Publication Date

2024

Document Type

Student Project

First Advisor

Orcutt, Holly K.

Second Advisor

Cole, Travis

Department

Department of Psychology

Abstract

The cumulative effects of childhood maltreatment (CM), or polyvictimization, are associated with increased distress. Personality traits moderate the association between trauma and distress. The present study administered questionnaires to undergraduate students (N = 485). The following hypotheses were formed: 1) Negative Affectivity (NA), Detachment, Disinhibition, Antagonism, and Psychoticism would be significantly positively correlated with distress; 2) the personality trait domains of NA, Detachment, and Psychoticism would moderate the relationship between polyvictimization and psychological distress, and; 3) the positive correlation between polyvictimization and distress would be significantly stronger than the positive correlation between total scores on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and distress. Results indicated that all personality traits positively correlated with distress. Multiple-regressions models indicated significant positive interactions for polyvictimization with NA and Antagonism on distress. Support for the third hypothesis was not found. The positive moderation effects suggest that higher levels of NA and Antagonism increase the impact of polyvictimization on distress.

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

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