Peritraumatic dissociation and experiential avoidance as prospective predictors of posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Abstract

Peritraumatic dissociation (PD) and experiential avoidance (EA) have been implicated in the etiology of posttraumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS); however, the function of these two factors in the onset and maintenance of PTSS following a potentially traumatic event is unclear. The temporal relationships between EA, PD, and the four clusters of PTSS proposed by the Simms/Watson dysphoria model (Simms, Watson, & Doebbeling, 2002) were examined in a three-wave prospective investigation of 532 undergraduate women participating in an ongoing longitudinal study at the time of a campus shooting. Path analyses indicated that preshooting EA predicted greater PD, intrusions, and dysphoria symptoms approximately one month postshooting. PD was associated with increased symptomatology across all four clusters 1-month postshooting, while 1-month postshooting EA was associated with higher dysphoria and hyperarousal symptoms eight months postshooting. PD had a significant indirect effect on all four PTSS clusters eight months postshooting via 1-month postshooting symptom reports. The results suggest that both EA and PD show unique influences as risk factors for PTSS following a potentially traumatic event.