The Effects of *Attributions and Trauma Characteristics on Emotion
Vernon, Laura Lee
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/82328
Description
Title
The Effects of *Attributions and Trauma Characteristics on Emotion
Author(s)
Vernon, Laura Lee
Issue Date
2001
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Berenbaum, Howard
Department of Study
Psychology
Discipline
Psychology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Psychology, Social
Language
eng
Abstract
This study found that individuals respond to trauma with a variety of emotional excesses and disconnections and that different emotional disturbances are differentially associated with attributions and trauma characteristics. Although attributions were not associated with emotion disconnections, guilt and shame were strongly associated with internal attributions, whereas anger was associated with external attributions. Emotional excesses were also differentially associated with trauma characteristics/consequences: sadness and loss were associated, and an unexpectedly strong and pervasive association was found between contamination concerns and several negative emotions (disgust, guilt, shame, and sadness). Contamination concerns have not been previously studied in relation to trauma. Numbing during the trauma was predicted by loss and contamination concerns, whereas dissociation was predicted by loss of other's view of one's self. Alexithymia was not predicted by attributions or trauma characteristics. The results of this study suggest that neither attributions nor trauma characteristics alone are sufficient to account for emotional responses to trauma. PTSD symptom severity was associated with anger, loss of sense of safety, and contamination concerns. This study also found a positive association between receiving treatment and harm to self during the trauma. However, the associations between emotional responses, attributions, trauma characteristics and psychopathological outcomes did not always form a clear pattern. This study highlights the importance of emotion for understanding responses to trauma. Implications for assessment and treatment are discussed in light of the findings.
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