Do personality traits explain the adjustment? A study of civilian victims of war in Ukraine

ABSTRACT Introduction: Forced migration exposes civilians to multiple potentially traumatic events. Personality traits may shape individual differences in adjustment, yet their role in refugee populations remains underexplored. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 160 Ukrainian civilian refugees (75% female; Mage = 33.0, SD = 13.9) who completed standardized measures of personality, attachment, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Results: Emotional Stability showed a large negative association with PTSD symptoms. In regression models, personality traits explained 26% of the variance in PTSD symptoms, increasing to 30% when attachment styles were included. By contrast, traits explained only 6% of variance in posttraumatic growth, rising to 9% after accounting for parental-closeness variables. Conclusions: Emotional Stability is a robust correlate of PTSD severity in this refugee sample, while personality and attachment play a limited role in posttraumatic growth. These findings suggest that trait-informed screening may help identify individuals at risk for severe posttraumatic distress.