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Post-traumatic stress and self-disclosure
David G Purves1, Philip G Erwin
1Department of Psychology, London Guildhall University, England.
The Journal of Psychology
|April 22, 2004
Summary
Emotional self-disclosure varies between genders following trauma. Men disclosed less happiness as trauma symptoms increased, while women disclosed more anxiety but less fear.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Trauma Studies
- Mental Health
Background:
- Post-traumatic stress (PTS) affects a significant portion of the population, yet individual differences in symptom development remain incompletely understood.
- Emotional self-disclosure patterns may offer insights into variations in trauma symptom onset and persistence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between emotional self-disclosure and post-trauma psychological states.
- To examine gender-specific differences in emotional disclosure following traumatic experiences.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Emotional Self-Disclosure Scale (ESDS) to measure self-disclosure.
- Employed the Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI) to assess post-trauma psychological state.
- Analyzed data to identify correlations between disclosure patterns and trauma symptom severity, stratified by gender.
Main Results:
- Men generally disclosed emotions less frequently than women.
- Increased TSI scores correlated with reduced willingness among men to disclose happiness.
- Increased TSI scores correlated with increased willingness among women to discuss anxiety but decreased willingness to discuss fear.
Conclusions:
- Emotional self-disclosure exhibits gender-specific patterns in the context of post-traumatic stress.
- These findings contribute to understanding how individuals process traumatic experiences through emotional expression.