Background: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one of the most prevalent psychopathologies experienced by victims following natural disasters. The severity of traumatic experience may be a critical risk factor for the development of PTSD. Nevertheless, other factors may also lead to PTSD. We propose that fear and self-disclosure could be two important factors. Previous studies have examined their unique roles in PTSD, but their combined role in PTSD has been rarely assessed. To fill this gap, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between severity of traumatic exposure, fear, self-disclosure, and PTSD among victims following flood disaster. Methods: one hundred ninety-nine participants completed self-report questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were obtained using SPSS 17.0 and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to obtain correlations between major variables. Results: results indicated that severity of traumatic exposure not only had a direct effect on PTSD, but also it had an indirect effect on PTSD via activating victims’ fear. Moreover, self-disclosure played a buffering role between fear and PTSD. However, the role of fear in PTSD may decrease with increases in levels of self-disclosure. Conclusions: Traumatic exposure had positive predictive effects for PTSD and fear. Self-disclosure had negative predictive effects for PTSD. Fear played a mediating role between severity of traumatic exposure and PTSD, self-disclosure played a moderating role in the relationship between fear and PTSD. Psychological interventions should focus on the regulation of fear and improvement of self-disclosure following traumatic exposure.

Background: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one of the most prevalent psychopathologies experienced by victims following natural disasters. The severity of traumatic experience may be a critical risk factor for the development of PTSD. Nevertheless, other factors may also lead to PTSD. We propose that fear and self-disclosure could be two important factors. Previous studies have examined their unique roles in PTSD, but their combined role in PTSD has been rarely assessed. To fill this gap, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between severity of traumatic exposure, fear, self-disclosure, and PTSD among victims following flood disaster. Methods: one hundred ninety-nine participants completed self-report questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were obtained using SPSS 17.0 and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to obtain correlations between major variables. Results: results indicated that severity of traumatic exposure not only had a direct effect on PTSD, but also it had an indirect effect on PTSD via activating victims’ fear. Moreover, self-disclosure played a buffering role between fear and PTSD. However, the role of fear in PTSD may decrease with increases in levels of self-disclosure. Conclusions: Traumatic exposure had positive predictive effects for PTSD and fear. Self-disclosure had negative predictive effects for PTSD. Fear played a mediating role between severity of traumatic exposure and PTSD, self-disclosure played a moderating role in the relationship between fear and PTSD. Psychological interventions should focus on the regulation of fear and improvement of self-disclosure following traumatic exposure.