The role of trauma-specific irrational beliefs in the relationship between general irrational beliefs and posttraumatic stress: A Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy approach

Although a core theoretical prediction of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) is that disorder-specific Irrational Beliefs should act as a mediator between general-level Irrational Beliefs and various forms of psychopathology very little research has tested this hypothesis. The current study aimed to contribute to the REBT literature and the wider Cognitive Behavioural Therapy community by assessing the proposed indirect relationship between general-level Irrational Beliefs and posttraumatic stress symptomology (PTS) via trauma-specific Irrational Beliefs. Three hundred and thirteen active-duty and traumaexposed emergency service workers participated in the study. Structural equation modelling results demonstrated that the REBT model of PTS provided satisfactory model fit, and supported the predictions of REBT theory that general-level Irrational Beliefs indirectly impact posttraumatic stress symptomology via a set of disorder-specific Irrational Beliefs. Current results are discussed in relation to recent criticisms of REBT theory from within the Cognitive Therapy community