Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
William C. Tallent VA Outpatient Clinic, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
J Clin Psychol. 2022 Dec;78(12):2564-2578. doi: 10.1002/jclp.23369. Epub 2022 May 4.
Combat-exposed veterans risk encountering events that disrupt beliefs. To facilitate reduced discrepancy between prior beliefs and current trauma appraisals, veterans may engage in a process of meaning-making. Meaning-making can lead to positive outcomes, such as integrating the traumatic event into one's life narrative or adapting global meaning (meaning made) or elicit distress. Given these potentially different outcomes, this study examined potential correlates of posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) severity and meaning made, including relationship attachment dimensions of anxiety and avoidance, and difficulties with emotion regulation, while controlling for combat exposure.
Veterans receiving mental health services at a Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and a VA community-based outpatient clinic (N = 130) completed measures through a paper-and-pencil survey. Almost all participants (92%) were male, with a mean age of 55.92 years.
In terms of meaning made, lower levels of attachment anxiety and emotional clarity (an aspect of emotion regulation) predicted higher meaning made. In terms of PTSS severity, higher attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, and difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior (an aspect of emotion regulation) significantly predicted higher PTSS severity.
Aspects of both attachment style and emotion regulation difficulties affect meaning made and PTSS severity. These constructs may be especially relevant for clinicians working with veterans to help PTSS and support meaning made postcombat.
参战老兵面临着可能颠覆信仰的事件的风险。为了减少先前信仰与当前创伤评估之间的差异，老兵可能会经历一个赋予意义的过程。意义的赋予可以带来积极的结果，例如将创伤事件融入个人的生活叙事中，或者适应全球意义（赋予的意义），或者引发困扰。鉴于这些可能不同的结果，本研究考察了创伤后应激症状（PTSS）严重程度和意义赋予的潜在相关因素，包括焦虑和回避的关系依恋维度，以及情绪调节困难，同时控制了战斗暴露。
在退伍军人事务部（VA）医疗中心和退伍军人事务部社区门诊接受心理健康服务的退伍军人（N=130）通过纸质问卷调查完成了测量。几乎所有参与者（92%）都是男性，平均年龄为 55.92 岁。
就意义赋予而言，较低的依恋焦虑和情绪清晰度（情绪调节的一个方面）预测了更高的意义赋予。就 PTSS 严重程度而言，较高的依恋回避、依恋焦虑和难以进行目标导向行为（情绪调节的一个方面）显著预测了更高的 PTSS 严重程度。
依恋风格和情绪调节困难的各个方面都会影响意义赋予和 PTSS 的严重程度。这些结构对于与退伍军人一起工作的临床医生来说可能特别重要，有助于治疗 PTSD 并支持战斗后的意义赋予。
