Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2014 Aug 26;5. doi: 10.3402/ejpt.v5.23547. eCollection 2014.
Trauma-related rumination has been suggested to be involved in the maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This view has empirically been supported by extensive evidence using cross-sectional, prospective, and experimental designs. However, it is unclear why trauma survivors engage in rumination despite its negative consequences. The current study aimed to explore the hypothesis that low emotion regulation ability underlies trauma-related rumination.
Emotion regulation ability and trauma-related rumination were assessed in 93 road traffic accident survivors 2 weeks post-trauma. In addition, symptom levels of PTSD were assessed at 2 weeks as well as 1, 3, and 6 months follow-up.
Emotion regulation ability was significantly related to trauma-related rumination as well as levels of PTSD symptoms. In addition, the association between low emotion regulation ability and PTSD was mediated by rumination.
The findings support the view that rumination is used as a dysfunctional emotion regulation strategy by trauma survivors.
创伤后反刍被认为与创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)的维持有关。广泛的横断面、前瞻性和实验设计的研究结果为这一观点提供了充分的实证支持。然而,创伤幸存者为什么会不顾反刍的负面影响而进行反刍,这一点仍不清楚。本研究旨在探讨一个假设,即低情绪调节能力是创伤后反刍的基础。
在创伤后 2 周,对 93 名道路交通事故幸存者进行情绪调节能力和与创伤相关的反刍评估。此外,在 2 周以及 1、3 和 6 个月的随访中评估 PTSD 症状的严重程度。
情绪调节能力与与创伤相关的反刍以及 PTSD 症状水平显著相关。此外,低情绪调节能力与 PTSD 的关联是通过反刍来介导的。
这些发现支持了这样一种观点,即反刍是创伤幸存者作为一种功能失调的情绪调节策略而使用的。