The Effects of Upward and Downward Counterfactual Thinking in Relation to Sexual Assault and the Loss of a Loved One due to Kidnapping

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

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260519852629 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 088626051985262

Author(s):

Michael D. Barnett ◽

Idalia V. Maciel

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Posttraumatic Growth ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Counterfactual Thinking

Download Full-text

“What Might Have Been…”: Counterfactual Thinking, Psychological Symptoms and Posttraumatic Growth When a Loved One is Missing

Cognitive Therapy and Research ◽

10.1007/s10608-020-10156-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Cecilia Kennedy ◽

Frank P. Deane ◽

Amy Y. C. Chan

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Growth ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Counterfactual Thinking ◽

Loved One

Download Full-text

Causal attribution and counterfactual thinking - when does performing one facilitate performance of the other

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024/1421-0185.62.4.209 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 62 (4) ◽

pp. 209-218

Author(s):

A. N’gbala ◽

N. R. Branscombe

Keyword(s):

Response Times ◽

Causal Attribution ◽

Counterfactual Thinking ◽

The Other

When do causal attribution and counterfactual thinking facilitate one another, and when do the two responses overlap? Undergraduates (N = 78) both explained and undid, in each of two orders, events that were described either with their potential causes or not. The time to perform either response was recorded. Overall, mutation response times were shorter when performed after an attribution was made than before, while attribution response times did not vary as a consequence of sequence. Depending on whether the causes of the target events were described in the scenario or not, respondents undid the actor and assigned causality to another antecedent, or pointed to the actor for both responses. These findings suggest that counterfactual mutation is most likely to be facilitated by attribution, and that mutation and attribution responses are most likely to overlap when no information about potential causes of the event is provided.

Download Full-text

Suicide-Bereaved Individuals’ Attitudes Toward Therapists

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000290 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 135-141 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Erin F. Ward-Ciesielski ◽

Madeline D. Wielgus ◽

Connor B. Jones

Keyword(s):

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Online Survey ◽

The United States ◽

Limited Attention ◽

Time Of Death ◽

Loved One ◽

Important Group ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Suicide Bereaved ◽

Research Domain

Background: Suicide-bereaved individuals represent an important group impacted by suicide. Understanding their experiences following the suicide of a loved one is an important research domain, despite receiving limited attention. Although suicide-bereaved individuals may benefit from mental health treatment, their attitudes toward therapy and therapists are poorly understood. Aims: The present study aimed to understand the extent to which bereaved individuals’ attitudes toward therapy and therapists are impacted by whether their loved one was in therapy at the time of death. Method: Suicide-bereaved individuals (N = 243) from the United States were recruited to complete an online survey about their experience with and attitudes toward therapy and therapists following the suicide of a loved one. Results: Bereaved individuals whose loved one was in therapy at the time of death (N = 48, 19.8%) reported more negative and less positive attitudes toward the treating therapist than those whose loved one was not in therapy at the time of death (N = 81, 33.3%) or whose loved one was never in therapy/the deceased’s therapy status was unknown (N = 114, 46.9%). Conclusion: The deceased’s involvement with a therapist appears to be an important factor impacting the experience of bereaved individuals and should be considered when attempting to engage these individuals in postvention.

Download Full-text

Trauma-Related Shame, Sexual Assault Severity, Thwarted Belongingness, and Perceived Burdensomeness Among Female Undergraduate Survivors of Sexual Assault

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000549 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

pp. 134-140 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Christopher R. DeCou ◽

Stephanie P. Kaplan ◽

Julie Spencer ◽

Shannon M. Lynch

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Sexual Assault ◽

Self Report ◽

Psychosocial Risk ◽

Thwarted Belongingness ◽

Female Undergraduate ◽

Perceived Burdensomeness ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

And Behavior

Abstract. Background and Aim: This study evaluated trauma-related shame as a mediator of the association between sexual assault severity and perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. Method: A total of 164 female undergraduates who reported attempted or completed sexual assault completed self-report measures of sexual assault, trauma-related shame, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belongingness. Results: Using path analysis, trauma-related shame mediated the association between sexual assault severity and perceived burdensomeness, and between sexual assault severity and thwarted belongingness. Limitations: The findings of this study are limited by the retrospective, self-report, and cross-sectional nature of these data, and do not allow for causal inference. Conclusion: Trauma-related shame warrants additional investigation as a mechanism that explains the association between sexual assault and psychosocial risk factors for suicidal ideation and behavior.

Download Full-text