Understanding the relationship of perceived social support to post-trauma cognitions and posttraumatic stress disorder
Open accessAbstract
Poor social support in the aftermath of a traumatic event is a well-established risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among adult trauma survivors. Yet, a great deal about the relationship between social support and PTSD remains poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed data from 102 survivors of a serious motor vehicle accident (MVA) at 4 weeks (Time 1) and 16 weeks (Time 2) post-MVA. We assessed the role of perceived dyadic social support, positive dyadic interaction, and negative dyadic interaction in the development and maintenance of PTSD. In addition, we examined how these social support constructs work together with negative post-trauma cognitions to affect the maintenance of PTSD. Neither perceived social support nor the quality of social interaction (i.e., positive or negative) was associated with PTSD symptom severity at Time 1. However, among those with elevated PTSD symptom severity at Time 1, greater social support and positive social interaction and lower negative social interaction were each associated with reductions in PTSD symptom severity from Time 1 to Time 2. For social support and negative social interaction, this association ceased to be significant when jointly assessed with negative post-trauma cognitions, suggesting that perceived social support and negative dyadic interaction were associated with maintenance of PTSD symptom severity because of their association with negative post-trauma cognitions. These results provide support to models and treatments of PTSD that emphasize the role of negative post-trauma cognitions in maintenance of PTSD.
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A lack of perceived social support early after trauma is strongly related to increased PTSD risk.
“In addition, a lack of perceived social support early after trauma is strongly related to increased PTSD risk [25-27].”
From Efficacy of oxytocin administration early after psychotrauma in preventing the development of PTSD: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial (2014) · cites this paper as [27]
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- Authors
- Robinaugh, D. J., Marques, L., Traeger, L. N., Marks, E. H., Sung, S. C., Gayle Beck, J., Pollack, M. H., & Simon, N. M.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
- Corresponding author
- Robinaugh, Donald J.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Anxiety Disorders
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-12
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1072-1078
- ISSN
- 0887-6185 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3444153
- OpenAlex
- W2157509390
- Cited by
- 121
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 7.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Anxiety Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R36MH075383)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- perceived social support, post-traumatic stress disorder, motor vehicle accidents, dyadic interaction, negative social interactions, trauma survivors
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Cognition, Female, Humans, Life Change Events, Male, Middle Aged, Perception, Severity of Illness Index, Social Support, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Survivors
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