Associations between PTSD symptoms, trait mindfulness, and locus of control following the Beirut port explosion among university students

Abstract

The current study explores associations between psychological factors following the Beirut port explosion among a sample of university students (N = 291). Given the literature that shows that personality traits and cognitive factors can play a role in trauma, we predicted that trait mindfulness and internal locus of control would be correlated negatively with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while external locus of control would correlate positively with symptoms of PTSD. Approximately sixteen months after the incident, questionnaires were distributed online and they included: demographic questions, an exposure impact scale that tests for things such as proximity to the site and injury, The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire 􀂱 Short Form (FFMQ-SF), and The Internality, Powerful Others, and Chance Scales (IPCS). Results showed that there was a significant moderate negative correlation between PTSD symptoms and trait mindfulness, r = -.44, p < .001, and a significant moderate positive correlation between PTSD symptoms and each of the two external locus of control subtypes: chance locus of control, r = .35, p < .001 and powerful others locus of control, r = .33, p < .001. The significance, direction, and coefficient of correlations was maintained even after we controlled for demographic variables and exposure impact. Moreover, regression analyses showed that trait mindfulness, chance, and powerful others locus of control were predictors of PTSD. There was no significant correlation between internal locus of control and trauma symptoms. The associations obtained show that trait mindfulness and external locus of control can play a role in the clinical manifestation of trauma, and we can benefit from further research to support the potential of these factors in prevention and treatment. Limitations and strengths are discussed.