Cited by 128Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Aversive life events enhance human freezing responses.

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Hagenaars, Muriel A., Stins, John F., Roelofs, Karin·2012·Journal of Experimental Psychology General

Abstract

In the present study, we investigated the effect of prior aversive life events on freezing-like responses. Fifty healthy females were presented neutral, pleasant, and unpleasant images from the International Affective Picture System while standing on a stabilometric platform and wearing a polar band to assess body sway and heart rate. In the total sample, only unpleasant pictures elicited reduced body sway and reduced heart rate (freezing). Moreover, participants who had experienced 1 or more aversive life events showed greater reductions in heart rate for unpleasant versus pleasant pictures than those who had experienced no such event. In addition, relative to no-event participants, single-event participants showed reduced body sway to unpleasant pictures, while multiple-event participants showed reduced body sway in response to all picture categories. These results indicate that aversive life events affect automatic freezing responses and may indicate the cumulative effect of multiple trauma. The experimental paradigm presented is a promising method to study freezing as a primary defense response in trauma-related disorders.

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Crossref · 10.1037/a0024211

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Authors
Hagenaars, M. A., Stins, J. F., & Roelofs, K.
Affiliations
Leiden University (NL)
Corresponding author
Hagenaars, Muriel A.
Venue
Journal of Experimental Psychology General
Published
2012
Volume
141
Issue
1
Pages
98-105
ISSN
  • 0096-3445 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-2222
OpenAlex
W2151133687
Cited by
128
References
47
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 2
FWCI
6.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
other-oa
Locations
  • Journal of Experimental Psychology General (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • VU Research Portal (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Digital Academic REpository of VU University Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
  • Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (016-105-142, 452-07-008)
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 and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
freezing response, trauma, postural sway, heart rate, emotional arousal, cumulative trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Arousal, Emotions, Female, Heart Rate, Humans, Life Change Events, Movement, Photic Stimulation, Posture, Surveys and Questionnaires, Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic

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