Mental contamination, disgust, and other negative emotions among survivors of sexual trauma: Results from a daily monitoring study

Daily Associations Between Trauma-Related Mental Contamination and Use of Specific Coping Strategies: Results of a Daily Monitoring Study

“…Daily MC was not linked to the tendency to seek social support or engage in substance-related coping across the diary period. That MC was not significantly associated with the tendency to seek social support is notable given previous empirical and theoretical work asserting that MC may elicit feelings of shame and self-disgust-both of which may promote social withdrawal, thereby limiting opportunities to seek and obtain social support (Brake et al, 2021;Rachman et al, 2015;Steil et al, 2011). Regarding substance use, most participants in our sample reported no drug use (illicit or misuse of prescription medications) in the past year and only slightly more than half reported drinking to intoxication one or more times during that same period.…”

“…Future work should aim to identify factors influencing the selection and/or quality of use of these specific coping strategies among individuals experiencing MC. Keywords mental contamination, avoidance coping, approach coping, sexual trauma, PTSD symptoms Trauma-related mental contamination (MC), an experience of contamination occurring without a physical contaminant (Rachman, 1994), is a common, distressing, and potentially enduring experience following sexual trauma (Badour et al, 2013;Brake et al, 2021;Olatunji et al, 2008). Approximately one-quarter of women who experience an urge to wash immediately after a sexual assault have reported experiencing trauma-related MC for months to years post-trauma (Fairbrother & Rachman, 2004).…”

“…Trauma-related mental contamination (MC), an experience of contamination occurring without a physical contaminant (Rachman, 1994), is a common, distressing, and potentially enduring experience following sexual trauma (Badour et al, 2013; Brake et al, 2021; Olatunji et al, 2008). Approximately one-quarter of women who experience an urge to wash immediately after a sexual assault have reported experiencing trauma-related MC for months to years post-trauma (Fairbrother & Rachman, 2004).…”

Main and interactive effects of negative posttraumatic cognitions and disgust sensitivity in predicting daily experiences of sexual trauma-related mental contamination.

“…The present study is a secondary data analysis of a parent study that examined PTSD symptoms and mental contamination among a community sample of 41 women with a history of sexual trauma (Brake et al, 2021). Two participants in the parent study did not complete the questionnaire evaluating negative posttraumatic cognitions (see Measures) and were thus excluded from the current analyses; thus, the subsample of participants included in the present study consisted of 39 women between the ages of 18 and 57 years ( M age = 32.82, SD = 12.52) who completed all measures included in the present study.…”

“…In such a scenario, an individual may continue to experience mental contamination for months or years post trauma—and long after any physical contaminants that were present during the traumatic event have been cleansed—due to a sense of being made inherently dirty by contact with contaminants during that event (Jones et al, 2010; Jones et al, 2020). Existing research consistently underscores that trauma-related mental contamination is both a prevalent and distressing experience among survivors of sexual trauma (Badour et al, 2013; Brake et al, 2021; Fairbrother & Rachman, 2004). In a foundational study evaluating experiences of mental contamination, Fairbrother and Rachman (2004) documented that 70% of women reported an urge to wash immediately following an experience of sexual trauma, which involves contact with physical contaminants.…”