Analogue PTSD Symptoms are Best Predicted by State Rumination

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a severe mental disorder characterized by distressing intrusions. Since not all traumatized individuals develop PTSD, it is important to understand its underlying risk factors. So far, several psychological and physiological risk factors have been identified. However, these factors have rarely been examined together. An excellent tool to assess analogue PTSD in a prospective manner is the trauma film paradigm. This study examined relevant psychological and physiological factors in 60 healthy participants before, during and after the presentation of a “traumatic” film clip, including rumination, dissociation, anxiety, mood, cortisol and psychophysiology measures. Moreover, we assessed intrusions and administered the Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R) for one week following the “trauma”. Surprisingly, the only significant predictor for both intrusion frequency and IES-R was rumination about the film (state rumination). Furthermore, intrusion distress was predicted by both state rumination and an increase in anxiety after the film clip. Our study highlights the relevance of rumination in PTSD. Further well designed clinical studies with PTSD patients should investigate these key variables prospectively to confirm our findings.