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Post-traumatic Stress Disorder01:27

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

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Developing Neuroimaging Phenotypes of the Default Mode Network in PTSD: Integrating the Resting State, Working Memory, and Structural Connectivity
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Published on: July 1, 2014

Traumatic stress, affect dysregulation, and dysfunctional avoidance: a structural equation model.

John Briere1, Monica Hodges, Natacha Godbout

  • 1Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA. jbriere@usc.edu

Journal of Traumatic Stress
|December 21, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Interpersonal trauma increases dysfunctional avoidance behaviors, including suicidality and substance abuse. This link is explained by posttraumatic stress and difficulty regulating emotions.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychiatry
  • Trauma Studies

Background:

  • Interpersonal trauma is a significant risk factor for mental health issues.
  • Avoidance behaviors are common in individuals with a history of trauma.
  • Understanding the pathways from trauma to avoidance is crucial for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the multivariate relationship between interpersonal trauma, posttraumatic stress, affect dysregulation, and dysfunctional avoidance behaviors.
  • To identify specific avoidance behaviors that constitute a latent variable.
  • To investigate the mediating roles of posttraumatic stress and affect dysregulation in the trauma-avoidance link.

Main Methods:

  • Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data from 418 trauma-exposed participants.
  • A latent variable, 'dysfunctional avoidance,' was identified, encompassing suicidality, substance abuse, dissociation, self-injury, and dysfunctional sexual behaviors.
  • Statistical analyses explored the associations between interpersonal trauma, posttraumatic stress, affect dysregulation, and dysfunctional avoidance.

Main Results:

  • Dysfunctional avoidance, characterized by suicidality, substance abuse, dissociation, self-injury, and dysfunctional sexual behaviors, was identified as a robust latent variable.
  • Accumulated interpersonal trauma exposure was significantly associated with this dysfunctional avoidance factor.
  • Both posttraumatic stress and diminished affect regulation capacity independently mediated the relationship between interpersonal trauma and dysfunctional avoidance.

Conclusions:

  • Interpersonal trauma is linked to a range of dysfunctional avoidance behaviors.
  • Posttraumatic stress and affect dysregulation are key psychological mechanisms explaining how trauma leads to avoidance.
  • These findings highlight the importance of addressing trauma, PTSD, and emotional regulation in treating avoidance behaviors.