| This study sought to determine if Openness to Experience predicts levels of posttraumatic symptoms in 18- and 19-year-old college music majors with a trauma history. This study focused specifically on the Ideas facet of Openness to Experience. To examine whether Openness to Ideas was associated with lower posttraumatic symptoms, participants completed several self-report measures. The Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire (TLEQ; Kubany, 2004) was used to determine the presence of a trauma history, the Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI; Briere, 1995) measured posttraumatic symptoms, and the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R; Costa & McCrae, 1992a) quantified Openness to Experience and its six facets. Findings showed that the musicians in this study had higher levels of Total Openness and four of its facets (Fantasy, Aesthetics, Ideas, and Values) at a statistically significant level when compared to published norms. While musicians with a trauma history reported posttraumatic symptoms at a severity that was higher than the mean of the normative sample at a statistically significant level, their scores fell statistically significantly below the clinical range, indicating they experience posttraumatic symptoms within the average range. Trauma history and Openness to Ideas were largely unrelated to the majority of posttraumatic symptoms captured by the clinical scales of the TSI outside of three exceptions. First, both Count of Events and Ideas made statistically significant contributions to levels of change in Intrusive Experiences. Second, Count of Events made a statistically significant contribution to levels of Defensive Avoidance. Third, Count of Events made a unique contribution to change in levels of Dissociation as well. |
