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Exposure to traumatic events can lead to various types of emotional distress. Aside from the exposure itself, numerous factors are relevant for the development of emotional distress following a traumatic event. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between the six HEXACO personality traits and PTSD symptoms, stress, and negative affect following traumatic cues. Two hundred and forty-nine participants (N = 249) completed demographic and personality-trait questionnaires. An hour after filling out those questionnaires, the participants watched a 3-minute video clip of a series of terror attacks. After watching the video clip, they filled out PTSD-symptom, perceived-stress, and negative-affect questionnaires. Structural-equation-model analyses showed that PTSD symptoms were positively associated with past trauma, negatively associated with honesty-humility, positively associated with emotionality, and negatively associated with extraversion. Stress was positively associated with emotionality, negatively associated with extraversion, and negatively associated with agreeableness. Negative affect was negatively associated with honesty-humility, positively associated with emotionality, negatively associated with extraversion, and negatively associated with agreeableness. In addition, positive relationships were found between PTSD symptoms and stress, PTSD symptoms and negative affect, and stress and negative affect. This study demonstrates the importance of HEXACO personality traits in coping with numerous aspects of emotional distress following trauma exposure.

Introduction There are no studies on psychological correlates on Probation Officers/PO in Portugal. Objectives analyze levels of depressive/anxiety symptoms, stress, coping and resilience in a PO sample; explore differences in these variables by gender, marital status, Regional Delegation and types of competences and associations between these variables and sociodemographic/professional variables. Methods 89 PO (females, 75.3 %; M = 47.4/SD = 7.10/range = 27-61) completed a sociodemographic-professional questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale/DASS-21, the Brief COPE and the Scale to assess Resilience. Results Women presented higher levels of Use of Instrumental and Emotional Support. Professionals from the Centre Delegation had higher scores on Resilience vs. the North Delegation; from the North Delegation had higher levels of Stress vs. the South and Islands Delegation; with mixed competence had higher levels of Anxiety vs. with specific competence. In the total sample, Depression was associated with Denial and Substances Use. In males, Use of Emotional Support and Instrumental Support correlated with Depression and Anxiety. In all Delegations, Resilience higher levels correlated with more positive coping strategies and Depression, Anxiety and Stresshigher levels with lower levels of positive coping strategies and higher levels of negative coping strategies. Anxiety higher levels, either in mixed and specific competence teams correlated with higher levels of negative coping strategies. Conclusions Differences found accentuate aspects to address in an intervention with these professionals. Resilience higher levels were associated, as in other professionals, with more positive coping strategies and higher levels of symptoms with more negative coping strategies.