(PS11-C62) Does Believing in Others Help Yourself: How Light Triad Personality Traits Moderate the Relationship Between Traumatic Experiences and the Development of PTS Symptoms

Introduction: While research has been conducted on protective and promotive factors after trauma (Cann et al., 2010; Mehta et al., 2019), there is still a gap in the literature examining how positive personality traits (such as empathy, compassion, and altruism) may serve a protective function after trauma. This study examined how positive personality characteristics (specifically Kantianism, humanism, and belief in humanity) may impact the relationship between an individual’s traumatic experiences and the presence and severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Method: Data was collected through participation in an online survey that included various scales such as the Light Triad Scale, the Life Events Checklist, and the PCL-5, as well as questions about participants’ demographic identity. Data was collected from fall 2022 to spring 2023, and around 400 responses were collected. Average age of participants was 38.53 years (SD = 13.28). 80.8% identified as white, 10.3% as black, 2.3% as Native American or Alaska Native, 8.3% as Asian, and 1.5% as Other. 7.5% of participants identified as being of a Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino ethnicity. 49.8% of participants identified as a man, 48.3% as a woman, 1.3% as nonbinary or third gender, and 0.3% preferred to self-describe as gender nonconforming. 3.5% of participants identified as gay or lesbian, 84.5% as straight or heterosexual, 9% as bisexual or pansexual, and 1% as asexual, and 1% as other.

Results: Four hundred responses were collected from Prolific, a data collection website, after data cleaning. We plan to run a moderation analysis to determine whether light personality traits (Kantianism, Humanism, and Faith in Humanity) moderate the relationship between experiences of trauma and the development and severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms. We anticipate that the presence of one or more light personality traits will minimize the development of PTS symptoms.

Implications: The findings will help us to determine whether specific personality traits are protective for individuals who have experienced a traumatic event. If the hypotheses are supported, then prevention efforts can be implemented in communities to elevate endorsement of Kantianism, humanism, and a belief in humanity. The results of the study help give us further insight into how to best design and adapt preventative efforts to foster the development and honing of these specific traits to enhance survivor’s overall level of wellbeing and their ability to flourish after trauma. Limitations include cross-sectional data collection and limited representation by diverse respondents, which may limit generalizability.