The Road Towards PTSD Symptomatology. The Role of Personality, Uncertainty and Anxiety Sensitivity. A Two-Wave Prospective Mediation Study

• Pedro Altungy ; Sara Liébana ; Ashley Navarro-McCarthy ^[1] ; María Paz García-Vera ; Jesús Sanz
  1. [1] Universidad Europea de Madrid

     Universidad Europea de Madrid

     Madrid, España

     
• Localización: Revista iberoamericana de psicología y salud, ISSN 2171-2069, Vol. 17, Nº. 1, 2026, págs. 1-10
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.70478/rips.2026.17.01
• Títulos paralelos:
  • El Camino Hacia la Sintomatología de TEPT. El Rol de la Personalidad, la Incertidumbre y la Sensibilidad a la Ansiedad. Un Estudio Mediacional de Doble Fase
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo (pdf)
• Resumen
  • español

    Existe numerosa literatura científica sobre las variables psicológicas que constituyen un factor de riesgo/protección para el desarrollo y mantenimiento del TEPT. Entre ellas, los rasgos de personalidad del Big Five. Sin embargo, hay poca evidencia sobre los mecanismos subyacentes que pueden explicar esta relación.

    Una muestra de 300 personas de la población general española (Medad = 38,72; 54,7% mujeres) completaron una encuesta on-line en dos momentos de medida: rasgos de personalidad, intolerancia a la incertidumbre y sensibilidad a la ansiedad en T1, y sintomatología de TEPT en T2, tres meses después.

    El neuroticismo (?estandarizada = ,144), la intolerancia a la incertidumbre (?estandarizada = ,195) y la sensibilidad a la ansiedad (?estandarizada = ,269) en T1 predijeron el 25.5% de la sintomatología de TEPT en T2. Además, la intolerancia a la incertidumbre (a1a2 = ,129) y la sensibilidad a la ansiedad (b1b2 = ,119) mediaron parcialmente la relación entre el neuroticismo en T1 y la sintomatología de TEPT en T2 (c = ,144).

    Los resultados hallados ofrecen implicaciones significativas para el futuro desarrollo de programas de prevención e intervención específicos para supervivientes de eventos traumáticos.

  • English

    There is significant amount of scientific literature regarding psychological variables that account as vulnerability/protective variables for the onset and maintenance of PTSD symptomatology. Among them, Big Five personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism). However, there is still little evidence regarding the underlying mechanisms that may explain that relationship.

    A sample of 300 participants from Spanish general population (Mage = 38.72; 54.7% women) completed an on-line survey in two separated moments: personality traits, intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety sensitivity at T1, and PTSD symptomatology at T2, three months later.

    Neuroticism (?standarised = .144), intolerance of uncertainty (?standarised = .195) and anxiety sensitivity (?standarised = .269) at T1 predicted 25.5% of PTSD symptomatology at T2. Moreover, intolerance of uncertainty (a1a2 = .129) and anxiety sensitivity (b1b2 = .119) partially and complementary mediated the relationship between neuroticism at T1 and PTSD symptomatology at T2 (c = .144).

    This study is the first to analyse together, in a two-wave prospective study, the predictive capacity of personality traits, intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety sensitivity, over PTSD symptoms. These results have significant implications for future development of targeted prevention and intervention programs aimed to traumatic events survivors.

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