Arthur R. Rademaker

The purpose of this study was to examine course and predictors of fatigue in military personnel deployed to Afghanistan.

Symptom structure of PTSD: support for a hierarchical model separating core PTSD symptoms from dysphoria

Psychological trauma and prolonged stress may cause mental disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Pretrauma personality is an important determinant of posttraumatic adjustment. Specifically, trait neuroticism has been identified as a risk factor for PTSD. Additionally, the combination of high negative affectivity or neuroticism with marked social inhibition or introversion, also called Type D personality (Denollet, 2000), may compose a risk factor for PTSD. There is no research available that examined pretrauma Type D personality in relation to PTSD. The present study examined the predictive validity of the Type D personality construct in a sample of Dutch soldiers. Data were collected prior to and 6 months after military deployment to Afghanistan. Separate multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the predictive validity of Type D personality. First, Type D personality was defined as the interaction between negative affect and social inhibition (Na × Si). In a second analysis, Type D was defined following cutoff criteria recommended by Denollet (2000). Results showed that negative affectivity was a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms. Social inhibition and the interaction Na × Si did not add to the amount of explained variance in postdeployment PTSD scores over the effects of childhood abuse, negative affectivity, and prior psychological symptoms. A second analysis showed that Type D personality (dichotomous) did not add to the amount of explained variance in postdeployment PTSD scores over the effects of childhood abuse, and prior psychological symptoms. Therefore, Type D personality appears to be of limited value to explain development of combat-related PTSD symptoms.

Most available research on MMPI–2 ( Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989 Butcher, J. N. , Dahlstrom, W. G. , Graham, J. R. , Tellegen, A. and Kaemmer, B. 1989. MMPI–2: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2: Manual for administration and scoring, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. [Google Scholar] ) scores in combat veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has focused on Vietnam veterans. No data are available from peacekeepers suffering from PTSD. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between PTSD and the MMPI–2 in a sample of 120 treatment seeking peacekeeping veterans. Results show that relative to a non-PTSD reference group, veterans who screened positive for PTSD scored higher on Scales F, 2 (D), 4 (Pd), 6 (Pa), 7 (Pt), 8 (Sc), and 0 (Si) of the MMPI–2. Scales 2 (D), 7 (Pt), and 8 (Sc) were highest in the mean PTSD profile but no 2- or 3-point code type could be defined. Moderate correlations were found between a self-report measure for PTSD symptoms and scores on MMPI–2 clinical scales 1 (Hs), 2 (D), 6 (Pa), 7 (Pt), and 8 (Sc). The MMPI–2 proved to be useful in assessing the broad range of symptoms typically present in trauma populations as well as the severity of posttraumatic morbidity.

Exposure to early trauma has frequently been linked to adult psychopathology, including personality disorders. This cross‐sectional study explored the relationship between personality and retrospectively rated levels of early trauma in 242 soldiers. Multiple regression analyses showed a significant relationship between early trauma and adult personality as exposure to emotional trauma predicted levels of self‐directedness and cooperativeness on the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI; C. R. Cloninger, T. R. Przybeck, D. M. Svrakic, & R. D. Wetzel, 1994). Overall, these results suggest that early emotional trauma may be related to personality dimensions associated with poor impulse control and interpersonal behavior. These results are noteworthy considering that they were obtained in a healthy sample. They show that early trauma may become ingrained in personality and hamper the potential to effectively engage in social interactions, increasing the risk of emotional and cognitive problems. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 64: 1–13, 2008.