Expressive inhibition following interpersonal trauma: an analysis of reported function

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Trauma Studies
• Social Science

Background:

• Research suggests veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may intentionally suppress emotional expression.
• It remains unclear if this expressive inhibition extends to other trauma survivor groups or the specific motivations behind it in PTSD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess expressive inhibition in intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors.
• To identify reasons for emotional inhibition in IPV survivors.
• To determine if justifications for inhibition are unique to individuals with PTSD.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated expressive inhibition frequency and intensity in 74 female survivors of intimate partner violence.
• Assessed self-reported justifications for emotional inhibition.
• Compared inhibition levels and motives between women with and without PTSD.

Main Results:

• Expressive inhibition frequency and intensity were comparable to previous studies.
• No significant differences in expressive inhibition were found between women with and without PTSD.
• Five themes emerged for inhibition justifications: concern for others, mistrust/fear of exploitation, perceived indifference from others, control/experiential avoidance, and situation-specific inhibition.
• Mistrust/exploitation motives were uniquely associated with PTSD.

Conclusions:

• While expressive inhibition may be common in help-seeking populations, individuals with PTSD exhibit distinct reasons for this behavior, particularly mistrust and fear of exploitation.
• Understanding these unique motivations is crucial for targeted interventions for PTSD survivors.