(PS14-46) The Impact of Cumulative Trauma Exposure on Shame and Social Functioning

Survivors of interpersonal forms of trauma, such as intimate partner violence (IPV), often report experiencing negative consequences across many areas of psychosocial functioning. Shame, or one’s global negative beliefs about the self, is a commonly reported emotional experience by survivors of trauma. Shame is salient following trauma exposure due to its associations with social withdrawal, not seeking mental health assistance, and overall diminished social support, factors that buffer psychological harms. Notably, having a negative network orientation (an attitude that seeking help from others as useless or risky) is another facet of social functioning that has been linked to shame. Research has examined the exacerbating effects of exposure to child abuse in conjunction with shame on negative network orientation, but less attention has been given to overall cumulative trauma (i.e., exposure to different types of trauma) in this context. Given that cumulative trauma exposure is typically associated with poorer psychological outcomes, it is pertinent to explore its role in the relationship between shame and negative network orientation. As such, the aim of the current study was to further elucidate the association between shame and negative network orientation by examining cumulative trauma exposure  as a moderator of this association.

The sample consisted of 315 women ranging in age from 18 to 75 years (M = 36.63, SD = 12.11) who experienced IPV. Approximately 39.8% of the sample identified as Black/African American, 46.5% as White/Caucasian, 3.5% as Hispanic, and 7.5% as Other. Participants reported exposure to 6 different traumatic experiences on average. Shame was measured via the Internalized Shame Scale, direct cumulative trauma was measured via the Traumatic Life Events Checklist, and negative network orientation was measured via the Network Orientation Scale.

A moderated path analysis was conducted in Mplus to examine cumulative trauma exposure as a moderator of the association between shame and negative network orientation. The overall model was significant (R² = .24, p < .001) and explained 24% of the variance in negative network orientation. The interaction between shame and cumulative trauma exposure was significant (estimate = .02, p < .001), such that negative network orientation increased by .02 units with every unit increase in cumulative trauma. Main effects were also noted for shame (estimate = .16, p < .001) and cumulative trauma exposure (estimate = .37, p = .01) on negative network orientation.

Although emphasis has been placed on the impact of interpersonal forms of trauma, results of the current study underscore the cumulative impact of exposure to multiple forms of trauma on perceptions of the usefulness of social support. Results converge with previous work on the relationship between shame and negative network orientation, such that higher levels of shame were positively associated with more negative attitudes about social support. These findings provide important insight into the impacts of shame and cumulative trauma on social functioning and are discussed considering ways to reduce trauma-related stigma and subsequent shame within the community, as well as treatment implications.