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Related Experiment Video

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Perceived control and avoidance in posttraumatic stress.

Lisa Hancock1, Richard A Bryant1

  • 1School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

European Journal of Psychotraumatology
|October 3, 2018
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Lack of control over stressors increases avoidance in women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. This suggests that experiences of uncontrollability may worsen PTSD vulnerabilities.

Keywords:
Posttraumatic stress disorderavoidancecontrollabilitytrauma• Enhancing a sense of diminished controls enhances avoidance in PTSD

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Stress Research

Background:

  • Controllability over stressors is crucial for stress adaptation in animal models.
  • Limited experimental evidence exists for the role of controllability in human posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if perceived control over aversive stimuli influences subsequent emotional avoidance in women with and without PTSD symptomatology.
  • To examine the impact of perceived controllability on psychological vulnerabilities in PTSD.

Main Methods:

  • 145 female participants with high or low PTSD symptoms were recruited.
  • Participants were randomized to receive instructions indicating either controllable or uncontrollable offset of aversive, positive, and neutral images.
  • Emotional avoidance task was administered to assess subsequent stressor avoidance.

Main Results:

  • A significant group by condition interaction was observed.
  • Participants with PTSD symptoms who perceived a lack of control showed greater avoidance of subsequent stressors compared to those who perceived control.
  • This pattern of heightened avoidance was not observed in participants without PTSD symptoms.

Conclusions:

  • Perceived lack of control over aversive stimuli significantly increases avoidance in individuals with PTSD symptoms.
  • Ongoing experiences of uncontrollability may exacerbate psychological vulnerabilities associated with PTSD.
  • Findings highlight the importance of perceived control in PTSD treatment and prevention strategies.