Meroz, N. L. (2022) Childhood Trauma, Adulthood Optimism and the Moderating Role of Extraversion. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Objective: Adults who experienced childhood trauma were previously found to express less optimism and to be more prone to be diagnosed with affective disorders. Furthermore, extraversion was shown to be lower in adults who developed PTSD following severe burn injuries, and to have a positive association with optimism. This thesis aimed to investigate the association between childhood trauma and optimism levels in adulthood. In light of past research, extraversion was examined as a possible moderator in the link between childhood trauma and adulthood optimism. Method: The data was used from the ‘HowNutsAreTheDutch’ study. A subsample of 1358 participants completed three questionnaires, one measuring childhood trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form; CTQ-SF), one measuring dispositional optimism (Life Orientation Test Revised; LOT-R) and one measuring extraversion (Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five-Factor Inventory; NEO-FFI-3) . Results: Childhood trauma was shown to have a nonlinear association with adulthood optimism. Whereas people who reported none/low, low to moderate and moderate to severe levels of childhood trauma had a linear negative association with optimism scores, individuals reporting severe to extreme levels of childhood trauma showed the highest optimism scores. Extraversion was positively associated with adulthood optimism. The interaction between childhood trauma and extraversion was found non-significant. Conclusion: Childhood trauma was found to be associated with adulthood optimism in a way that suggests a pattern of post-traumatic growth (PTG). Perhaps people who developed PTG following trauma were more likely to choose to participate in the study. The role of extraversion in the development of PTG following trauma is discussed. Keywords: childhood trauma, optimism, extraversion, post-traumatic growth.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Supervisor name: | Rot, M. aan het |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Jul 2022 13:51 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Jul 2022 13:51 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/738 |
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