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Shame and posttraumatic stress disorder
Author(s) -
Leskela Jennie,
Dieperink Michael,
Thuras Paul
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1023/a:1015255311837
Subject(s) - shame , psychology , posttraumatic stress , clinical psychology , psychiatry , social psychology
Guilt about surviving a traumatic event is thought to be an associated feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Shame is an emotion closely related to guilt but is a distinct affective state. Little is known regarding the role of shame in PTSD and there are no studies of PTSD where shame and guilt are examined simultaneously. We used a measure of shame‐ and guilt‐proneness in 107 community residing former prisoner of war veterans all of whom had been exposed to trauma. The measure of shame‐proneness was positively correlated with PTSD symptom severity whereas guilt‐proneness was not. This study provides the first empirical data regarding a possible role for shame in PTSD and may have important therapeutic and theoretical implications.