THE COST OF BEING UNHEARD: GENDER, NEGLECT, AND THE PERSONALITY SEQUELAE OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA

This study investigates the relationship between childhood trauma and personality traits among Indian college students, with a focus on how different trauma subtypes influence the Big Five personality dimensions. A sample of 250 students aged 18–24 completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form (CTQ-SF) and the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44). Statistical analyses including Pearson’s correlation, MANOVA, hierarchical regression, and moderation via PROCESS Macro revealed that emotional and physical neglect were the most prevalent and developmentally impactful forms of trauma. Emotional neglect significantly predicted higher neuroticism (β = .38, p < .001), while both forms of neglect were associated with lower conscientiousness and agreeableness. Gender was found to moderate the impact of neglect on conscientiousness, with male students showing greater personality disruption. These findings highlight the enduring psychological consequences of early emotional deprivation and the importance of gender-sensitive, trauma-informed interventions in university mental health frameworks. The study underscores the developmental weight of neglect and invites reconsideration of how trauma is conceptualized in personality formation within emerging adult populations in non-Western contexts.