The Relation between Personality Traits, Social Support and Traumatic Stress

This study examines the relationship between the Big Five personality traits, social support and traumatic stress symptoms in the context of secondary exposure to traumatic life events. Moreover, we examine if emotional and informational social support moderate the relation between personality traits and all the three dimensions of traumatic stress – intrusions, avoidance, and arousal. A sample of 162 nurses and physicians participated in this study and completed self-reports measuring neuroticism, extraversion, agreeability, openness, conscientiousness, social support, and symptoms of secondary traumatic stress. The results revealed positive associations between neuroticism and all the symptoms of traumatic stress, while extraversion, agreeability, openness, and conscientiousness negatively correlated with intrusions, avoidance, and arousal. Moreover, emotional and informational social support moderates the relation between extraversion, openness and traumatic stress symptoms. These findings are discussed from the perspective of the resilient value of personality traits and the importance of perceiving support in promoting emotional adjustment, for persons indirectly exposed to traumatic events.