The Effects of Experimentally Induced Rumination Versus Distraction on Analogue Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms
Abstract
Rumination has been suggested to be an important factor maintaining posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Using an analogue design, this study aimed to experimentally test the hypothesis that trauma-related rumination maintains PTSD symptoms. Fifty-one participants were first asked to give a detailed narrative of a negative life event and were then randomly assigned to a rumination or distraction condition. In line with the hypotheses, rumination about the event resulted in the maintenance of negative mood and intrusive memories immediately after the manipulation whereas distraction resulted in symptom reduction. However, this effect was reversed during a subsequent symptom provocation task, in which distraction led to a greater increase in some of the symptoms than rumination. Results are in line with the idea that rumination is involved in the maintenance of PTSD but may suggest a complex relationship between rumination and posttraumatic stress symptoms.
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Rumination after a trauma film increased the experience of intrusions and intrusion-related distress.
“a number of experimental studies have found that rumination (versus, for example, distraction) after a trauma film increased the experience of intrusions and intrusion-related distress”
From Intrusive memories of trauma: A target for research bridging cognitive science and its clinical application (2019) · cites this paper as Ehring, Fuchs, & Klasener, 2009
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- Authors
- Ehring, T., Fuchs, N., & Kläsener, I.
- Affiliations
- University of Amsterdam (NL)
- Bielefeld University (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Ehring, Thomas
- ORCID
- Ehring, Thomas
- Venue
- Behavior Therapy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-12
- Volume
- 40
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 403-413
- ISSN
- 0005-7894 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2060624917
- Cited by
- 74
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 2.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behavior Therapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (publishedVersion)
- UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Keywords
- rumination, distraction, post-traumatic stress disorder, intrusive memories, negative mood, symptom provocation, negative life events
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Affect, Analysis of Variance, Female, Humans, Imagination, Life Change Events, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Self-Assessment, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Stress, Psychological, Patient Selection
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