Investigating the specific domains of the cognitive attentional syndrome that predict posttraumatic stress symptoms: The moderating effect of attentional control

Abstract

The metacognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggests that persistent use of the maladaptive self-regulation strategies that comprise the cognitive attentional syndrome (CAS) increases the likelihood of developing PTSD symptoms following trauma exposure. The metacognitive model also suggests that flexible regulation of attention might be protective against developing maladaptive outcomes that are associated with the CAS. The aims of this study were to (1) examine associations between all seven domains of the CAS and PTSD symptoms using a recently developed, multidimensional measure of the CAS, and (2) examine the moderating effect of self-reported attentional control on associations between the CAS and PTSD symptoms. Participants were trauma-exposed community adults (N = 237) who completed a battery of self-report measures. Results from linear regression analyses showed that worry, substance use, and internal threat monitoring accounted for unique variance in PTSD symptoms when all seven CAS domains were entered into the same model. Moderation analyses showed that attentional control dampened the effect of the CAS, specifically external threat monitoring, on PTSD symptoms. Study results support attentional control as a protective factor against the maladaptive effects of the CAS on PTSD symptoms.