Investigating Associations between Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms, Executive Dysfunction and Dissociative Symptoms
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2018-02-05
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en
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Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychological disorder characterized by intrusions of an experienced
trauma, avoidance behavior and heightened arousal. Another common phenomenon in the context of
trauma is dissociation. Accordingly, the core symptoms of dissociation are depersonalization – which
means a person feeling like they are outside of their body – and derealization, where things in one’s
environment do not feel real. Studies suggest that more severe trauma leads to more severe dissociation
experiences. These two factors – symptoms of PTSD and dissociation – are both connected to executive
functioning (EF). In the current paper, EF is operationalized as working memory and cognitive flexibility.
There is ongoing debate about the relation of PTSD symptom severity and executive functioning, with an
overall consensus that PTSD leads to worse executive functioning. In this paper, it is hypothesized that
more severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress lead to worse executive functioning. Moreover, the
relation between dissociation and EF is unclear: while some papers suggest that dissociation worsens
executive functioning, others claim that poorer functioning is only perceived subjectively, but not
measured objectively. In this paper, dissociative symptoms are included as a mediator. More severe
symptoms of PTSD might lead to more dissociative symptoms, which might result in worse executive
dysfunction. Thirty-three participants clinically diagnosed with PTSD were included in this study. The
results showed that more severe symptoms of PTSD indeed lead to worse executive functioning.
Moreover, more severe symptoms of PTSD and more severe dissociative symptoms depend on each other.
However, the hypothesis that dissociative symptoms lead to worse executive functioning could not be
supported. Furthermore, no mediation effect could be found. Different alternative explanations are
discussed accordingly.
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Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen