Citation

Kunst MJJ, Bogaerts S, Winkel FW. Stress Health 2009; 25(5): 387-395.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/smi.1247

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study investigated the adverse effects of exposure to inmate or peer aggression, type D-personality and their interactions on post-traumatic stress reactions among a sample of prison workers. The basic tenet of type D-personality is that not so much the experience of negative emotions per se is responsible for negative health consequences, but rather the way individuals cope with such emotions. Many studies have revealed diverse adverse health outcomes of type D-personality, particularly among cardiac patients. However, the moderating effect of social inhibition has never been statistically examined in other populations. Participants (111 men, 40 women) were recruited in 10 Dutch correctional institutions. The results showed that victims of aggression are more prone to develop Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms than non-victims, although this particularly applied to victims of peer aggression. Furthermore, an interaction effect was observed between inmate aggression and type D-personality. Finally, both peer aggression and type D-personality contributed to the development of PTSD. The results were discussed together with recommendations for future research. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.