Title:
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An investigation of the relationship between the severity of post traumatic stress disorder, shame, anger and early childhood experiences in a population of traumatised individuals
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Aims of the study
This study investigated relationships between severity of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, shame,
anger and early childhood experiences (early maladaptive schemas and recalled patterns of
parental bonding).
Design of the study
This is a non-experimental, cross-sectional study. Data was collected once, using a semistructured
interview and self-report questionnaires.
The Sample
The sample was 50 individuals with a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. On average
the group had high levels of PTSD, depression symptoms and high levels of shame and anger.
Main findings
The study found that shame, anger and early maladaptive schemas (abandonment, social
isolation, defectiveness/shame, incompetence and subjugation) were significantly associated with
severity of PTSD.
Shame was found to mediate the relationship between severity of PTSD and early maladaptive
schemas and anger, respectively. Early maladaptive schemas mediated the relationship between
low maternal care and shame. Finally this study found that shame emerges as the only
independent predictor of the severity of PTSD when other variables (anger and early maladaptive
schemas) are taken into account. This suggests that the relationships of anger and early
maladaptive schemas to severity of PTSD are not independent of shame.Implication of findings
These findings highlight the need to take into account the presence of emotions (such as shame
and anger) and other psychological factors (such as early maladaptive schemas) when
formulating clinical cases of PTSD and executing treatment plans. This is particularly important
as many current treatment interventions are based on exposure therapy aimed at alleviating
fear/anxiety based responses to trauma. Traditionally such treatments do not pay sufficient
attention to shame and anger, which may worsen with exposure techniques and disrupt emotional
processing of the traumatic event. Also the presence of early maladaptive Schemas may
contribute to chronicity and maintenance of PTSD and may need to be addressed in any
treatment plan.
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