The Experience and Regulation of Posttraumatic Shame Among Women with Interpersonal Trauma Histories
Author ORCID Identifier
Date Available
5-21-2024
Year of Publication
2024
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Arts and Sciences
Department/School/Program
Psychology
Advisor
Dr. Christal L. Badour
Abstract
Posttraumatic shame – an emotion stemming from harsh attitudes about the self after trauma – is central to PTSD for many women following physical or sexual assault or abuse (interpersonal trauma [IPT]). However, knowledge of the frequency, intensity, and stability of shame in the daily lives of women post-IPT is lacking. Additionally, while some work has explored shame-specific emotion regulation (ER), or processes aimed at changing emotional responses, it remains unclear which ER strategies are effective in reducing shame, and the role of PTSD severity in shame regulation also remains unexplored. This project explored daily experiences and regulation of posttraumatic shame via a secondary analysis of ecological momentary assessment data. Sixty women post-IPT completed assessments of shame and ER 5 times per day for 14 days. Women experiencing more severe baseline PTSD symptoms reported more frequent and intense daily shame. Experiencing more intense shame than typical was associated with higher concurrent use of rumination, emotion suppression, distraction, and emotion sharing and predicted higher next-assessment use of rumination. Findings suggest that women may use avoidance- and approach-oriented ER strategies at times when shame is more intense. Future research should consider contextual factors that may shape the experience and regulation of posttraumatic shame.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2024.245
Funding Information
This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health through grant number F31 MH132194 in 2022 and 2023. This project was also supported by a Belfer-Aptman Scholars Award for Dissertation Research through The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment in 2023.
Recommended Citation
Tipsword, Jordyn M., "The Experience and Regulation of Posttraumatic Shame Among Women with Interpersonal Trauma Histories" (2024). Theses and Dissertations--Psychology. 257.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/psychology_etds/257
