Getting "stuck" in the past: temporal orientation and coping with trauma. Export

@article{citeulike:2111526, abstract = {The relations between temporal orientation and long-term psychological distress were studied cross-sectionally and longitudinally in 3 samples of traumatized individuals: adult victims of childhood incest, Vietnam War veterans, and residents of 2 southern California communities devastated by fire. Results indicated that a past temporal orientation--focusing attention on prior life experiences--was associated with elevated levels of distress long after the trauma had passed, even when controlling for the degree of rumination reported. Temporal disintegration at the time of the trauma--whereby the present moment becomes isolated from the continuity of past and future time--was associated with a high degree of past temporal orientation over time and subsequent distress. Temporal disintegration was highest among individuals who had experienced the most severe loss, had previously experienced chronic trauma, and had had their identities threatened by their traumatic experience.}, address = {School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine 92697-7085, USA.}, author = {Holman, E. A. and Silver, R. C.}, citeulike-article-id = {2111526}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://view.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9599436}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://www.hubmed.org/display.cgi?uids=9599436}, comment = {Main questions answered by the article: 1. What is the relationship between temporal orientation and traumatic experience? 2. How is temporal orientation related to the long-term impact of trauma on psychological well-being? Analyses found that a past temporal orientation is associated with distress. That is, individuals who remained focused on the past even many years after the traumatic event had terminated, reported significantly higher levels of psychological distress than those who were predominantly present or future focused. "to the extent that people identify themselves with personal physical spaces, the potential (or actual) loss of their homes may threaten their identity by endangering the physical place that has represented the self in the past and by altering the course of their futures." findings from the fire-related study: fire-related threat to residents' identity (based on what they took from home when evacuating) was assocaited with higher levels of temporal disintegration. Also, prior exposure to acute trauma (though no clear whether this trauma was necessarily fire-related) was associated with fewer negative effects of exposure to current trauma. Of note: disaster, is a socially shared experience that creates new social groups with which to identify (i.e. online communities?) These new trauma-related affiliations provide individuals with the opportunity to share their experience, they may facilitate the coping process. The social context of a traumatic event may both facilitate movement beyond the trauma and keep traumatized people focused on their past experiences. }, issn = {0022-3514}, journal = {J Pers Soc Psychol}, keywords = {adjustment, coping, disaster, stress, trauma}, month = {May}, number = {5}, pages = {1146--1163}, posted-at = {2007-12-14 05:45:46}, priority = {0}, title = {Getting "stuck" in the past: temporal orientation and coping with trauma.}, url = {http://view.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9599436}, volume = {74}, year = {1998} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:2111526 L3 - citeulike-article-id:2111526 N2 - The relations between temporal orientation and long-term psychological distress were studied cross-sectionally and longitudinally in 3 samples of traumatized individuals: adult victims of childhood incest, Vietnam War veterans, and residents of 2 southern California communities devastated by fire. Results indicated that a past temporal orientation--focusing attention on prior life experiences--was associated with elevated levels of distress long after the trauma had passed, even when controlling for the degree of rumination reported. Temporal disintegration at the time of the trauma--whereby the present moment becomes isolated from the continuity of past and future time--was associated with a high degree of past temporal orientation over time and subsequent distress. Temporal disintegration was highest among individuals who had experienced the most severe loss, had previously experienced chronic trauma, and had had their identities threatened by their traumatic experience. IS - 5 JF - J Pers Soc Psychol SN - 0022-3514 AD - School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine 92697-7085, USA. EP - 1163 TI - Getting "stuck" in the past: temporal orientation and coping with trauma. VL - 74 SP - 1146 KW - adjustment KW - coping KW - disaster KW - stress KW - trauma N1 - Main questions answered by the article: 1. What is the relationship between temporal orientation and traumatic experience? 2. How is temporal orientation related to the long-term impact of trauma on psychological well-being? Analyses found that a past temporal orientation is associated with distress. That is, individuals who remained focused on the past even many years after the traumatic event had terminated, reported significantly higher levels of psychological distress than those who were predominantly present or future focused. "to the extent that people identify themselves with personal physical spaces, the potential (or actual) loss of their homes may threaten their identity by endangering the physical place that has represented the self in the past and by altering the course of their futures." findings from the fire-related study: fire-related threat to residents' identity (based on what they took from home when evacuating) was assocaited with higher levels of temporal disintegration. Also, prior exposure to acute trauma (though no clear whether this trauma was necessarily fire-related) was associated with fewer negative effects of exposure to current trauma. Of note: disaster, is a socially shared experience that creates new social groups with which to identify (i.e. online communities?) These new trauma-related affiliations provide individuals with the opportunity to share their experience, they may facilitate the coping process. The social context of a traumatic event may both facilitate movement beyond the trauma and keep traumatized people focused on their past experiences. AU - Holman, EA AU - Silver, RC PY - 1998/05// UR - http://view.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9599436 ER -