ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION
The role of Personality Following the September 11th Terrorist Attacks:
Big Five Trait Combinations and Interactions in Explaining Distress and Coping
By
Marian Marnie Brow
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology and Social Behavior
University of California, Irvine, 2008
Professor Roxane Cohen Silver, Chair
In recent years, many psychologists have come to see personality in terms of 5
specific traits (e.g., the “Big Five”: neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience,
agreeableness, and conscientiousness). The relationship between neuroticism, coping
strategies, and health is consistent and well-documented, but the other traits (except
perhaps extraversion) remain largely understudied. Studies of combinations or
interactions of the other traits and neuroticism are rare, but results indicate differential
outcomes when examining an interaction than when examining neuroticism by itself.
Moreover, prior research on this topic has been mostly cross-sectional analyses of small,
convenience samples.
A nationally-representative sample of 1,647 adults was followed over three years
beginning shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The present study
sought to (1) confirm the relationship between neuroticism, coping strategies, and
emotional distress, and (2) determine whether choice of strategy or level of distress were
different when considering a combination of neuroticism and another personality trait. It
was hypothesized that the other trait would moderate the relationships between
neuroticism, ineffective coping strategies, and emotional distress.
Hierarchical linear regression was used for cross-sectional examination of coping
strategies employed after 9/11, and multilevel modeling was used for longitudinal
examination of differences in emotional distress over a three-year period following the
attacks. Neuroticism followed the same pattern in this large, heterogeneous sample as in
previous research. Specifically, the greater the neuroticism, the greater the use of
maladaptive coping strategies in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, such as denial and selfblame, and the lesser the use of effective strategies, such as active coping and acceptance.
In addition, the greater the neuroticism, the higher the level of emotional distress
respondents reported. Results for trait combinations were mixed. Combinations did not
predict differential use of coping strategies, but in longitudinal analyses, did predict lower
initial levels of distress compared with neuroticism alone. Relationships with change in
distress over the three years varied, depending on the model.
This study suggests that it would be valuable for researchers to move away from a
singular focus on neuroticism and begin to broaden our understanding of the Big Five
traits in their various combination