Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jun;32(11):1620-1641.
doi: 10.1177/0886260515589930. Epub 2015 Jun 18.

Associations Between Specific Negative Emotions and DSM-5 PTSD Among a National Sample of Interpersonal Trauma Survivors

Christal L Badour  1   2 , Heidi S Resnick  1 , Dean G Kilpatrick  1
Affiliations

Associations Between Specific Negative Emotions and DSM-5 PTSD Among a National Sample of Interpersonal Trauma Survivors

Christal L Badour et al. J Interpers Violence. 2017 Jun.

Abstract

The diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has undergone several significant changes corresponding with the recent implementation of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM-5). Many of these changes reflect a growing recognition that PTSD is characterized by a wide range of negative affective experiences that were underrepresented in prior conceptualizations of the disorder. The present study examined the prevalence and correlates of a new Criterion D symptom (D4-Negative Affect), which is aimed at assessing subjective problems with persistent negative emotion states (e.g., fear, anger, shame, guilt, horror) among a sample of 1,522 U.S. adults with a history of interpersonal trauma recruited from a national online panel. The prevalence of D4-Negative Affect was very high among individuals with assault-related PTSD (AR-PTSD) and in particular, was significantly higher than among PTSD negative individuals. Moreover, specific problems with anger, shame, and fear were significantly and uniquely associated with AR-PTSD. Important differences also emerged as a function of gender and interpersonal trauma history. These findings provide initial empirical support for the expanded emphasis on assessing a wide range of negative affective experiences that may be associated with PTSD in DSM-5.

Keywords: PTSD; mental health and violence; violence exposure.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 3. Washington, DC: Author; 1980.
    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4. Washington, DC: Author; 2000. text rev.
    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2013.
    1. Amstadter A, Vernon L. Emotional reactions during and after trauma: A comparison of trauma types. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, & Trauma. 2008;16:391–408. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Andrews B, Brewin C, Rose S, Kirk M. Predicting PTSD symptoms in victims of violent crime: The role of shame, anger, and childhood abuse. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 2000;109:69–73. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms