The role of personality traits and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in risk-taking

Abstract

The aim of the present thesis was to explore the role of big five personality traits, dark triad, impulsivity, sensation seeking and adverse childhood experiences in risk-taking, and this thesis reports on four studies. Study I was literature review about risk taking which focused on its conceptualisations, measurements, risk factors of risk-taking behaviour. It was demonstrated that risk taking can be assessed by self-report and behavioural task. Study II was examined the association between Big Five personality traits and risky decision-making. This study showed that agreeableness, neuroticism, and conscientiousness correlated with risky decision-making. However, a significant association between risky decision-making with extraversion and openness was not identified. According to the results, men were more prone to making risky decisions than women. Study III was about the role of dark triad, impulsivity and sensation seeking in risky-decision making among adolescences. This study revealed that psychopath, narcissism, impulsivity and sensation seeking predicted risky-decision making, and both impulsivity and sensation seeking mediated partially between two aspects of dark triad and risky decision making. Study IV was aimed to investigate the role of adverse childhood experiences on dark triad, impulsivity, sensation seeking and risk taking. Another aim was to explore the association between dark triad, impulsivity and sensation seeking with self-report risk taking propensity. The results showed that adverse childhood experiences, psychopathy, narcissism, impulsivity and sensation-seeking predicted risk taking. Machiavellianism, on the other hand, did not significantly predict risk taking. Based on results adverse childhood experiences predicted all personality factors. Moreover, adverse childhood experiences predicted risk taking through psychopathy, narcissism, impulsivity and sensationalism. The results indicate that early childhood experiences are a significant factor in personality traits and that positive early experiences could lead to minimising risk taking and reducing levels of impulsivity, sensation-seeking and dark triad traits.