Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
Psychiatr Danub. 2012 Sep;24(3):256-66.
A number of studies have shown that although exposure to potentially traumatic events is common, development of PTSD is relatively rare, which is one of the reasons PTSD still remains a controversial psychiatric entity. The aim of this article was to provide an overview of the research on the role of personality traits in the vulnerability, resilience, posttraumatic growth and expressions associated with PTSD. Personality based approach represents a dimensional aspect of the transdisciplinary integrative model of PTSD.
We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, PsycINFO, and Academic Search Complete from 1980 (the year PTSD was first included in the DSM) and 2012 (the year the literature search was performed). Manual examination of secondary sources such as the reference sections of selected articles and book chapters were also conducted.
Most of the reviewed studies dealing with personality traits as vulnerability and protective factors for PTSD examined the relationship between basic personality dimensions and severity of symptoms of PTSD. These studies have applied three types of methodological designs: cross-sectional, post-trauma and pre-trauma longitudinal studies, with latter being the least common option.
Finding that appears relatively consistent is that PTSD is positively related to negative emotionality, neuroticism, harm avoidance, novelty-seeking and self-transcendence, as well as to trait hostility/anger and trait anxiety. On the other hand, PTSD symptoms are negatively associated with extraversion, conscientiousness, self-directedness, the combination of high positive and low negative emotionality, as well as with hardiness and optimism, while posttraumatic growth shows inverse relation to most of these traits. Furthermore, a number of studies have confirmed the existence of three distinct personality-based subtypes of PTSD: internalizing, externalizing and low pathology PTSD. These findings may help in further uncovering etiological mechanisms and in building new strategies for prevention, identification and reduction of health risks among this trauma population, as well as facilitating potential posttraumatic growth. However, focusing on just a single dimensional perspective will unable us to generate comprehensive knowledge of the etiology, course and treatment of PTSD.
多项研究表明，尽管人们普遍会接触到潜在创伤性事件，但创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的发展却相对较少，这也是 PTSD 仍然是一个有争议的精神实体的原因之一。本文旨在综述人格特质在易感性、韧性、创伤后成长以及与 PTSD 相关表现中的作用的研究。基于人格的方法代表了 PTSD 跨学科综合模型的一个维度方面。
我们在 1980 年（PTSD 首次被纳入 DSM 之年）至 2012 年（文献检索之年）期间对 PubMed、PsycINFO 和 Academic Search Complete 进行了系统检索。还对选定文章和章节的参考部分等次要来源进行了手动检查。
大多数研究人格特质作为 PTSD 的易感性和保护因素的研究都考察了基本人格维度与 PTSD 症状严重程度之间的关系。这些研究采用了三种类型的方法设计：横断面研究、创伤后研究和创伤前纵向研究，后者是最不常见的选择。
发现相对一致的是，PTSD 与负性情绪、神经质、回避、寻求新奇和自我超越，以及特质敌意/愤怒和特质焦虑呈正相关。另一方面，PTSD 症状与外向性、尽责性、自我导向性、高正性和低负性情绪的结合以及坚韧和乐观呈负相关，而创伤后成长与这些特质中的大多数呈负相关。此外，多项研究证实了 PTSD 存在三种基于人格的亚型：内化型、外化型和低病理 PTSD。这些发现可能有助于进一步揭示发病机制，并为这一创伤人群的预防、识别和降低健康风险制定新策略，同时促进潜在的创伤后成长。然而，仅仅关注单一维度的视角将使我们无法全面了解 PTSD 的病因、病程和治疗。
