Introduction: The experience of a traumatic negative event involves a cognitive activity, in the form of rumination. The process is conditioned, among others, by personality traits.

The aim of the study: The study aimed to establish the relationship between personality and ruminating of an experienced negative event, which in this case was cancer disease.

Material and methods: The results of 60 persons, aged 18–78 years (M = 50.4, SD = 17.74), who suffered from craniofacial cancer were analysed. The majority of respondents (68.3%) were women. The study used the NEO-Five Factor Inventory and the Event-Related Rumination Inventory, which measures two types of ruminations: intrusive and deliberate.

Results and conclusions: Personality proved to be associated only with intrusive ruminations. This type of ruminating of the experienced disease is associated positively with neuroticism and negatively with openness to experience; however, the only predictor of intrusive ruminations was neuroticism. Personality plays a weak role in the prediction of ruminating of experienced negative life events.