Abstract
Trauma needs special attention during the sensitive period of adolescence, which already involves its own psychological challenges and vocational tasks. Coping with trauma requires adaptation. From the perspective of the career construction model of adaptation, career adaptability provides psycho-social resources that promote adaptation. Using this model, the aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between personality and post-traumatic growth via career adaptability. A total of 266 Iranian adolescents who had experienced the sudden death of a parent recruited. They then completed the Big Five Questionnaire, Post-traumatic Growth Inventory, and Career Adapt-abilities Scale. The results showed career adaptability partially mediated the relationship between neuroticism and openness and post-traumatic growth. In addition, the findings confirmed the full mediator role of career adaptability in the relationship between conscientiousness and post-traumatic growth. The results also indicated a direct relationship between extraversion and post-traumatic growth, but no relationship between agreeableness and post-traumatic growth. These results emphasized the essential role of career adaptability in empowering traumatized adolescents.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aluja, A., Kuhlman, M., & Zuckerman, M. (2010). Development of the Zuckerman–Kuhlman–Aluja personality questionnaire (ZKA–PQ): A factor/facet version of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman personality questionnaire (ZKPQ). Journal of Personality Assessment, 92(5), 416–431. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2010.497406
An, Y., Ding, X., & Fu, F. (2017). Personality and post-traumatic growth of adolescents 42 months after the Wenchuan earthquake: A mediated model. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2152. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02152
Asgari, Z., & Naghavi, A. (2020). The experience of adolescents’ post-traumatic growth after sudden loss of father. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 25(2), 173–187. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2019.1664723
Barbaranelli, C., Caprara, G. V., Rabasca, A., & Pastorelli, C. (2003). A questionnaire for measuring the Big Five in late childhood. Personality and Individual Differences, 34(4), 645–664. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00051-X
Blakemore, S. J., & Mills, K. L. (2014). Is adolescence a sensitive period for sociocultural processing?. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 187–207. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115202
Brewin, M., & Statham, J. (2011). Supporting the transition from primary school to secondary school for children who are looked after. Educational Psychology in Practice, 27(4), 365–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/02667363.2011.624301
Brown, B. B., & Larson, J. (2009). Peer relationships in adolescence. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of Adolescent Psychology (3rd ed., pp. 74–103). Wiley.
Carver, C. S., & Connor-Smith, J. (2010). Personality and coping. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 679–704. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100352
Costa Jr, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (2008). The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R): Sage Publications, Inc.
Creed, P. A., Fallon, T., & Hood, M. (2009). The relationship between career adaptability, person and situation variables, and career concerns in young adults. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 74(2), 219–229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2008.12.004
Digman, J. M. (1990). Personality structure: Emergence of the five-factor model. Annual Review of Psychology, 41(1), 417–440. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ps.41.020190.002221
Edwards, J. A., Weary, G., & Reich, D. A. (1998). Causal uncertainty: Factor structure and relation to the big five personality factors. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24(5), 451–462. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167298245001
Eryilmaz, A., & Kara, A. (2017). Comparison of teachers and pre-service teachers with respect to personality traits and career adaptability. International Journal of Instruction, 10(1), 85–100.
Fang, S., & Chung, M. C. (2019). The impact of past trauma on psychological distress among Chinese students: The roles of cognitive distortion and alexithymia. Psychiatry Research, 271, 136–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.11.032
Gallagher, D. J. (1990). Extraversion, neuroticism and appraisal of stressful academic events. Personality and Individual Differences, 11(10), 1053–1057. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(90)90133-C
Garnefski, N., Kraaij, V., Schroevers, M., & Somsen, G. (2008). Post-traumatic growth after a myocardial infarction: a matter of personality, psychological health, or cognitive coping? Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 15(4), 270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-008-9136-5
Gati, I., Gadassi, R., Saka, N., Hadadi, Y., Ansenberg, N., Friedmann, R., & Asulin-Peretz, L. (2011). Emotional and personality-related aspects of career decision-making difficulties: Facets of career indecisiveness. Journal of Career Assessment, 19(1), 3–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072708318900
Gershenson, S., & Tekin, E. (2018). The effect of community traumatic events on student achievement: Evidence from the beltway sniper attacks. Education Finance and Policy, 13(4), 513–544. https://doi.org/10.1162/EDFP_a_00234
Ginevra, M. C., Magnano, P., Lodi, E., Annovazzi, C., Camussi, E., Patrizi, P., & Nota, L. (2018). The role of career adaptability and courage on life satisfaction in adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 62, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.11.002
Guan, Y., Dai, X., Gong, Q., Deng, Y., Hou, Y., Dong, Z., & Lai, X. (2017). Understanding the trait basis of career adaptability: A two-wave mediation analysis among Chinese university students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 101, 32–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2017.04.004
Hamtiaux, A., Houssemand, C., & Vrignaud, P. (2013). Individual and career adaptability: Comparing models and measures. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 83(2), 130–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2013.03.006
Hartung, P. J., & Cadaret, M. C. (2017). Career adaptability: Changing self and situation for satisfaction and success. Psychology of Career Adaptability, Employability and Resilience, (pp. 15–28): Springer.
