Associations among posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, life satisfaction, and well-being comparisons: A longitudinal investigation.
Journal
Journal of traumatic stress
ISSN: 1573-6598
Titre abrégé: J Trauma Stress
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 8809259
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
11 Feb 2024
11 Feb 2024
Historique:
revised:
23
12
2023
received:
09
10
2023
accepted:
24
12
2023
medline:
12
2
2024
pubmed:
12
2
2024
entrez:
11
2
2024
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
Many individuals who encounter potentially traumatic events go on to develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research suggests that survivors of traumatic events frequently compare their current well-being to different standards; yet, knowledge regarding the role of comparative thinking in well-being is limited to a few cross-sectional studies. We therefore examined the temporal associations among aversive well-being comparisons (i.e., comparisons threatening self-motives), PTSD symptoms, and life satisfaction in individuals exposed to traumatic events. Participants (N = 518) with a trauma history completed measures of PTSD symptoms and life satisfaction, as well as the Comparison Standards Scale for Well-being (CSS-W), at assessment points 3 months apart. The CSS-W assesses the frequency, perceived discrepancy, and affective impact of aversive social, temporal, counterfactual, and criteria-based comparisons related to well-being. All participants reported having engaged in aversive well-being comparisons during the last 3 weeks. Comparison frequency emerged as a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms, β = .24, beyond baseline PTSD symptom severity. Life satisfaction contributed unique variance to the comparison process by predicting comparison frequency, β = -.18; discrepancy, β = -.24; and affective impact, β = .20. The findings suggest that frequent aversive comparisons may lead to a persistent focus on negative aspects of well-being, thereby exacerbating PTSD symptoms, and further indicate that comparison frequency, discrepancy, and affective impact are significantly influenced by life satisfaction. Taken together, the findings support the need for a thorough examination of the role of comparative thinking in clinical populations, which may ultimately help improve clinical care.
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Informations de copyright
© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Traumatic Stress published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
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