Counterfactual Thinking Among Victims of Sexual Assault: Relationships With Posttraumatic Stress and Posttraumatic Growth

Abstract

Counterfactual thinking is thinking of alternatives to events that have already occurred. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the relationships between counterfactual thinking and both posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among undergraduate women who identified as having been sexually assaulted ( N = 199). Participants who identified as sexual assault victims completed measures of posttraumatic stress, posttraumatic growth, and counterfactual thinking online. Upward counterfactual thinking—that is, thinking of preferable alternative outcomes—specific to sexual assault was associated with greater posttraumatic stress and greater posttraumatic growth, while downward counterfactual thinking—that is, thinking how things could have been worse—was associated with lower posttraumatic stress. Women endorsed approximately equal levels of upward and downward counterfactual thinking. The results suggest that the way individuals cognitively process sexual assault may play a role in long-term trauma and recovery.