioral outcomes.
Accepted: March 18, 2025
Keywords: Adolescent personality development; Mental health outcomes; Behavioral
Published online: April 3, 2025
disorders; Callous-unemotional traits; Personality assessment tools
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution, 1. Introduction
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is Adolescence is a critical period of development characterized by rapid psychological,
properly cited. emotional, and social changes. It is a stage when individuals transition from childhood
Publisher’s Note: AccScience to adulthood, marked by identity exploration, increased autonomy, and significant
Publishing remains neutral with transformations in personality and behavior. During this phase, the development of
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional stable personality traits, such as conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and
affiliations. callous-unemotional (CU) traits, plays a fundamental role in shaping long-term mental

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 33 https://doi.org/10.36922/GHES025080013