A retrospective study of negative and positive post-event processing following stressful and pleasant social interactions

Abstract

Background and objectives: Negative post-event processing (PEP) is a key maintenance factor of social anxiety, but little is known about the role positive PEP, particularly in relation to situations that are not perceived as stressful. The objective was to examine negative and positive PEP following stressful and pleasant social interactions. We were also interested in how participants remembered and described the interactions.

Methods: Young adults (n = 411) recalled a recent pleasant or stressful social interaction and indicated how much negative and positive PEP they engaged in since the interaction. They also completed questionnaires measuring social anxiety and the memory's phenomenological qualities and wrote a description of the interaction.

Results: Higher social anxiety was linked with more negative and less positive PEP, regardless of whether the interaction was perceived as stressful or pleasant. Participants reporting more negative PEP used more negative words in describing the interaction and their memory was more negative and emotionally intense. Those reporting more positive PEP used more positive and less negative words in their descriptions. For stressful interactions, positive PEP was related to a more positive memory; for pleasant ones, it was related to increased emotional intensity.

Limitations: Limitations included the sample type (restricted age range, non-clinical) and the retrospective, cross-sectional nature of the study.

Conclusions: Results provide insight into PEP following stressful and pleasant social interactions. We also found preliminary evidence that positive PEP may be helpful and protective. Future studies may benefit from longitudinal and mixed methods designs.

Keywords: Memory; Post-event processing; Social anxiety.