Interpersonal trauma moderates the relationship between personality factors and suicidality of individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder

Abstract

Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more prone to suicidal ideation and behavior. While those who have experienced interpersonal trauma exhibit more suicidality than those who have experienced non-interpersonal trauma, it is unclear how the traumatic effects are related to an individual's personality characteristics. This study examined the association between interpersonal trauma and personality factors with suicidality, and elucidated the moderating role of interpersonal trauma in individuals with PTSD. The study included 6,022 participants from the Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study 2011. The Korean Version of Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used for the survey, including the participants' history of suicidality, the traumas they have experienced, and their PTSD symptoms. The 11-item version of the Big Five Inventory (BFI-11) was used to assess the participants' personality factors. 76 individuals were diagnosed with PTSD, while 810 had been exposed to trauma but were not diagnosed with any DSM-IV mental disorder. Among the individuals with PTSD, those who had experienced interpersonal trauma were more likely to have suicidal ideation than those who had experienced non-interpersonal trauma (p = .020; odds ratio [OR] = 3.643; 95% confidence interval of OR = [1.226, 10.825]). High agreeableness and conscientiousness predicted less suicidality in those exposed to non-interpersonal trauma, while predicting more suicidality in those exposed to interpersonal trauma. Clinicians examining individuals with PTSD should pay closer attention to the trauma that they have experienced, as well as their personality factors, to provide appropriate treatment.

Fig 1. The relationships between BFI-11 personality factor scores and suicidality according to the type of trauma experienced among individuals with PTSD.

The effect of the conscientiousness (a) and agreeableness (b) scores on suicidal ideation. The effect of the conscientiousness (c) and agreeableness (d) scores on suicidal planning. The effect of the conscientiousness (e) and agreeableness (f) scores on suicidal attempt. Interaction terms between the respective personality factor scores and the type of trauma were significant for suicidal ideation and attempt. Abbreviations: IT, interpersonal trauma; NIT, non-interpersonal trauma; BFI-11, Big Five Inventory, 11-item version; PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorder.