Self-Reported Extremely Adverse Life Events and Longitudinal Changes in Five-Factor Model Personality Traits in an Urban Sample

This study examined longitudinal personality change in response to extremely adverse life events in a sample (N= 458) drawn from the First Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area study Five factor model personality traits were assessed twice over art average interval of 8 years. Twenty-five percent of the participants reported air extremely horrifying or frightening event within 2 years before the second personality assessment. Relative to the rest of the sample, they showed increases in neuroticism, decreases in tire compliance facet of agreeableness, and decreases in openness to values. Baseline personality was unrelated to future events, but among participants who reported extreme events, lower extraversion and/or conscientiousness at baseline as well as longitudinal increases in neuroticism predicted lower mental health at follow-up.