Psychological and Environmental Correlates of Locus of Control and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms: A Latent Profile Analysis.

OBJECTIVE:Early-life stress (ELS) has been linked to the development of psychopathology-related outcomes, including posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Locus of control (LOC) is one factor thought to be critical to the development of PTSS. METHOD:The present study used latent profile analysis across two nonrepresentative samples (i.e., laboratory and online) of young adults (N = 164 and N = 665) to identify subgroups based on LOC orientation and PTSS severity and to explore early environmental correlates of individuals' membership in distinct subgroups. RESULTS:Across both samples, results of the latent profile analyses indicated a best fitting five-class solution. Cumulative ELS and perceived uncontrollability of ELS exposure emerged as significant predictors of subgroup membership in the Mechanical Turk sample. CONCLUSIONS:These findings suggest that associations between perceptions of control at the event (i.e., controllability during a stressful event) and global (i.e., LOC orientation) levels may play a role in the development of stress-related symptoms following ELS. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).