Personality and PTSD: A Link?

Researchers from the University of Zurich have found that certain personality traits predict susceptibility to PTSD. They assessed 43 firefighters over 2 years for PTSD, depression, and anxiety. They also assessed personality traits such as hostility and self-efficacy. All participants with low levels of self-efficacy and high levels of hostility showed marked increases in PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety over the 2 year study period. Firemen with low hostility and high self-efficacy demonstrated no increase in symptoms. The study appeared in the American Journal of Psychiatry. http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/