Heidarzadeh, M., Rassouli, M., Mohammadi S. F., Alavi-Majd, H., Mirzaei, H. R., & Tahmasebi, M. (2015). Validation of the Persian version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory in patients with cancer. Health Monitor Journal of the Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, 14(4), 467–473. http://payeshjournal.ir/article-1-228-en.html
Helgeson, V. S., Reynolds, K. A., & Tomich, P. L. (2006). A meta-analytic review of benefit finding and growth. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(5), 797. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.74.5.797
Hirschi, A. (2009). Career adaptability development in adolescence: Multiple predictors and effect on sense of power and life satisfaction. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 74(2), 145–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2009.01.002
Hullmann, S. E., Fedele, D. A., Molzon, E. S., Mayes, S., & Mullins, L. L. (2014). Posttraumatic growth and hope in parents of children with cancer. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 32(6), 696–707. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347332.2014.955241
İspir, Ö., Elibol, E., & Sönmez, B. (2019). The relationship of personality traits and entrepreneurship tendencies with career adaptability of nursing students. Nurse Education Today, 79, 41–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2019.05.017
Jia, X., Ying, L., Zhou, X., Wu, X., & Lin, C. (2015). The effects of extraversion, social support on the posttraumatic stress disorder and posttraumatic growth of adolescent survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake. PLoS One, 10(3), e0121480. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0121480
Joseph, S., & Linley, P. A. (2006). Growth following adversity: Theoretical perspectives and implications for clinical practice. Clinical Psychology Review, 26(8), 1041–1053. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2005.12.006
Judge, T. A., Higgins, C. A., Thoresen, C. J., & Barrick, M. R. (1999). The big five personality traits, general mental ability, and career success across the life span. Personnel Psychology, 52(3), 621–652. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1999.tb00174.x
Karanci, A. N., Işıklı, S., Aker, A. T., Gül, E. İ, Erkan, B. B., Özkol, H., & Güzel, H. Y. (2012). Personality, posttraumatic stress and trauma type: factors contributing to posttraumatic growth and its domains in a Turkish community sample. European journal of psychotraumatology, 3(1), 17303. https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v3i0.17303
Kline, R. B. (2011). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (3. Baskı). New York, NY: Guilford.
Kwon, S. Y., Nam, J. A., Ko, B. S., Lee, C. W., & Choi, K. S. (2019). Factors on the pathway from trauma to suicidal ideation in adolescents. Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 30(1), 26–33. https://doi.org/10.5765/jkacap.180019
Landolt, M. A., Vollrath, M. E., Gnehm, H. E., & Sennhauser, F. H. (2009). Post-traumatic stress impacts on quality of life in children after road traffic accidents: Prospective study. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 43(8), 746–753. https://doi.org/10.1080/00048670903001919
Li, Y., Guan, Y., Wang, F., Zhou, X., Guo, K., Jiang, P., & Fang, Z. (2015). Big-five personality and BIS/BAS traits as predictors of career exploration: The mediation role of career adaptability. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 89, 39–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2015.04.006
Liang, C. C., Liu, H. T., Rau, C. S., Hsu, S. Y., Hsieh, H. Y., & Hsieh, C. H. (2015). Motorcycle-related hospitalization of adolescents in a Level I trauma center in southern Taiwan: A cross-sectional study. BMC Pediatrics, 15(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-015-0419-3
Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (2004). Positive change following trauma and adversity: A review. Journal of Traumatic Stress: Official Publication of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, 17(1), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOTS.0000014671.27856.7e
Lotfi-Kashani, F., Vaziri, S., Akbari, M. E., Kazemi-Zanjani, N., & Shamkoeyan, L. (2014). Predicting post traumatic growth based upon self-efficacy and perceived social support in cancer patients. Iranian Journal of Cancer Prevention, 7(3), 115–123.
