Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-2003

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Psychology

Major Professor

Robert G. Wahler

Abstract

The present study focuses on the contribution of the Big Five personality factors as diatheses mediating the relationship between stress and psychopathology in adolescents. A total of 5 81 participants ( average age = 14. 3 years) completed the Youth Self-Report, Adolescent Big Five Inventory, Stress Test for Children, and Perceived Stress Scale in their public school classrooms. Results indicated that stress appraisal mediated the relationship between life events and psychopathology. Furthermore, high neuroticism, low extraversion, low openness, low agreeableness, and low conscientiousness mediated the relationship between stress appraisal and total problems. High neuroticism, low extraversion, low openness, low agreeableness, and high conscientiousness mediated the relationship between stress appraisal and internalizing problems. High neuroticism, high extraversion, low agreeableness, and low conscientiousness mediated the relationship between stress appraisal and externalizing problems. Clinical implications, including the management of trait expression as a focus of therapy and triage predictions when catastrophic events effect large groups of adolescents, as well as future research directions are discussed.

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