The Validity and Structure of Culture-Level Personality Scores: Data From Ratings of Young Adolescents

We examined properties of culture-level personality traits in ratings of targets (N=5,109) ages 12 to 17 in 24 cultures. Aggregate scores were generalizable across gender, age, and relationship groups and showed convergence with culture-level scores from previous studies of self-reports and observer ratings of adults, but they were unrelated to national character stereotypes. Trait profiles also showed cross-study agreement within most cultures, 8 of which had not previously been studied. Multidimensional scaling showed that Western and non-Western cultures clustered along a dimension related to Extraversion. A culture-level factor analysis replicated earlier findings of a broad Extraversion factor but generally resembled the factor structure found in individuals. Continued analysis of aggregate personality scores is warranted. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.Fil: McCrae, Robert R.. National Institute on Ageing; CanadáFil: Terracciano, Antonio. National Institute on Ageing; CanadáFil: De Fruyt, Filip. University of Ghent; BélgicaFil: De Bolle, Marleen. University of Ghent; BélgicaFil: Gelfand, Michele J.. University of Maryland; Estados UnidosFil: Costa Jr., Paul T.. National Institute on Ageing; CanadáFil: Klinkosz, Waldemar. The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin; PoloniaFil: Knežević, Goran. Belgrade University; SerbiaFil: Leibovich de Figueroa, Nora. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Löckenhoff, Corinna E.. Cornell University; Estados UnidosFil: Martin, Thomas A.. Susquehanna University; Estados UnidosFil: Marušić, Iris. Institute for Social Research; CroaciaFil: Mastor, Khairul Anwar. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; MalasiaFil: Nakazato, Katsuharu. Iwate Prefectural University; AfganistánFil: Nansubuga, Florence. Makerere University; UgandaFil: Porrata, Jose. No especifíca;Fil: Purić, Danka. Belgrade University; SerbiaFil: Realo, aAnu. University of Tartu; EstoniaFil: Reátegui, Norma. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; PerúFil: Rolland, Jean Pierre. Universite Paris Ouest Nanterre la Defense; FranciaFil: Schmidt, Vanina Ines. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Psicología. Instituto de Investigaciones; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sekowski, Andrzej. The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin; PoloniaFil: Shakespeare Finch, Jane. Queensland University of Technology; AustraliaFil: Shimonaka, Yoshiko. Bunkyo Gakuin University; JapónFil: Simonetti, Franco. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; ChileFil: Siuta, Jerzy. Jagiellonian University;Fil: Szmigielska, Barbara. Jagiellonian University;Fil: Vanno, Vitanya. Srinakharinwirot University; TailandiaFil: Wang, Lei. Peking University; ChinaFil: Yik, Michelle. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Hong Kon

A mathematical model of stress reaction: Individual differences in threshold and duration

People differ in what they experience as stressful and to what extent. We define a variable-stress threshold (sigma)-that links the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis and the memory system in a feedback mechanism. Current sigma dictates the intensity of a stimulus that turns the stress response on. On the other hand, each jump of the HPA axis helps long-term registration of the stressful event via concentration changes of some of its products, consequently changing the value of sigma for future stressors. After the action of a strong exterior stressor, the new stressful memory acts as an internal source of stress. We assume that its intensity decreases with the rate of processing the stressful information. This process is characterized by a time parameter tau. Both sigma and tau are individual: They depend on personality traits, genetic as well as acquired. The mathematical model presented here simulates the feedback mechanism between the HPA axis and the memory system involved in stress reaction

Determination of the organization systems quality level

This work presents one approach to guide organization systems towards a continuous meeting its stakeholders' needs. The approach starts from the stakeholders' needs and ends with the evaluation of the extent to which these needs are met through a cycle of continuous organization system improvement, based on the implementation of a general-type model for defining organization systems quality

PTSD and depressive symptoms are linked to DHEAS via personality.

BACKGROUND Research results on dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate ester (DHEAS) in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are inconsistent. We hypothesized that personality traits could be the confounders of DHEAS levels and disease symptoms, which could in part explain the discrepancy in findings. METHOD This study was a part of a broader project in which simultaneous psychological and biological investigations were carried out in hospital conditions. 380 male subjects were categorized in four groups: A) current PTSD (n = 132), B) lifetime PTSD (n = 66), C) trauma controls (n = 101), and D) healthy controls (n = 81), matched by age. RESULTS The level of DHEAS is significantly lower in the current PTSD group than in trauma controls. All groups significantly differ in personality traits Disintegration and Neuroticism (current PTSD group having the highest scores). DHEAS is related to both PTSD and depressive symptoms; however, Structural Equation Model (SEM) shows that the relations are indirect, realized via their confounder - personality trait Disintegration. CONCLUSIONS According to our project results, DHEAS is the second putative biomarker for trauma-related disorders that fails to fulfil this expectation. It appears to be more directly related to personality than to the disease symptoms (the first one being basal cortisol). Our data promote personality as a biologically based construct with seemingly important role in understanding the mental health status

From war-related trauma exposure to PTSD and depression: A personality perspective

