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Abstract Background It was recently reported that an interaction of the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) influences the behavioural approach system – as measured using Carver and White's Behavioural Inhibition and Behavioural Approach System (BIS/BAS) scales – in a sample of healthy German subjects. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), in particular the novelty seeking (NS) and harm avoidance (HA) scales, correlates moderately with the BIS/BAS measure. This study aimed to examine support for an association of DRD2 and COMT with behavioural activation, using the TCI within two independent samples of depressed outpatients (for both samples n = 146). Methods Two clinical samples of depressed patients were ascertained to assess the efficacy of two different pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy treatments. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse NS and HA scale and subscale scores with respect to gene loci within each clinical sample. Analysis of covariance were undertaken to examine the association of age and gender with NS and HA scores. An association of age group or gender with gene loci were explored using chi-squared tests, in each sample. Results No significant effect of DRD2 or COMT, either independently or as an interaction, on NS or HA scores was observed, within either sample. Whilst age was significantly negatively associated with NS scores, including age in the two- and three-way interactions did not affect the significance of the association of personality with gene loci. Conclusion This study suggests that the COMT-DRD2 Equilibrium Model of Positive Emotionality recently proposed by Reuter and his colleagues is not applicable amongst currently depressed individuals, whose behavioural approach and inhibition tendencies have been assessed using the TCI.

The Brief COPE is a widely used instrument to measure coping behaviours. However, the number of factors can vary across populations and the contexts in which they are utilised, raising concerns about the generalisability of the coping subscales from one study to another. The current study used participants who had experienced the Canterbury earthquakes in New Zealand or the Queensland floods in Australia (N = 674), randomly divided into two equal groups. First, using principal components analysis (PCA), the following four coping factors were identified and explained 49% of the variance: problem-focused, emotion-focused, dysfunctional, and religious coping. Using the second group of participants, this factor structure was compared with previously published factor structures for the Brief COPE using confirmatory factor analysis and our disaster-affected sample. Using the published item parcels and factors, the best fit for our sample was the factors identified in our initial PCA, rather than that of other researchers, with some configurations having a poor fit or being inadmissible. Results indicate that the structure and item loadings for the Brief COPE do not generalise between studies and similarly named factors may include different items. Therefore, researchers should be mindful of the potential inconsistencies with the Brief COPE and the interpretation of coping behaviours across populations and contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Posttraumatic growth has been documented after exposure to trauma in individuals with major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders but has not been examined in individuals without these psychological conditions. The current study analysed interview data to explore whether posttraumatic growth was reported by psychologically healthy individuals affected by the Canterbury earthquakes. Transcripts from semi-structured interviews with 99 Canterbury residents with moderate-to-high earthquake exposure, without symptoms of psychological disorders, were examined using thematic and content analysis to identify reported aspects of posttraumatic growth. Three analysts coded emerging themes until theme saturation occurred. Differences in male and female participants’ endorsement of themes, including co-existing positive and negative outcomes, were included in subsequent content analysis. Posttraumatic growth was widely reported by both males and females. Relevant themes included improved relationships, feeling stronger in oneself, greater appreciation of life, and spiritual change. Another theme, a stronger sense of community, reflected a qualitatively novel aspect of posttraumatic growth, not reported in prior research. The prevalence of this theme may have been due to the shared nature of the earthquake sequence. Overall, participants reported positive appraisals of their circumstances, of others, and of themselves. Having a role to play appeared to contribute to important aspects of post-earthquake functioning, including taking action, coping, and making a contribution. Women, more than men, reported the positive strategies of self-care and connecting with others. The current study indicates that psychologically healthy individuals experience posttraumatic growth, suggesting that psychological dysfunction, or substantial or ongoing distress are not needed for posttraumatic growth to occur. This is contrary to existing theories of posttraumatic growth and suggests that current models of posttraumatic growth processes may be incomplete. Existing models may also be improved by considering the role played by psychological resilience by considering collective experiences such as a stronger sense of community [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing theoretical models of posttraumatic growth hold that distress and struggle are necessary, to produce the challenges to world views believed essential for psychological growth. Such models do not incorporate the construct of psychological resilience, and existing research has not examined posttraumatic growth among resilient individuals. The current study explores the association of resilience and posttraumatic growth in a group of individuals coping well after moderateto-high exposure to earthquake-related events in Canterbury, New Zealand, following an extended earthquake sequence, including four earthquakes of magnitude greater than 6.0 Mw that caused 185 deaths, thousands of injuries, and substantial damage to residential and commercial buildings and infrastructure. Posttraumatic growth, severity of trauma exposure, distress in response to earthquake-related events, and stressful life events were assessed in 101 Canterbury residents, aged 18 to 72 years of both genders, who were coping well after moderate-to-high exposure to earthquake-related events. Higher levels of posttraumatic growth were associated with higher levels of ongoing earthquake-related distress, and greater difficulty with life events over the previous five years. Women reported greater posttraumatic growth than men, particularly in the posttraumatic growth domains of appreciation of life, personal strength, and relating to others. Women reported higher levels of distress related to their earthquake experiences and more difficulty with stressful life events than men. Both distress and difficulty with life events appeared to mediate the association between gender and posttraumatic growth. Results indicate that higher levels of resilience were not associated with posttraumatic growth, and posttraumatic growth may therefore not be an aspect of resilience. Such findings are important for extricating the constructs of resilience and posttraumatic growth after trauma, and understanding that posttraumatic growth can exist in resilient individuals. This is because resilience does not appear to prevent an individual from processing an event to find positive significance in a traumatic event and to develop posttraumatic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]