Trauma, Attentional Biases, and Revictimization Among Young Adults

Abstract

Individuals with previous histories of trauma are at increased risk for subsequent victimization and the development of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety disorders. Attentional biases to threat-related stimuli are thought to impact one's ability to recognize future risk in his or her environment and may explain high rates of revictimization. Although the literature has identified three possible types of attentional biases among victims of trauma (i.e., interference, facilitation, and avoidance), findings are mixed. The current study examined attentional biases to threats among a sample of men and women with no, some, and multiple incident interpersonal and non-interpersonal trauma histories. It was hypothesized that those with multiple incident interpersonal trauma histories would demonstrate an interference effect (i.e., slower response times to threat-related words). Participants (N = 309) were 18- to 29-year-old college students. Self-report measures assessed trauma history, posttraumatic stress, and other psychological sequelae. Attentional biases were assessed using a dot probe computer task. Contrary to hypotheses, no significant differences in response times in the presence of threat-related words or neutral words were found among groups. Results suggest that multiple traumatized individuals do not exhibit attentional bias to threats compared to individuals with some or no trauma.

Trauma Symptoms, Perceived Social Support, Emotional Competence and Self-Esteem as Predictors of Nursing School Teachers' Behavior Styles in Social Conflicts

“…This is an indication on which a formal or non-formal university curriculum may have an intervening influence. Somatization, although the reliability of the subscale is low and the result should be viewed with certain reservations, proved to be a significant predictor of the avoiding/adapting style used in social conflict resolution, confirming the theory of the avoidance phenomenon in conflict-handling (Reichert et al, 2015;Shenk et al, 2012;Weeks, 2000;Wilmot & Hocker, 1998). This implies that nursery school teachers who repress unresolved traumatic experiences, manifested as somatization, will probably, in a situation when they should stand up for themselves or the child that has been left in their care, resort to avoiding or retreating and adapting rather than try to solve the problem.…”

“…These are distinctly subjectively unpleasant situations of threatened safety and/or situations that result in the feeling of being overwhelmed and lonely, even if physical symptoms are not present (Arambašić, 1996;Robinson, Smith, & Segal, 2015). With regard to behavioural styles used in social conflicts, Reichert, Segal, and Flannery-Schroeder (2015) note that young persons with traumatic experiences tend to exhibit disruptive, avoidance and adaptive behaviour. Šimić, Sesar, and Barišić (2012) established four groups of trauma symptoms in students, which can result from one or more types of abuse: anxiety and depression, trauma symptoms, somatic symptoms, and sexual problems and difficulties.…”

Risk for Revictimization Following Interpersonal and Noninterpersonal Trauma: Clarifying the Role of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Trauma‐Related Cognitions

“…Therefore, PTSD symptoms, including anger and disrupted relationships, that follow noninterpersonal trauma might also confer risk for subsequent victimization. Although deficits in risk recognition are most commonly studied in relation to interpersonal trauma, prior work has suggested that risk recognition is not differentially impaired following interpersonal versus noninterpersonal trauma (Reichert, Segal, & Flannery-Schroeder, 2015), which indicates that this mechanism underlying revictimization could extend to individuals who initially experience a noninterpersonal trauma. More research is needed to clarify whether PTSD increases the risk of interpersonal victimization among individuals whose initial trauma was noninterpersonal in nature.…”

Childhood Maltreatment and Revictimization: A Systematic Literature Review

“…The latter criterion became necessary as prior studies considered various developmental stages for revictimization. While most studies define revictimization as victimization in both childhood and adulthood (Arata, 2000; Babcock, 2012; Jankowski et al, 2002), more than one victimization experience in a lifetime, regardless of the age at occurrence, was defined as revictimization by other authors (Matlow & DePrince, 2013; Reichert et al, 2015). Due to the lack of research on the influence of these different age cut-offs on the relationship between revictimization and its risk factors, we cannot assume the results of these studies are comparable.…”