Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T04:02:03.932Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Self-Complexity and Perceived Self-Aspect Control in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2017

Kerrie Channer  and
Laura Jobson
Kerrie Channer*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
Laura Jobson
Affiliation:
School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
*
Correspondence to Kerrie Channer, Child Development Centre, City Care Centre, Thorpe Road, Peterborough PE3 6DB. E-mail: k.channer@nhs.net
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder often brings about profound, lasting, structural changes to one's sense of self. Aims: This study investigated self-complexity and self-aspect control in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Method: Trauma survivors with (n = 103) and without (n = 102) PTSD completed an online questionnaire which involved the completion of a self-complexity task and measures of PTSD. Results: It was found that those with PTSD had significantly greater overall self-complexity than those without PTSD. Furthermore, when considering self-description valence, it was found that those with PTSD had significantly greater negative self-complexity than those without PTSD, but the groups did not differ in terms of positive self-complexity. Second, those with PTSD reported significantly less control over their self-aspects. Third, for those with PTSD, lower levels of self-aspect control were significantly correlated with greater negative self-complexity and lower positive self-complexity. Finally, self-aspect control mediated the relationship between self-complexity and PTSD symptoms. Conclusion: The theoretical implications for PTSD models and the clinical implications for the treatment of those with PTSD are explored.

Keywords

post-traumatic stress disorderself-complexityself-aspectscontrolmediation
Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 46 , Issue 1 , January 2018 , pp. 50 - 65
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abdollahi, M., Moradi, A., Hasani, J. and Jobson, L. (2012). Investigating the relationships between autobiographical remembering, the self and posttraumatic stress disorder in individuals with HIV. Memory, 11, 1–25.Google Scholar
Alatiq, Y., Crane, C., Williams, J. M. G. and Goodwin, G. M. (2010). Dysfunctional beliefs in bipolar disorder: hypomanic vs. depressive attitudes. Journal of Affective Disorders, 122, 294–300.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Attneave, F. (1959). Applications of Information Theory to Psychology: A Summary of Basic Concepts, Methods and Results. New York: Holt-Dryden.Google Scholar
Baumeister, R. F., Gailliot, M., DeWall, C. N. and Oaten, M. (2006). Self-regulation and personality: how interventions increase regulatory success, and how depletion moderates the effects of traits on behavior. Journal of Personality, 74, 1773–1801.Google Scholar
Bell, V. and Wittkowski, A. (2009). An exploration of self-complexity in individuals experiencing auditory hallucinations. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 16, 172–181.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berntsen, D. and Rubin, D. C. (2007). When a trauma becomes a key to identity: enhanced integration of trauma memories predicts posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 21, 417–431.Google Scholar
Breslau, N. (2002). Epidemiologic studies of trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, and other psychiatric disorders. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 47, 923–929.Google Scholar
Brewin, C. R. (2011). The nature and significance of memory disturbance in posttraumatic stress disorder. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 7, 203–227.Google Scholar
Brook, A. T., Garcia, J. and Fleming, M. (2008). The effects of multiple identities on psychological well-being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 1588–1600.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, C. M. and McConnell, A. R. (2009). When chronic isn't chronic: the moderating role of active self-aspects. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 3–15.Google Scholar
Campbell, J. D., Chew, B. and Scratchley, L. S. (1991). Cognitive and emotional reactions to daily events: the effects of self-esteem and self-complexity. Journal of Personality, 59, 473–505.Google Scholar
Constantino, M. J., Wilson, K. R., Horowitz, L. M. and Pinel, E. C. (2006). The direct and stress-buffering effects of self-organization on psychological adjustment. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 25, 333–360.Google Scholar
Conway, M. A. (2005). Memory and the self. Journal of Memory and Language, 53, 594–628.Google Scholar
Devins, G. M., Orme, C. M., Costello, C. G., Binik, Y. M., Frizzell, B., Stam, H. J. and Pullin, W. M. (1988). Measuring depressive symptoms in illness populations: psychometric properties of the center for epidemiologic studies depression scale. Psychology and Health, 2, 139–156.Google Scholar
Dunmore, E. C., Clark, D. M. and Ehlers, A. (1999). Cognitive factors involved in the onset and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after physical or sexual assault. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 37, 809–829.Google Scholar
Dunmore, E., Clark, D. M. and Ehlers, A. (2001). A prospective investigation of the role of cognitive factors in persistent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after physical or sexual assault. Behavior Research and Therapy, 39, 1063–1084.Google Scholar
Ehlers, A. and Clark, D. M. (2000). A cognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38, 319–345.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ehlers, A., Clark, D. M., Dunmore, E., Jaycox, L., Meadows, E. and Foa, E. B. (1998). Predicting response to exposure treatment for PTSD: the role of mental defeat and alienation. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 11, 457–471.Google Scholar
Ehlers, A., Maercker, A. and Boos, A. (2000). Posttraumatic stress disorder following political imprisonment: the role of mental defeat, alienation, and perceived permanent change. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109, 45–55.Google Scholar
Foa, E., Cashman, L., Jaycox, L. and Perry, K. (1997). The validation of a self-report measure of PTSD: The Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale. Psychological Assessment, 9, 445–451.Google Scholar
Halligan, P.W., Fink, G.R., Marshall, J.C. and Vallar, G. (2003). Spatial cognition: evidence from visual neglect. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7, 125–133.Google Scholar
Hayes, A. F. and Preacher, K. J. (2013). Conditional process modeling: using structural equation modeling to examine contingent causal processes. In Hancock, G. R. and Mueller, R. O. (eds), Structural Equation Modeling: A Second Course. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.Google Scholar
Horowitz, M. J. (1976). Stress Response Syndromes. New York: Aronson.Google Scholar
Janoff-Bulman, R. (1992). Shattered Assumptions: Towards a New Psychology of Trauma. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Jobson, L. (2009). Drawing current posttraumatic stress disorder models into the cultural sphere: the development of the ‘threat to the conceptual self’ model. Clinical Psychology Review, 29, 368–381.Google Scholar
Jobson, L. and O'Kearney, R. T. (2008). Cultural differences in personal identity in posttraumatic stress disorder. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 47, 1–16.Google Scholar
Jones, J. C. and Barlow, D. H. (1990). The etiology of posttraumatic stress disorder. Clinical Psychology Review, 10, 299–328.Google Scholar
Koch, E. and Shepperd, J. A. (2004). Is self-complexity linked to better coping? A review of the literature. Journal of Personality, 72, 727–760.Google Scholar
Linville, P. W. (1985). Self-complexity and affective extremity: don't put all of your eggs in one cognitive basket. Social Cognition, 3, 94–120.Google Scholar
Linville, P. W. (1987). Self-complexity as a cognitive buffer against stress-related illness and depression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 663–676.Google Scholar
McConnell, A. R. (2011). The multiple self-aspects framework: self-concept representation and its implications. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 15, 3–27.Google Scholar
McConnell, A. R., Renaud, J. M., Dean, K. K., Green, S. P., Lamoreaus, J. M., Hall, C. E. and Rydell, R. J. (2005). Whose self is it anyway? Self-aspect control moderates the relation between self-complexity and well-being. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 41, 1–18.Google Scholar
McConnell, A. R. and Strain, L. M. (2007). Content and structure of the self. In Sedikides, C. and Spencer, S. (eds), The Self in Social Psychology (pp. 51–72). New York, NY: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
McConnell, A. R., Strain, L. M., Brown, C. M. and Rydell, R. J. (2009). The simple life: on the benefits of low self-complexity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 823–835.Google Scholar
McGuire, W. J. and Padawer-Singer, A. (1976). Trait salience in the spontaneous self-concept. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 33, 643–754.Google Scholar
Morgan, H.J. and Janoff-Bulman, R. (1994). Positive and negative SC: patterns of adjustment following traumatic versus non-traumatic life experiences. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 13, 63–85.Google Scholar
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) (2005). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): The Management of PTSD in Adults and Children in Secondary Care. London: National Institute for Clinical Excellence.Google Scholar
Parker, A. G., Boldero, J. M. and Bell, R. C. (2006). Borderline personality disorder features: the role of self-discrepancies and self-complexity. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice, 79, 309–321.Google Scholar
Pilarska, A. and Suchanska, A. (2015). Self-complexity and self-concept differentiation – what have we been measuring for the past 30 years? Current Psychology, 34, 723–743.Google Scholar
Preacher, K. J. and Hayes, A. F. (2004). SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers, 36, 717–731.Google Scholar
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 3, 385–401.Google Scholar
Rafaeli-Mor, E., Gotlib, I. H. and Revelle, W. (1999). The meaning and measurement of self-complexity. Personality and Individual Differences, 27, 341–356.Google Scholar
Rafaeli-Mor, E. and Steinberg, J. (2002). Self-complexity and well-being: a review and research synthesis. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6, 31–58.Google Scholar
Renaud, J. M. and McConnell, A. R. (2002). Organization of the self concept and the suppression of self-relevant thoughts. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 79–86.Google Scholar
Rhodewalt, F. and Morf, C. C. (1995). Self and interpersonal correlates of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory: a review and new findings. Journal of Research in Personality, 29, 1–23.Google Scholar
Ryan, R. M., LaGuardia, J. G. and Rawsthorne, L. J. (2005). Self-complexity and the authenticity of self-aspects: effects on well-being and resilience to stressful events. North American Journal of Psychology, 7, 431–448.Google Scholar
Showers, C. J. (1992). Compartmentalization of positive and negative self-knowledge: keeping bad apples out of the bunch. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 1036–1049.Google Scholar
Showers, C. J., Abramson, L. Y. and Hogan, M. E. (1998). The dynamic self: how the content and structure of the self-concept change with mood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 478–493.Google Scholar
Showers, C. J. and Larson, B. E. (1999). Looking at body image: the organization of self-knowledge about physical appearance and its relation to disordered eating. Journal of Personality, 67, 659–700.Google Scholar
Showers, C. J., Zeigler-Hill, V. and Limke, A. (2006). Self-structure and emotional maltreatment: successful compartmentalization and the struggle of integration. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 25, 473–507.Google Scholar
Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., Gibbon, M. and First, M. B. (1990). Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.Google Scholar
Stopa, L., Brown, M. A., Luke, M. A. and Hirsch, C. R. (2010). Constructing a self: the role of self-structure and self-certainty in social anxiety. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48, 955–965.Google Scholar
Sutherland, K. and Bryant, R. A. (2005). Self-defining memories in post-traumatic stress disorder. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 44, 591–598.Google Scholar
Tangney, J. P., Baumeister, R. F. and Boone, A. L. (2004). High self-control predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success. Journal of Personality, 72, 271–324.Google Scholar
Woolfolk, R. L., Novalany, J., Gara, M. A. Allen, L. A. and Polino, M. (1995). Self-complexity, self-evaluation, and depression: an examination of form and content within the self-schema. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 1108–1120.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Channer and Jobson supplementary material

Tables S1-S2 and Figure S1

Download Channer and Jobson supplementary material(File)
File 33.8 KB
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.