Mahmoudi, S., Rahimi, C., & Mohammadi, N. (2013). Psychometric properties of posttraumatic growth inventory in an Iranian sample. Journal of Psychological Models and Methods, 3(12), 93–108. https://www.sid.ir/en/journal/ViewPaper.aspx?id=386761
Mattson, E., James, L., & Engdahl, B. (2018). Personality factors and their impact on PTSD and post-traumatic growth is mediated by coping style among OIF/OEF veterans. Military Medicine, 183(9–10), e475–e480. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usx201
Mazor, Y., Gelkopf, M., Mueser, K. T., & Roe, D. (2016). Posttraumatic growth in psychosis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 7, 202. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00202
McCrae, R. R., & Costa Jr, P. T. (1992). Discriminant validity of NEO-PIR facet scales. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 52(1), 229–237. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316449205200128
McCrae, R. R., & Costa Jr, P. T. (2004). A contemplated revision of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. Personality and Individual Differences, 36(3), 587–596. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(03)00118-1
McDiarmid, L., & Taku, K. (2017). Family-valued and personally important posttraumatic growth in American and Japanese adolescents. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(2), 357–369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0565-8
McIlveen, P., & Midgley, W. (2015). A semantic and pragmatic analysis of career adaptability. In K. Maree & A. Di Fabio (Eds.), Exploring new horizons in career counselling: Turning challenges into opportunities (pp. 235-247). Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Moshirian Farahi, M., Asghari Ebrahimabad, M. J., Gorji, A., & Bigdeli, I. (2019). Psychometric Features of the Big-Five Personality Questionnaire for Children and Adolescence in Mashhad. The Neuroscience Journal of Shefaye Khatam, 7(1), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.29252/shefa.7.1.13
Nilforooshan, P., & Salimi, S. (2016). Career adaptability as a mediator between personality and career engagement. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 94, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2016.02.010
Overstreet, C., Berenz, E. C., Kendler, K. S., Dick, D. M., & Amstadter, A. B. (2017). Predictors and mental health outcomes of potentially traumatic event exposure. Psychiatry Research, 247, 296–304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2016.10.047
Park, C. L., & Folkman, S. (1997). Meaning in the context of stress and coping. Review of General Psychology, 1(2), 115–144. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.1.2.115
Patton, W. (2017). Career Adaptability, Employability and Resilience for Children in the Early School Years. In K. Mare, Psychology of Career Adaptability, Employability and Resilience, (pp. 207–224). Springer, Cham.
Perry, L. M., Hoerger, M., Molix, L. A., & Duberstein, P. R. (2020). A validation study of the Mini-IPIP five-factor personality scale in adults with cancer. Journal of Personality Assessment, 102(2), 153–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2019.1644341
Prescod, D. J., & Zeligman, M. (2018). Career adaptability of trauma survivors: The moderating role of posttraumatic growth. The Career Development Quarterly, 66(2), 107–120. https://doi.org/10.1002/cdq.12126
Rossier, J., Zecca, G., Stauffer, S. D., Maggiori, C., & Dauwalder, J.-P. (2012). Career Adapt-Abilities Scale in a French-speaking Swiss sample: Psychometric properties and relationships to personality and work engagement. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(3), 734–743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.004
Salehi, R., Abedi, M., Bagheban, I., Nilforooshan, P. (2014). Investigation on Factor structure, reliability, and validity of career adaptability scale (CAAS). Quarterly of Educational Measurement, 4(16), 49–66. https://jem.atu.ac.ir/article_309.html?lang=en
Savickas, M. L. (1997). Career adaptability: An integrative construct for life-span, life-space theory. The Career Development Quarterly, 45(3), 247–259. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-0045.1997.tb00469.x
Savickas, M. (2013). The theory and practice of career construction. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (pp. 147–183). Hoboken, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons.
Savickas, M. L., & Porfeli, E. J. (2012). Career Adapt-Abilities Scale: Construction, reliability, and measurement equivalence across 13 countries. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(3), 661–673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.011
Sawyer, S. M., Azzopardi, P. S., Wickremarathne, D., & Patton, G. C. (2018). The age of adolescence. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 2(3), 223–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(18)30022-1
Schäfer, I., Barkmann, C., Riedesser, P., & Schulte-Markwort, M. (2006). Posttraumatic syndromes in children and adolescents after road traffic accidents–a prospective cohort study. Psychopathology, 39(4), 159–164. https://doi.org/10.1159/000092676
Schermelleh-Engel, K., Moosbrugger, H., & Müller, H. (2003). Evaluating the fit of structural equation models: Tests of significance and descriptive goodness-of-fit measures. Methods of Psychological Research Online, 8(2), 23–74. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2003-08119-003
Schoon, I., & Silbereisen, R. K. (Eds.). (2009). Transitions from school to work: Globalisation, individualisation, and patterns of diversity. Cambridge University Press.
