Avoidant coping as a mediator between peritraumatic dissociation and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms

Peritraumatic dissociation consistently predicts posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Avoidant coping may serve as a mechanism through which peritraumatic dissociation contributes to PTSD symptoms. Path analysis was used to examine whether avoidant coping assessed 6 weeks following a motor vehicle accident mediated the relationship between in‐hospital peritraumatic dissociation and 6‐month (n = 193) and 12‐month (n = 167) chronic PTSD symptoms. Results revealed that, after controlling for age, gender, depression, and 6‐week PTSD symptoms, avoidant coping remained a partial mediator between peritraumatic dissociation and chronic PTSD symptoms 6‐ and 12‐months postaccident. Post‐hoc multigroup analyses suggested that at 6‐months posttrauma, the mediation was significant in women, but not in men. Gender‐specific results were not significant at 12‐months posttrauma. Interventions targeted at reducing avoidant coping in high dissociators may aid in reducing PTSD symptoms. Traditional and Simplified Chinese s by AsianSTSS