Self-reported early trauma as a predictor of adult personality: a study in a military sample.

Exposure to early trauma has frequently been linked to adult psychopathology, including personality disorders. This cross-sectional study explored the relationship between personality and retrospectively rated levels of early trauma in 242 soldiers. Multiple regression analyses showed a significant relationship between early trauma and adult personality as exposure to emotional trauma predicted levels of self-directedness and cooperativeness on the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI; C. R. Cloninger, T. R. Przybeck, D. M. Svrakic, & R. D. Wetzel, 1994). Overall, these results suggest that early emotional trauma may be related to personality dimensions associated with poor impulse control and interpersonal behavior. These results are noteworthy considering that they were obtained in a healthy sample. They show that early trauma may become ingrained in personality and hamper the potential to effectively engage in social interactions, increasing the risk of emotional and cognitive problems. Copyright 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.