Relationship between the big five personality traits and PTSD among French police officers

A Virtual Reality Simulation to Examine the Relationship Between Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms and Decision-Making in First Responders

First responders (FRs) are continuously exposed to critical incidents, considered traumatic events (TEs). This cumulative exposure increases the risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is no evidence about the relationship between PTSD symptoms and emergency decision-making (EDM). The objective of this study was to examine the EDM of FRs during a virtual reality through the simulation of two emergency scenarios to collect data on the reaction time and the number of incorrect decisions. We also assessed PTSD symptoms, TE, and sociodemographics. The sample included 368 Portuguese FRs, were 295 (80.20%) males and 73 (19.80%) females, with a mean age of 33.96 (SD  = 9.38). Considering the probable PTSD diagnosis according to the DSM-5, 85 (23.10%) of the FRs met the criteria. These individuals who meet the criteria exhibited higher EDM scores (M  = 19.60, SD  = 5.99) compared to those without probable PTSD (M  = 17.87, SD = .5.66) (F(1, 360) = 5.32, p = .02, partial η2 = .015). We found that TEs had a direct effect on EDM, β = -.16, Z = -3.74, p < .001), and the pathway of trauma-PTSD symptoms-decision-making an indirect effect, β = .02, Z  = 3.10, p = .002). Individuals exposed to more TEs demonstrated faster and more accurate decision-making in the context of EDM. However, when these individuals developed PTSD symptoms, their decision-making became slower and less accurate. The inclusion of a trauma-informed approach for FRs to prevent individual and job-related consequences is discussed.

Resilient, undercontrolled, and overcontrolled personality types in Hong Kong youths and the association with mental health outcomes

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between RUO types and mental health in a youth sample in Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND

Previous research has found that Resilient, Undercontrolled, and Overcontrolled (RUO) personality types derived from Big Five personality traits are associated with mental health outcomes. Most studies, however, have predominantly been conducted in Western societies.

METHOD

Clinical diagnostic interviews and self-rated measures of psychological constructs, covering resilience, rumination, self-esteem and more, were administered to 860 youths aged 15 to 24 recruited from an ongoing epidemiological youth mental health study in Hong Kong.

RESULTS

Three personality clusters were identified. The first (mean age = 19.6, 63.3% female) and second (mean age = 19.5, 60.7% female) cluster both have characteristics of the under- and overcontrolled personalities. The third personality type resembled the resilient profile in RUO typology (mean age = 19.6, 50.5% female) and showed the lowest prevalence of poor mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that the replicability of the RUO profiles was only partial in a Hong Kong sample predominantly Chinese. The resilient profile was replicated but not the undercontrolled and overcontrolled profiles proposed by previous studies. The findings of the current study implicated that culturally contextual considerations are necessary when relating mental health to personality.

A Model for Predicting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder due to Exposure to Chronic Political Violence: Big Five Personality Traits, Ego-Resiliency, and Coping

Research on psychological effects of exposure to political violence has focused mainly on the effect of environmental factors whereas the effect of individual differences is understudied. The present study offers an integrative model of the contribution of personality traits, ego-resiliency, and coping styles to post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptomatology of civilians exposed to chronic political violence. Three-hundred and thirty-two Israeli citizens living in the south region of Israel were asked to report their experience with different types of political violence incidents, their coping strategies, and PTS symptoms. The participants were also asked to complete the Big Five personality Inventory and Ego-Resiliency Scale. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis indicated that ego-resiliency and emotion-focused coping mediate the relationship between big five personality traits and levels of stress symptoms. It is suggested that neurotic people are more vulnerable to PTS due to low levels of ego-resiliency and a preference to use emotion-focused coping strategies.

Profiling Police Forces against Stress: Risk and Protective Factors for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Burnout in Police Officers

Police officers are frequently exposed to highly stressful situations at work and have an increased risk to develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and burnout (BO). It is currently not well understood which officers are most at risk to develop these disorders. The aim of this study was to determine which coping strategies and personality traits could act as protective or risk factors in relation to PTSD and BO. The second aim, in the interest of designating preventive and therapeutical measures, was to determine whether certain profiles of police officers could be identified as high risk for developing mental disorders. Herein, 1073 French-speaking police officers in Switzerland reported in an online survey about their PTSD and BO symptoms, anxiety, depression, suicide ideation, coping strategies, occupational stress, and personality factors. The cluster analysis highlighted three principal profiles of police officers: those who are not at risk of developing pathologies because they are not exposed or insensitive to these stressors, and those who are, among which personality and coping strategies oriented the risk of developing PTSD or BO. These same protective and risk factors were also corroborated in the linear and logistic regression analyses. These results may suggest that a crucial opportunity for mitigating mental health issues in the force could consist of screening recruits for risk-related personality traits and orienting them towards psychological training programs for the development of functional coping strategies.

Temporal Transitions in Patterns of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Among Adolescents Following the Wenchuan Earthquake

Posttramatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are persistent disorders with heterogeneous comorbidity. Cross-sectional design limitations have prevented previous studies from examining symptom pattern transitions, which limits the understanding on the change of mental health over time since trauma. This study examined transition patterns of PTSD and depression comorbidity and assessed the role of personality. PTSD, depression, and personality scales were used to assess 619 adolescents 1 year after the Wenchuan earthquake and then to longitudinally assess 332 adolescents 2 years post-earthquake. Data were analyzed using latent transition analysis and logistic regression. Four PTSD and depression comorbidity patterns were identified at both times: moderate comorbidity, high comorbidity, no symptoms, and depression. Patterns of PTSD and depression changed in 23.4% of adolescents: 4.4% and 7.1% transitioned from no symptoms to depression and from depression to moderate comorbidity, respectively; 7.5% transitioned from moderate comorbidity to depression. Extraversion and conscientiousness were more likely and openness was less likely to be associated with moderate comorbidity symptoms transitioned to depression symptoms. These findings indicated that patterns of PTSD and depression in adolescents are heterogeneous and show temporal change.