Environmental vulnerabilities and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among children with different personality styles
Children who survive traumatic events are at increased risk for serious emotional disturbance, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many factors influence children's emotional reactions to traumatic experiences, including the severity and duration of exposure to trauma, aspects of the post-exposure recovery environment, and characteristics of children and their caregivers. Using data from a longitudinal community study of children's mental health, we statistically model PTSD in children with differing personality styles characterized by behavioral activation (high extraversion and social competence) and behavioral inhibition (high introversion and self doubt). As expected, analyses indicated that PTSD is predicted by trauma exposure and age in children with either type of personality style. Family environment problems were more likely to contribute to PTSD in children with a personality style characterized by high levels of behavioral activation. Among children who scored high on behavioral inhibition, a history of parental psychopathology was more likely to predict PTSD. © 2006 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
