title: The Role of Generalized Explicit and Implicit Guilt and Shame in Interpersonal Traumatization and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and interpersonal traumatization are frequently associated with trauma-related guilt and shame. However, research on generalized guilt and shame in PTSD is lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate generalized explicit and implicit guilt and shame in interpersonal traumatization and PTSD. Interpersonally traumatized women either with PTSD (n = 28) or without PTSD (n = 32) and 32 nontraumatized women completed the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 and the Implicit Association Test to measure explicit and implicit guilt and shame. Explicit guilt and shame were significantly higher in women with PTSD than in traumatized women without PTSD. Traumatized women without PTSD showed significantly higher levels of explicit guilt and shame than nontraumatized women did. PTSD was associated with implicit guilt but not implicit shame. In addition to trauma-related guilt and shame, generalized explicit guilt and shame and implicit guilt seem to play a crucial role in PTSD.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Freie Universität Berlin; †The Berlin Center for Torture Victims; ‡Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin; §Cluster of Excellence, Languages of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin; and ∥Medical School Hamburg, University of Applied Sciences and Medical University, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Estelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bockers
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roepke
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Michael
authors.forename: Babette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Renneberg
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Knaevelsrud
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006167:Guilt; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011599:Psychopathology; D012752:Shame; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult