Metacognitive capacity predicts severity of trauma-related dysfunctional cognitions in adults with posttraumatic stress disorder

Abstract Deficits in metacognition have been proposed as a barrier to adaptive responding to trauma. However, little is known about how different aspects of metacognitive capacity relate to responses to trauma and whether their potential link to such responses is independent of the overall level of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychiatry research 2016-03, Vol.237, p.182-187
Main Authors: Davis, Louanne W, Leonhardt, Bethany L, Siegel, Alysia, Brustuen, Beth, Luedtke, Brandi, Vohs, Jennifer L, James, Alison V, Lysaker, Paul H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Cognition
Cognition Disorders - etiology
Cognition Disorders - physiopathology
Depression
Depression - etiology
Depression - physiopathology
Humans
Male
Metacognition
Metacognition - physiology
Psychiatry
PTSD
Self Concept
Self-blame
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - complications
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - physiopathology
United States
Veterans - psychology
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Summary:Abstract Deficits in metacognition have been proposed as a barrier to adaptive responding to trauma. However, little is known about how different aspects of metacognitive capacity relate to responses to trauma and whether their potential link to such responses is independent of the overall level of psychopathology. To explore both issues, negative trauma-related cognitions about the self, the world, and self-blame, as measured by the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI), were correlated with concurrent measures of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and two forms of metacognition; the Metacognitions questionnaire (MCQ-30), which focuses on specific thoughts, and the Metacognition Assessment Scale Abbreviated (MAS-A) which focuses on the degree to which persons can form complex representations of self and other. Participants were 51 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who had a PTSD diagnosis primarily involving a combat-related index trauma. Correlations revealed that being younger and more depressed were linked with greater levels of negative cognitions about self and the world. Lower levels of self-reflectivity on the MAS-A and higher levels of cognitive self-consciousness on the MCQ-30 were uniquely related to greater levels of self-blame even after controlling for age, level of depression, and PTSD. Implications for research and treatment are discussed.
ISSN:0165-1781
1872-7123
DOI:10.1016/j.psychres.2016.01.045