1 - (SYM 26) The Relationship Between Posttraumatic Cognitions, Emotion Regulation, and PTSD Symptoms Among Active-duty Military and Veteran Survivors of Military Sexual Assault

Military Sexual Trauma occurs more frequently than assumed and can lead to long lasting mental health consequences including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. One established component of PTSD and common mental health disorders is altered cognitions and increased negative emotions. Evidenced Based Treatments (EBTs) for PTSD, such as Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), have focused on challenging and evaluating cognitive patterns and schema as mechanisms of treatment. A better understanding of the relationship between cognitive patterns and PTSD may clarify treatment mechanisms and improve treatment for PTSD, particularly for groups facing stigma or barriers to care such as military members and veterans who are survivors of MST. 

The present study examined the relationships between exposure to trauma, post- trauma cognitive patterns, and rates of PTSD to better understand how cognition beliefs and patterns relate to PTSD. Baseline data from a multi-year randomized control trial (RCT) comparing mental health interventions for trauma resulting from MST were used for this analysis. Not all participants met criteria for randomization for this RCT. Participants (n = 25, Ages 21-66, 80% Black/Hispanic/Other, 20% white) were active duty military and veterans recruited through flyers, online posts, and information dissemination at VA hospitals, vet centers, and military bases in New York and California. Linear regression analysis examined the impact of types of traumatic life experiences, as assessed by the Trauma History Questionnaire (THQ), on rates of PTSD, as assessed with the PCL, and explored how cognitions, assessed with the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI), moderated this relationship. All models controlled for age, race, and gender. The first model (PTCI), including types of trauma exposure and total PTCI scores, significantly predicted PCL scores however, number of types of events was not individually significant. PTCI total scores did significantly account for variance in PCL scores. The PTCI sub score “views of the world” also significantly predicting PCL scores. The interaction of total number of types of trauma experiences and PTCI totals, as well as total number of types of trauma experiences and each PTCI sub score, did not significantly predict PCL scores. Findings emphasize the importance of cognitions in rates of PTSD, particularly distortions about how one views the world and provide insights about symptom profiles and implications for treatment.