Differential Emotional Responding to Ideographic Cues of Traumatic Interpersonal Violence Compared to Non-Interpersonal Traumatic Experiences

Abstract

Models of traumatic event-related emotional reactivity have primarily focused on fear. Emerging research points to the importance of advancing our currently limited understanding of how anger and disgust relate to certain types of traumatic experiences, such as interpersonal violence (IPV). The current study compared anger, disgust, and anxiety in response to an ideographic neutral and traumatic event script between IPV victims and those exposed to a non-interpersonally-relevant traumatic event. Victims of IPV evidenced greater anger and disgust in response to the traumatic event script compared to the non-IPV group after accounting for variability in posttraumatic stress symptoms and negative affect. No differences emerged in terms of anxiety responding. These findings suggest reminders of IPV may be particularly likely to elicit anger and disgust, in addition to anxiety, which may have implications for the treatment of IPV-related posttraumatic stress.