Posttraumatic cognitions mediate the relationship between trauma type and PTSD symptoms

Traumas differ from each other in their associations with mental health risks, and identifying intervening variables is essential to prevention and intervention efforts in trauma-exposed populations. Population surveys show a heightened risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after traumatic events that are interpersonal versus non-interpersonal in nature. This study proposes that the link between interpersonal events and greater PTSD symptoms may be partially explained by greater maladaptive cognitions after interpersonal traumas compared to non-interpersonal traumas. Interpersonal traumas may challenge one's positive core beliefs or confirm negative core beliefs more so than non-interpersonal traumas, contributing to higher distress. The current study examined the relationships among trauma type, posttraumatic cognitions, and PTSD in a sample of 408 patients seeking mental health treatment after trauma exposure. Consistent with hypotheses, patients seeking treatment after an interpersonal trauma scored higher on measures of PTSD compared to patients seeking treatment after a non-interpersonal trauma. Further, posttraumatic cognitions partially mediated the relationship between event type and PTSD symptoms. These results suggest that identifying maladaptive thinking patterns may be especially important after interpersonal trauma for preventing and treating negative mental health outcomes.