TY - JOUR
T1 - Personality Traits and Symptom Reduction in a Group Treatment for Women with Histories of Childhood Sexual Abuse
AU - Talbot, Nancy L.
AU - Duberstein, Paul R.
AU - Butzel, Jessica S.
AU - Cox, Christopher
AU - Giles, Donna E.
N1 - Funding Information:
Supported in part by a Leonard F. Salzman Research Award from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, and US Public Health Service Grants No. R01-MH39531, MH60350, and MH51201.
Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2003
Y1 - 2003
N2 - The influence of personality on symptom reduction has not been examined in research on treatments for women with childhood sexual abuse histories, although personality has demonstrated predictive value in other treatment contexts. This study examined personality variables associated with symptom reduction in group therapy for hospitalized women with histories of sexual abuse. Personality was measured with the NEO-Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), which yields scores on neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Among 86 women who participated in either the Women's Safety in Recovery (WSIR) group therapy or treatment as usual, 43 completed assessments of symptom reduction at discharge and 6-month follow-up. We hypothesized that extraversion, agreeableness, and openness to experience would be associated with treatment outcome. Our results showed that agreeableness and extraversion moderated the effect of treatment on symptom reduction. WSIR participants who were less agreeable improved more at discharge and 6-month follow-up than more agreeable WSIR participants. Moreover, women in the WSIR group who were more introverted showed greater symptom improvement at discharge than more extraverted women. Our findings suggest that more introverted, less agreeable patients with sexual abuse histories may indeed benefit from structured group treatments.
AB - The influence of personality on symptom reduction has not been examined in research on treatments for women with childhood sexual abuse histories, although personality has demonstrated predictive value in other treatment contexts. This study examined personality variables associated with symptom reduction in group therapy for hospitalized women with histories of sexual abuse. Personality was measured with the NEO-Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), which yields scores on neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Among 86 women who participated in either the Women's Safety in Recovery (WSIR) group therapy or treatment as usual, 43 completed assessments of symptom reduction at discharge and 6-month follow-up. We hypothesized that extraversion, agreeableness, and openness to experience would be associated with treatment outcome. Our results showed that agreeableness and extraversion moderated the effect of treatment on symptom reduction. WSIR participants who were less agreeable improved more at discharge and 6-month follow-up than more agreeable WSIR participants. Moreover, women in the WSIR group who were more introverted showed greater symptom improvement at discharge than more extraverted women. Our findings suggest that more introverted, less agreeable patients with sexual abuse histories may indeed benefit from structured group treatments.
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U2 - 10.1016/S0010-440X(03)00142-1
DO - 10.1016/S0010-440X(03)00142-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 14610721
AN - SCOPUS:0242583949
SN - 0010-440X
VL - 44
SP - 448
EP - 453
JO - Comprehensive Psychiatry
JF - Comprehensive Psychiatry
IS - 6
ER -