Personality and cultural factors associated with posttraumatic stress among survivors of the 2004 tsunami Banda Aceh City and Aceh Besar Disctrict, Indonesia

This study investigated the contributing factors of posttraumatic stress especially personality predictors and socio-cultural predictors associated to the survivors of the 2004 tsunami survivors in Banda Aceh city and Aceh Besar district, Indonesia. The investigation was done in two phases, employing a mixed method concurrent design. Study One (quantitative method, N = 195) investigated the personality predictors to posttraumatic stress: locus of control, coping strategy, depressive tendency, dysfunctional attitudes, and cognitive triad. Study Two (qualitative method, N = 13) explored the actual experience of the traumatic event, its subsequent trauma, and the socio-cultural factors. The results of Study One showed that three personality predictors (depressive tendency, coping strategy, and cognitive triad) had significant correlation with posttraumatic stress, contributing as much as 24.8% of the variance of posttraumatic stress (Adjusted R2 = .224, R2 Change = .248, F = 10.320, df1 = 6, df2 = 188). The results in PENN inventory (posttraumatic stress) showed that 29.2% of the respondents in Study One still showed manifestation of posttraumatic stress symptoms one year and six months after the traumatic event. While the results of Study Two indicated that despite of strong impact of the traumatic event and its severe psychosocial aftermath, in general the respondents were able to adjust themselves to the impact that their level of posttraumatic stress was generally moderate. The collectivist cultural factors significantly contributed to the moderate prevalence of posttraumatic stress among the 2004 tsunami survivors of Banda Aceh city and Aceh Besar district