Role of Personality Traits in the Prediction of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in People Exposed to Trauma

This research has been carried out to study the role of personality traits in predicting posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people who are exposed to psychological trauma. The total number of ER nurses and fire department staff members in Urumia city constituted the statistical population for of this research. From each group 50 individuals were randomly selected, yielding a sample of 100 participants for the research. Participants were tested individually by administering the Mississippi Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale and NEO personality inventory. The collected data were analyzed by MANOVA and regression tests. Results showed a significant difference in neuroticism, openness to experience, and conscientiousness of the two groups. However, there were no significant differences in extraversion and agreeableness between two groups. Regression analysis showed that neuroticism can predict PTSD positively and conscientiousness can predict PTSD negatively.