Date of Graduation

Spring 2022

Abstract

This research seeks to explore the relationship between trauma and resiliency development while analyzing how personality traits and reactivity to social connectedness mediates this relationship. The current study was created in order to address several main considerations: (1) Do trauma experiences impact levels of resiliency developed in individuals? (2) Do certain personality characteristics, specifically extraversion and emotional stability, affect the relationship between traumatic experiences and resiliency? (3) Does an individuals’ level of extraversion or emotional stability affect their reactivity to social connectedness? (4) Does reactivity to social connectedness mediate the relationship between trauma and resilience? Participants cumulative trauma experiences and life stressors were measured with the Life Stressor Checklist-Revised (LSC-R) and compared to total resiliency scores evaluated by the Resiliency Scale for Adults (RSA), to identify if trauma exposure is linked to resiliency development. Additionally, personality characteristics were measured by the Personality Inventory (Big Five IPIP) to determine if certain personality traits affect the relationship between trauma and the development of resiliency. Furthermore, social connectedness was measured by the Social Connectedness Scale-Revised (SCS-R) and galvanic skin response in order to assess if levels of reactivity to social connectedness are related to personality traits and if that reactivity impacts the relationship between trauma and resiliency.

Keywords

trauma, resilience, personality traits, extraversion, emotional stability, social connectedness, reactivity to social connectedness

Subject Categories

Clinical Psychology

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