The Moderating Role of Personality Traits in the Relationship between Oxfam Trailwalker and Subjective Well-Being

The interaction effects between levels of leisure-time physical activity and personality traits on subjective well-being have been previously found in older adults in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. Physical activity’s relationship with subjective well-being was positively moderated by two of the Big Five personality traits, namely extraversion and openness to experience. This study assessed whether these same interactions hold in a more diverse age range of adults in Hong Kong, with participation in the Oxfam Trailwalker specifically selected as the physical activity. A total of 360 adults (184 female and 176 male) from Hong Kong took part in this study by completing an online survey. Their average age was 50.80, with a standard deviation of 15.21. Results showed that the positive association between Trailwalker participation and subjective well-being was moderated by openness to experience – the relationship was stronger among participants with stronger levels of openness to experience. Extraversion, however, did not moderate the Trailwalker participation-subjective well-being relationship. Our findings highlight the complexity of the associations among correlates of subjective well-being. There may be potential value of considering individual differences when promoting the psychological benefits of the Trailwalker and supporting the well-being of ultradistance athletes.