Self-control mediates the relationship between personality trait and impulsivity

The aim of the current study was to explore the mediation effect of self-control on the relationship between personality traits and impulsivity in Chinese cultural context. A total of 804 participants completed a packet of questionnaires that assessed personality traits, impulsivity, and self-control, of which personality traits were measured by the Chinese Big Five Personality Inventory brief version (CBF-PI-B), impulsivity was measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), and self-control was measured by the Self-Control Scale (SCS). Correlation results demonstrated that openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness were all negatively correlated with impulsivity, and positively correlated with self-control; neuroticism was positively correlated with impulsivity, and negatively correlated with self-control. Furthermore, mediational analyses showed that three factors of the Big Five Personality (openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism) exerted their indirect effects on impulsivity through self-control, and the mediating effect accounted for 29.54%, 40.00%, 55.77% of the total effect respectively. These findings suggest that self-control might be one mechanism explaining how individuals' personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism) influence their impulsivity.