Testing Cognitive Models to Characterize Trauma Anniversary Reactions Marked by Stress and Growth.

Abstract

Contemporary theories conceptualize the anniversary of a traumatic event as a trauma reminder capable of activating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The current study uses the cognitive stress and growth model to examine this model's usefulness in characterizing anniversary reactions. Participants (N = 197) were MTurk workers who endorsed an "emotionally charged reaction on or near the anniversary of a tragic event." They completed assessments of PTSD, posttraumatic growth (PTG), sense of control, rumination, and trauma centrality. Multiple regression analyses found both anniversary-related stress and PTSD symptoms were associated with similar factors with similar magnitude across both outcomes. Trauma centrality was uniquely associated with anniversary-related PTG. Anniversaries marked by stress are characterized by factors similar to PTSD generally, but growth-related reactions have different correlates compared to PTG outside the reaction. These findings suggest the anniversary period may be a time of self-reflection about the event and its impact.