Shakespeare-Finch, J., Gow, K., & Smith, S. (2005). Personality, coping and posttraumatic growth in emergency ambulance personnel. Traumatology, 11(4), 325–334. https://doi.org/10.1177/153476560501100410
Shrout, P. E., & Bolger, N. (2002). Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies: new procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods, 7(4), 422. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.7.4.422
Singh, R., Singh, H. K., Gupta, S., & Kumar, Y. (2014). Pattern, severity and circumstances of injuries sustained in road traffic accidents: a tertiary care hospital-based study. Indian journal of community medicine: official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine, 39(1), 30. https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-0218.126353
Spence, R., Kagan, L., & Bifulco, A. (2019). A contextual approach to trauma experience: lessons from life events research. Psychological Medicine, 49(9), 1409–1413. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291719000850
Spiers, T. (Ed.). (2018). Trauma: A practitioner’s guide to counselling. New York, NY: Brunner-Routledge.
Storme, M., Celik, P., & Myszkowski, N. (2020). A forgotten antecedent of career adaptability: A study on the predictive role of within-person variability in personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 160, 109936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.109936
Super, D. E. (1963). Vocational development in adolescence and early adulthood: Tasks and behaviors. In D. E. Super (Ed.), Career Development: Self-Concept Theory, (pp. 79–95). College Entrance Examination Board.
Šverko, I., & Babarović, T. (2019). Applying career construction model of adaptation to career transition in adolescence: A two-study paper. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 111, 59–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2018.10.011
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1996). The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9(3), 455–471. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02103658
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1501_01
Tedeschi, R. G., Shakespeare-Finch, J., Taku, K., & Calhoun, L. G. (2018). Posttraumatic growth: Theory, Research and Applications. Routledge.
Teixeira, M. A. P., Bardagi, M. P., Lassance, M. C. P., de Oliveira Magalhães, M., & Duarte, M. E. (2012). Career adapt-abilities scale—Brazilian form: psychometric properties and relationships to personality. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(3), 680–685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.007
Van Vianen, A. E., Klehe, U.-C., Koen, J., & Dries, N. (2012). Career adapt-abilities scale—Netherlands form: Psychometric properties and relationships to ability, personality, and regulatory focus. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(3), 716–724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.002
Vázquez, C., Pérez-Sales, P., & Ochoa, C. (2014). Posttraumatic growth: challenges from a cross-cultural viewpoint. In G. A. Fava, & C. Ruini (Eds.), Increasing psychological well-being across cultures (pp. 57–74). New York, NY: Springer International Publishing.
Watson, M., & McMahon, M. (2007). Children’s career development learning: A foundation for lifelong career development. In V. B. Skorikov & W. Patton (Eds.), Career Development in Childhood and Adolescence, (pp. 29–46). Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense.
Willness, C. R., Steel, P., & Lee, K. (2007). A meta-analysis of the antecedents and consequences of workplace sexual harassment. Personnel Psychology, 60(1), 127–162.
Woo, H. R. (2018). Personality traits and intrapreneurship: The mediating effect of career adaptability. Career Development International, 23(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-02-2017-0046/full/html
World Population Prospects (2019). United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, Online Edition. Rev. 1. https://population.un.org/wpp/Publications/Files/WPP2019_Highlights.pdf
Yousefi, R., & Molla Alizade, M. (2015). The adaptation and standardization of Big Five Personality Questionnaire for Children (BFQ-C) in high school students. Quarterly journal of New Thoughts in Education, 10(3), 123–138.
Zacher, H. (2014). Career adaptability predicts subjective career success above and beyond personality traits and core self-evaluations. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 84(1), 21–30.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
All authors contributed to the study conception and design.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Conflict of Interest
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Salimi, S., Asgari, Z., Izadikhah, Z. et al. Personality and Post-Traumatic Growth: the Mediating Role of Career Adaptability Among Traumatized Adolescents. Journ Child Adol Trauma 15, 883–892 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-021-00376-8
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-021-00376-8