title: Multicultural personality and posttraumatic stress in U.S. service members.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Modern military missions place numerous demands on service members, including tactical, personal, and cultural challenges. The purpose of this study was to explore how domains of multicultural personality (cultural empathy, open-mindedness, social initiative, emotional stability, and flexibility) and combat exposure relate to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in service members.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (N = 163) completed the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire, Combat Exposure Scale, and PTSD Checklist-Military as part of an online survey. The majority of participants were Caucasian (87%), mean age was 33 years, and all were deployed at least once to Iraq or Afghanistan
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regression results indicated that higher levels of combat exposure and open-mindedness and lower levels of flexibility and emotional stability were significant predictors of higher PTSD severity. The interactions between combat exposure and flexibility and combat exposure and openness were also significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher levels of flexibility and emotional stability seem particularly important in their association with lower PTSD severity for service members.
authors.affiliation: JFK Special Warfare Center and School.
authors.forename: Catherine J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.forename: Gina P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Owens
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Iraq and Afghanistan; military; multicultural personality characteristics; posttraumatic stress disorder