Emotional State Transitions in Trauma-Exposed Individuals With and Without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is marked by the contrasting symptoms of hyperemotional reactivity and emotional numbing (ie, reduced emotional reactivity). Comprehending the mechanism that governs the transition between neutral and negative emotional states is crucial for developing targeted therapeutic strategies.

To explore whether individuals with PTSD experience a more pronounced shift between neutral and negative emotional states and how the intensity of emotional numbing symptoms impacts this shift.

This cross-sectional study used hierarchical bayesian modeling to fit a 5-parameter logistic regression to analyze the valence ratings of images. The aim was to compare the curve's slope between groups and explore its association with the severity of emotional numbing symptoms. The study was conducted online, using 35 images with a valence range from highly negative to neutral. The rating of these images was used to assess the emotional responses of the participants. The study recruited trauma-exposed individuals (witnessed or experienced life-threatening incident, violent assault, or someone being killed) between January 17 and March 8, 2023. Participants completed the PTSD Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) (DSM-5) (PCL-5).

On the basis of DSM-5 criteria (endorsing at least 1 symptom from clusters B and C and 2 from D and E), participants were categorized as having probable PTSD (pPTSD) or as trauma-exposed controls (TECs).

The main outcome was the slope parameter (b) of the logistic curve fitted to the valence rating. The slope parameter indicates the rate at which emotional response intensity changes with stimulus valence, reflecting how quickly the transition occurs between neutral and negatively valenced states. The secondary outcome was the association between emotional numbing (PCL-5 items 12-14) and the slope parameter.

A total of 1440 trauma-exposed individuals were included. The pPTSD group (n = 445) was younger (mean [SD] age, 36.1 [10.9] years) compared with the TEC group (mean [SD] age, 41.5 [13.3] years; P < .001). Sex distribution (427 women in the TEC group vs 230 in the pPTSD group) did not significantly differ between groups (P = .67). The pPTSD group exhibited a steeper slope (mean slope difference, -0.255; 89% highest posterior density [HPD], -0.340 to -0.171) compared with the controls. Across all individuals (n = 1440), a robust association was found between the slope and emotional numbing severity (mean [SD] additive value, 0.100 [0.031]; 89% HPD, 0.051-0.15). Additional analysis controlling for age confirmed the association between emotional numbing and transition sharpness (mean [SD] additive value, 0.108 [0.032]; 89% HPD, 0.056-0.159), without evidence of an age-related association (mean [SD] additive value, 0.031 [0.033]; 89% HPD, -0.022 to 0.083).

These findings support that individuals with PTSD undergo rapid transitions between neutral and negative emotional states, a phenomenon intensified by the severity of emotional numbing symptoms. Therapeutic interventions aimed at moderating these swift emotional transitions could potentially alleviate PTSD symptoms.