TY - JOUR
T1 - Personality and posttraumatic stress disorder among directly exposed survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing
AU - North, Carol S.
AU - Abbacchi, Anna
AU - Cloninger, C. Robert
N1 - Funding Information:
Financial disclosures: Dr North discloses employment by VA North Texas Health Care System, Dallas, TX. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government. Dr North also discloses research support from NIAAA, NIDDK, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the American Psychiatric Association, and the Orthopaedic Trauma Association, and consultant fees from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and from the Tarrant County, Texas, Department of Health. Dr Cloninger and Ms Abbacchi have no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.
Funding Information:
This research was partially supported by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) grants MH40025 and MH68853 to Dr North.
PY - 2012/1
Y1 - 2012/1
N2 - Background: Few disaster studies have specifically examined personality in association with exposure to disaster and development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A study of survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing examined PTSD and personality measured after the disaster. Methods: In a random sample of 255 survivors from a bombing survivor registry, 151 (59%) completed both full PTSD and personality assessments using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule and the Temperament and Character Inventory, respectively. Results: Postbombing PTSD was associated with low self-directedness and low cooperativeness, and also with high self-transcendence and harm avoidance in most configurations. Disorganized (schizotypal) character and explosive (borderline) temperament configurations were associated with PTSD; creative and autocratic character configurations were negatively associated with PTSD. Conclusions: Clinicians should be vigilant for PTSD among individuals with personality disorders and also be aware that personality disorders are likely to be overrepresented among people with PTSD. Treatment of PTSD may need to take into account comorbid personality disorders and personality features.
AB - Background: Few disaster studies have specifically examined personality in association with exposure to disaster and development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A study of survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing examined PTSD and personality measured after the disaster. Methods: In a random sample of 255 survivors from a bombing survivor registry, 151 (59%) completed both full PTSD and personality assessments using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule and the Temperament and Character Inventory, respectively. Results: Postbombing PTSD was associated with low self-directedness and low cooperativeness, and also with high self-transcendence and harm avoidance in most configurations. Disorganized (schizotypal) character and explosive (borderline) temperament configurations were associated with PTSD; creative and autocratic character configurations were negatively associated with PTSD. Conclusions: Clinicians should be vigilant for PTSD among individuals with personality disorders and also be aware that personality disorders are likely to be overrepresented among people with PTSD. Treatment of PTSD may need to take into account comorbid personality disorders and personality features.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=82755187337&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.comppsych.2011.02.005
DO - 10.1016/j.comppsych.2011.02.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 21489423
AN - SCOPUS:82755187337
SN - 0010-440X
VL - 53
SP - 1
EP - 8
JO - Comprehensive Psychiatry
JF - Comprehensive Psychiatry
IS - 1
ER -