Self-Triggering? An Exploration of Individuals Who Seek Reminders of Trauma

Trauma survivors who self-trigger, or seek reminders of their traumatic events, have been noted in the clinical literature but have not yet been the subject of a systematic empirical inquiry. This article presents the results of two exploratory studies of self-triggering. In Study 1 ( N = 545), we estimated the behavior’s clinical relevance among trauma survivors. In Study 2 ( N = 360), we examined descriptive characteristics of self-triggering as well as potential motivations for the behavior. We found that self-triggering is uniquely associated with more severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Self-triggering takes place via a wide variety of methods and can become compulsive for many individuals. Reasons endorsed for self-triggering comprised several broad motives, but the desire to make meaning of one’s trauma was most predictive of self-triggering frequency. Limitations, clinical implications, and directions for further research are discussed.

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Social Support, Emotional Intelligence, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001/a000185 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 31-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Nicole L. Hofman ◽

Austin M. Hahn ◽

Christine K. Tirabassi ◽

Raluca M. Gaher

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Emotional Intelligence ◽

Protective Factors ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

The Relationship

Abstract. Exposure to traumatic events and the associated risk of developing Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms is a significant and overlooked concern in the college population. It is important for current research to identify potential protective factors associated with the development and maintenance of PTSD symptoms unique to this population. Emotional intelligence and perceived social support are two identified protective factors that influence the association between exposure to traumatic events and PTSD symptomology. The current study examined the mediating role of social support in the relationship between emotional intelligence and PTSD symptoms. Participants included 443 trauma-exposed university students who completed online questionnaires. The results of this study indicated that social support mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and reported PTSD symptoms. Thus, emotional intelligence is significantly associated with PTSD symptoms and social support may play an integral role in the relationship between emotional intelligence and PTSD. The current study is the first to investigate the role of social support in the relationship between emotional intelligence and PTSD symptoms. These findings have important treatment and prevention implications with regard to PTSD.

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The Mediating Role of Early Maladaptive Schemas in the Relationship between Childhood Traumatic Events and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Older Adults (>64 Years)

Journal of Loss and Trauma ◽

10.1080/15325024.2019.1661598 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 141-158

Author(s):

Eleni Vasilopoulou ◽

Thanos Karatzias ◽

Philip Hyland ◽

Hannah Wallace ◽

Azucena Guzman

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Early Maladaptive Schemas ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms ◽

The Relationship

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Impaired Autobiographical Memory Flexibility in Iranian Trauma Survivors With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Clinical Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/2167702620953637 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 294-301 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maryam Piltan ◽

Ali Reza Moradi ◽

Mohammad Hassan Choobin ◽

Parviz Azadfallah ◽

Sara Eskandari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Autobiographical Memory ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Emotional Disturbance ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Small Sample ◽

Trauma Survivors ◽

Community Control ◽

Memory Specificity ◽

Memory Flexibility

Reduced ability to retrieve specific autobiographical memories is a well-defined feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and science-driven interventions have emerged to improve memory specificity and thereby symptoms. However, research in depressed samples indicates that the ability to flexibly move between retrieval of specific and general memory types (i.e., memory flexibility) may more accurately conceptualize autobiographical memory deficits in emotional disturbance. In this study, we evaluated memory specificity and memory flexibility in Iranian trauma survivors ( N = 63) with and without PTSD relative to community control participants. Trauma-exposed participants had experienced a serious road-traffic accident. Results indicated that individuals with PTSD experienced reduced memory specificity and memory flexibility relative to trauma-exposed participants and community control participants. A small sample size limits the strength of conclusions, although good statistical power was obtained. Findings suggest that reduced memory flexibility may be a transdiagnostic marker of emotional disturbance and support further development of memory flexibility interventions for PTSD.

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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Autobiographical Memories in Everyday Life

Clinical Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/2167702616688878 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 325-340 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Sabine Schönfeld ◽

Anke Ehlers

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Autobiographical Memory ◽

Everyday Life ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Trauma Survivors ◽

Autobiographical Memories ◽

Self Reports ◽

Distinct Features ◽

Ptsd Group

Evidence from self-reports and laboratory studies suggests that recall of nontrauma autobiographical memories may be disturbed in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but investigations in everyday life are sparse. This study investigated unintentional nontrauma and trauma memories in trauma survivors with and without PTSD ( N = 52), who kept an autobiographical memory diary for a week. We investigated whether unintentional nontrauma memories show an overgeneral memory bias and further memory abnormalities in people with PTSD, and whether unintentional trauma memories show distinct features. Compared to the no-PTSD group, the PTSD group recorded fewer nontrauma memories, which were more overgeneral, more often from before the trauma or related to the trauma, were perceived as distant, and led to greater dwelling. Trauma memories were more vivid, recurrent, and present and led to greater suppression and dwelling. Within the PTSD group, the same features distinguished trauma and nontrauma memories. Results are discussed regarding theories of autobiographical memory and PTSD.

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Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among trauma-exposed adolescents from low- and middle-income countries

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health ◽

10.1186/s13034-021-00378-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Dusko Stupar ◽

Dejan Stevanovic ◽

Panos Vostanis ◽

Olayinka Atilola ◽

Paulo Moreira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Middle Income ◽

Palestinian Territories ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Dsm 5 ◽

Low And Middle Income

Abstract Background Exposure to traumatic events in childhood is associated with the development and maintenance of various psychiatric disorders, but most frequently with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the types of traumatic events experienced and the presence and predictors of PTSD symptoms among adolescents from the general population from ten low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods Data were simultaneously collected from 3370 trauma-exposed adolescents (mean age = 15.41 [SD = 1.65] years, range 12–18; 1465 (43.5%) males and 1905 (56.5%) females) in Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Indonesia, Montenegro, Nigeria, the Palestinian Territories, the Philippines, Romania, and Serbia, with Portugal, a high-income country, as a reference point. The UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for the DSM-5 (PTSD-RI-5) was used for the assessment of traumatic events and PTSD symptoms. Results The most frequently reported traumatic events were death of a close person (69.7%), witnessing violence other than domestic (40.5%), being in a natural disaster (34.4%) and witnessing violent death or serious injury of a close person (33.9%). In total, 28.5% adolescents endorsed two to three DSM-5 PTSD criteria symptoms. The rates of adolescents with symptoms from all four DSM-5 criteria for PTSD were 6.2–8.1% in Indonesia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Montenegro, and 9.2–10.5% in Philippines, Croatia and Brazil. From Portugal, 10.7% adolescents fall into this category, while 13.2% and 15.3% for the Palestinian Territories and Nigeria, respectively. A logistic regression model showed that younger age, experiencing war, being forced to have sex, and greater severity of symptoms (persistent avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity) were significant predictors of fulfilling full PTSD criteria. Conclusions Nearly every third adolescent living in LMICs might have some PTSD symptoms after experiencing a traumatic event, while nearly one in ten might have sufficient symptoms for full DSM-5 PTSD diagnosis. The findings can inform the generation of PTSD burden estimates, allocation of health resources, and designing and implementing psychosocial interventions for PTSD in LMICs.

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Rumination Mediates the Relationship Between Negative Affect and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Female Interpersonal Trauma Survivors

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260518818434 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 088626051881843

Author(s):

Wilson J. Brown ◽

Melanie D. Hetzel-Riggin ◽

Melissa A. Mitchell ◽

Steven E. Bruce

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Interpersonal Trauma ◽

Trauma Survivors ◽

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms ◽

The Relationship

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The exposure to traumatic events and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder among Korean journalists

Journalism ◽

10.1177/1464884917707596 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 19 (9-10) ◽

pp. 1308-1325 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Mina Lee ◽

Eun Hye Ha ◽

Jung Kun Pae

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Coping Strategy ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Traumatic Event ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Negative Beliefs ◽

Traumatic Event Exposure

This study investigated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on Korean journalists and the contributing variables. Predicting variables included the exposure to traumatic events, coping strategy, social support, optimism, negative beliefs, and the journalists’ occupational perspectives. A total of 367 Korean journalists participated in the survey. The findings revealed that, first, Korean journalists had suffered severely from PTSD symptoms according to the prevalence rate. Second, the extent of traumatic event exposure, the length of career, the use of dysfunctional coping strategy, a lack of social support, and negative beliefs were identified as significantly related variables. Finally, occupational perspectives showed meaningful associations with development of the symptoms. This study provided an empirical analysis of Korean journalists’ experiences of traumatic events and psychological stress for the first time.

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Intrusive Thoughts in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy ◽

10.1891/jcop.16.2.127.63993 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 127-143 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Sherry A. Falsetti ◽

Jeannine Monnier ◽

Joanne L. Davis ◽

Heidi S. Resnick

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Treatment Outcome ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Intrusive Thoughts ◽

Panic Attacks ◽

Trauma Survivors ◽

Multiple Channel ◽

Assessment And Treatment ◽

Behavioral Treatments

This article reviews the literature on prevalence, associated features, assessment, and treatment of intrusive symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research indicates that among trauma survivors, intrusive thoughts and imagery are quite common and distressing. It appears that early intrusions may be predictive of long-term distress and that avoidance and suppression can maintain intrusions. The treatment outcome literature for PTSD indicates that current cognitive behavioral treatments are effective in reducing intrusions. New data from a recent treatment outcome study for PTSD with comorbid panic attacks, using Multiple Channel Exposure Therapy, also suggest that this treatment is effective in significantly reducing intrusions.

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