Cognitive and Behavioural Research Centre (CINEICC), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
Clin Psychol Psychother. 2013 Mar-Apr;20(2):149-65. doi: 10.1002/cpp.786. Epub 2011 Sep 6.
Early relationships are crucial to human brain maturation, well-being, affect regulation and self-other schema. Shame traumatic memories are related to psychopathology, and recent research has shown that the quality and type of attachment relationships may be crucial in shame traumatic memories in relation to psychopathology. The current study explores a mediator model of emotion regulation processes (rumination, thought suppression and dissociation) on the association between shame traumatic memory, with attachment figures and with others, and depressive symptoms.
Ninety subjects from the general community population completed the Shame Experiences Interview (SEI), assessing shame experiences from childhood and adolescence, and a battery of self-report scales measuring shame traumatic memory, rumination, thought suppression, dissociation and depression.
Mediator analyses show that emotion regulation processes, such as brooding, thought suppression and dissociation, mediate the association between shame traumatic memory with others and depression. In contrast, shame traumatic memory with attachment figures has a direct effect on depression, not mediated by emotion regulation processes, with only brooding partially mediating this relation.
The current findings shed light on the importance of attachment figures on the structuring of shame traumatic memories and on their impact on psychopathological symptoms, adding to recent neuroscience research and Gilbert's approach on shame and compassion. In addition, our results emphasize the relevance of addressing shame memories, mainly those that involve attachment figures, particularly when working with patients suffering from depressive symptoms and/or that find compassion difficult or scary.
The quality of attachment relationships is important in how shame memories are structured and in their relation to psychopathology. The relationship between shame traumatic memory with attachment figures and depressive symptoms is not mediated by emotion regulation processes (rumination, thought suppression and dissociation). In contrast, these processes emerge as mediators on the association between shame traumatic memory with others and depression. For people suffering from depressive symptoms, having been shamed by an attachment figure may be a major block to develop self-compassion and receive compassion from others and may constitute an important obstacle to recovery. When working with patients suffering from depressive symptoms and/or that find compassion difficult or scary, it is important to target shame memories, especially those that involve attachment figures. In therapy with individuals with depressive symptoms and who reveal shame traumatic memories involving others, it may not only be pertinent to target these memories but also to evaluate and intervene on emotion regulation processes, particularly rumination, thought suppression and dissociation.
早期关系对人类大脑成熟、幸福、情感调节和自我-他人模式至关重要。羞耻创伤记忆与精神病理学有关，最近的研究表明，依恋关系的质量和类型可能在羞耻创伤记忆与精神病理学的关系中至关重要。本研究探讨了情绪调节过程（反刍、思维抑制和分离）在羞耻创伤记忆与依恋人物和他人之间的关联，以及与抑郁症状之间的中介模型。
来自普通社区人群的 90 名受试者完成了羞耻体验访谈（SEI），评估了儿童和青少年时期的羞耻体验，以及一系列自我报告量表，用于测量羞耻创伤记忆、反刍、思维抑制、分离和抑郁。
中介分析表明，情绪调节过程，如沉思、思维抑制和分离，中介了羞耻创伤记忆与他人和抑郁之间的关联。相比之下，与依恋人物的羞耻创伤记忆对抑郁有直接影响，不受情绪调节过程的中介，只有沉思部分中介了这种关系。
本研究结果揭示了依恋人物在羞耻创伤记忆的结构及其对精神病理症状的影响方面的重要性，这增加了最近神经科学研究和吉尔伯特关于羞耻和同情的方法。此外，我们的研究结果强调了处理羞耻记忆的重要性，特别是那些涉及依恋人物的记忆，尤其是在治疗患有抑郁症状和/或发现同情困难或可怕的患者时。
依恋关系的质量对于羞耻记忆的结构及其与精神病理学的关系很重要。与依恋人物的羞耻创伤记忆与抑郁症状之间的关系不受情绪调节过程（反刍、思维抑制和分离）的中介。相比之下，这些过程作为与他人的羞耻创伤记忆与抑郁之间关联的中介出现。对于患有抑郁症状的人来说，被依恋人物羞辱可能是发展自我同情并从他人那里获得同情的主要障碍，这可能是康复的一个重要障碍。在治疗患有抑郁症状和/或发现同情困难或可怕的患者时，重要的是要针对羞耻记忆，特别是那些涉及依恋人物的记忆。在对有抑郁症状和表现出涉及他人的羞耻创伤记忆的个体进行治疗时，不仅可能需要针对这些记忆，还可能需要评估和干预情绪调节过程，特别是反刍、思维抑制和分离。
