title: The role of shame and self-critical thinking in the development and maintenance of current threat in post-traumatic stress disorder.
abstract: There is increasing recognition of emotions other than fear in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and recent research has looked at the role of shame. Cognitive theory suggests that PTSD is caused by traumatic experiences being processed in a way that causes ongoing current threat. In this paper we suggest that shame might contribute to the creation/maintenance of ongoing current threat as it attacks an individual's psychological integrity. A correlational design was used to investigate some of the factors that might contribute to a shame response within a PTSD sample. It was hypothesized that individuals with PTSD who report higher levels of shame would be more prone to engage in self-critical thinking and less prone to engage in self-reassuring thinking than individuals with PTSD who report lower levels of shame. Data were gathered using self-report questionnaires, and results supported the hypotheses. It is suggested therapy for shame-based PTSD needs to incorporate strategies to help individuals develop inner caring, compassion and self-reassurance.
authors.affiliation: St George's Hospital, London, UK. Rachel.Harman@stgeorges.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harman
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012752:Shame; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013850:Thinking; D055815:Young Adult