The aim of the study is to test a model specifying the relations between personality traits, war-related traumas, PTSD and depression, as well as the measurement aspects of the model. This study was carried out in hospital on 400 male participants. Five-Factor Model of personality was complemented by a recently proposed trait Disintegration representing proneness to psychotic-like experiences/behaviors in the general population. The proposed model had excellent fit, despite its complexity. The results show that PTSD or depression symptoms after traumas are largely related to the number of traumas, Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Disintegration, and their different configurations and quantities. Disintegration turned out to be one of the most important dispositional correlates of depression and PTSD, but also of trauma exposure. © 202

Disintegration: A reconceptualization of psychosis proneness as a personality trait separate from the Big Five

A nine-facet hierarchical taxonomy of Disintegration, a trait-like disposition that causes variations in psychotic-like behavior, is proposed, along with the scales to assess it. Strong correlations were demonstrated in students (n = 466) between lower-level dimensions, independent of the assessment method. Disintegration lay beyond the Five-Factor Model (FFM) space. This finding was replicated across informant types (self, mother, and father), samples (students and a national representative sample, n = 1001), and units of analyses (facets and items). The most frequent approach to preserve the FFM taxonomy of both normal and non-normal personality variants - mapping psychotic-like phenomena onto the Openness domain - found little support in our data. Disintegration was normally distributed in the general population. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

The role of personality and traumatic events in cortisol levels - Where does PTSD fit in?

Background: Studies of cortisol in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have yielded mixed results. We hypothesize that personality traits and traumatic experiences could be the confounders of cortisol measures and disease symptoms. Method: This study was a part of a broader project in which simultaneous psychological and biological investigations were carried out in hospital conditions on 400 male participants categorized by four groups: (A) 133 with current PTSD, (B) 66 with lifetime PTSD, (C) 102 trauma controls, and (D) 99 healthy controls (matched by age and education). Cortisol and ACTH were measured in blood samples taken hourly from 22:00 h to 09:00 h, with an additional sample at 07:30 h (resting state and morning rise). The next night, dexamethasone (0.5 mg) suppression test was performed. Results: No significant differences in basal cortisol and ACTH were found between study groups. The trait Conscientiousness, negatively modulated by Extraversion (assessed by NEO Personality Inventory-Revised) was found to correlate with cortisol (but not with ACTH). Group differences are found on suppression. Structural equation modeling shows excellent fit only when the paths (influences) from Conscientiousness to basal cortisol and from traumatic events to suppression are present. The paths connecting suppression and PTSD symptoms do not contribute. Conclusions: Two sources of differences of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis functioning are implied, both only indirectly connected to PTSD. It seems that basal cortisol secretion is associated more tightly with personality (introvertively modulated Conscientiousness), while the regulation by glucocorticoid receptor system is sensitized by repeated traumatic situations. (c) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The role of personality and traumatic events in cortisol levels - Where does PTSD fit in?

Background: Studies of cortisol in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have yielded mixed results. We hypothesize that personality traits and traumatic experiences could be the confounders of cortisol measures and disease symptoms. Method: This study was a part of a broader project in which simultaneous psychological and biological investigations were carried out in hospital conditions on 400 male participants categorized by four groups: (A) 133 with current PTSD, (B) 66 with lifetime PTSD, (C) 102 trauma controls, and (D) 99 healthy controls (matched by age and education). Cortisol and ACTH were measured in blood samples taken hourly from 22:00 h to 09:00 h, with an additional sample at 07:30 h (resting state and morning rise). The next night, dexamethasone (0.5 mg) suppression test was performed. Results: No significant differences in basal cortisol and ACTH were found between study groups. The trait Conscientiousness, negatively modulated by Extraversion (assessed by NEO Personality Inventory-Revised) was found to correlate with cortisol (but not with ACTH). Group differences are found on suppression. Structural equation modeling shows excellent fit only when the paths (influences) from Conscientiousness to basal cortisol and from traumatic events to suppression are present. The paths connecting suppression and PTSD symptoms do not contribute. Conclusions: Two sources of differences of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis functioning are implied, both only indirectly connected to PTSD. It seems that basal cortisol secretion is associated more tightly with personality (introvertively modulated Conscientiousness), while the regulation by glucocorticoid receptor system is sensitized by repeated traumatic situations. (c) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Is there a biological difference between trauma-related depression and PTSD? DST says NO

The use of the low-dose dexamethasone suppression test (DST) as a potentially discriminative marker between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression is still under discussion. In order to compare the influence of these psychopathologies on the DST results, we examined suppression in war-traumatized subjects with one or both of these disorders, as well as in healthy controls. Based on our previous findings, we hypothesized that subjects with any disorder would exhibit higher dexamethasone suppression than healthy controls due to traumatic experiences. This study was a part of a broader project in which simultaneous psychological and biological investigations were carried out in hospital conditions on 399 mate participants: 57 with PTSD, 28 with depression, 76 with PTSD + depression, and 238 healthy controls. Cortisol was measured in blood samples taken at 0900 h before and after administering 0.5 mg of dexamethasone (at 2300 h). Group means standard deviation of cortisol suppression were: 79.4 +/- 18.5 in the PTSD group, 80.8 +/- 11.6 in the depression group, 77.5 +/- 24.6 in the group with PTSD+depression, and 66.8 +/- 34.6 in healthy controls. The first three groups suppressed significantly more than the fourth. When the number of traumas was introduced as a covariate, the differences disappeared. The hypothesis was confirmed: in respect to DST, the examined trauma-related psychopathologies showed the same pattern: hypersuppression, due to multiple traumatic experiences. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved