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Abstract
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OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the bidirectional relation of world assumptions to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, that is, if world assumptions affect subsequent PTSD symptoms levels and also if PTSD symptoms affect subsequent levels of world assumptions, in survivors of childhood sexual abuse during treatment for PTSD.
METHOD: Sample included 797 individuals who were sexually abused in childhood. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the bidirectional relation of world assumptions to PTSD symptoms, at three points in time: at the beginning of psychotherapeutic treatment and at 6 months and 12 months after.
RESULTS: Mean scores on both Worthiness of the Self and Benevolence of World scales increased over the course of treatment. Scores on Worthiness of the Self predicted subsequent scores on PTSD symptoms levels and scores on PTSD symptoms predicted subsequent scores on Worthiness of the Self. Higher scores on the Benevolence of the World at the beginning of the treatment predicted lower PTSD symptoms levels at 6 months into treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that both beliefs about the self and the benevolence of the world are involved in recovery from PTSD. Interventions to rebuild realistic beliefs about the self and world seem to be critical to achieve this outcome. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
Language: en |