Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, United States.
Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, United States.
J Anxiety Disord. 2022 Mar;86:102517. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102517. Epub 2021 Dec 24.
Mental contamination (MC) - dirtiness experienced in the absence of contact with a physical contaminant - has been linked to PTSD symptoms following sexual trauma. However, there is limited understanding regarding the temporal nature of this association. The present study utilized experience sampling to examine associations between baseline and daily experiences of MC and PTSD symptoms and the mediating role of avoidance and approach coping among a sample of 41 adult women with a history of sexual trauma and current MC. Participants completed baseline measures and 14 days of twice-daily assessments. Results indicated that daily MC and PTSD symptoms were bidirectionally related. The tendency to engage in avoidance coping positively mediated relations between 1) baseline MC and daily PTSD symptoms and 2) baseline PTSD symptoms and daily MC. Further, daily avoidance coping (T-1) positively mediated associations between daily MC (T-2) and subsequent daily PTSD symptoms (T). Approach coping was not a mediator (between- or within-) in any models. Findings lend support to a mutual maintenance model of PTSD symptoms and trauma-related MC mediated by avoidance coping. Future research over a more extended period is warranted to clarify whether PTSD symptoms and MC indeed mutually maintain or exacerbate one another over time.
心理污染（MC）是指在没有接触物理污染物的情况下所体验到的肮脏感，它与性创伤后 PTSD 症状有关。然而，对于这种关联的时间性质，我们的了解有限。本研究利用经验采样，在一个有性创伤史和当前 MC 的 41 名成年女性样本中，考察了基线和日常 MC 与 PTSD 症状之间的关联，以及回避和趋近应对在其中的中介作用。参与者完成了基线测量和 14 天的每日两次评估。结果表明，日常 MC 和 PTSD 症状呈双向相关。回避应对的倾向正向中介了 1）基线 MC 与每日 PTSD 症状之间，以及 2）基线 PTSD 症状与每日 MC 之间的关系。此外，每日回避应对（T-1）正向中介了每日 MC（T-2）与随后的每日 PTSD 症状（T）之间的关联。趋近应对在任何模型中都不是中介（在或在之间）。研究结果支持 PTSD 症状和创伤相关 MC 通过回避应对相互维持的模型。未来需要进行更长时间的研究，以明确 PTSD 症状和 MC 是否确实随着时间的推移相互维持或加剧。
