The Relationship between Posttraumatic Cognitions and Social Support in the Severity of PTSD Symptoms

Posttraumatic cognitions (PC), perceived social support (PSS), and received social support (RSS) contribute to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but little is known about the way these variables may influence each other in this process. The current study tested the association between PSS and RSS and compared levels of these support types in PTSD-positive versus PTSD-negative subjects. An SEM model investigating the role of PC, PSS, and RSS in predicting PTSD symptom severity was also tested. Results indicate a significant difference in the strength of the association between support types based on diagnostic status and lower levels of PSS for the PTSD-positive sample. SEM results illustrate the significant amount of PTSD symptom variance accounted for by model variables. Discussion highlights the clinical and communal importance of social support and the role of posttraumatic cognitions in the etiology of PTSD