Body-Related Emotions in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Following Childhood Sexual Abuse

Journal of Child Sexual Abuse
Anne S DyerE Borgmann

Abstract

Traumatic experiences are associated with emotions such as anxiety, shame, guilt, disgust, and anger. For patients who have experienced child sexual abuse, these emotions might be triggered by perceptions of their own body. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of the association of the body to traumatic experiences and to discern the emotions linked to trauma-associated body areas. Ninety-seven female participants were assigned to four groups: post-traumatic stress disorder following child sexual abuse with co-occurring borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder following child sexual abuse without co-occurring borderline personality disorder, borderline personality disorder without post-traumatic stress disorder, and healthy controls. Participants rated 26 body areas regarding their association with trauma and 7 emotions. Emotions were assessed by questionnaires. Results suggest that specific areas of the body are associated with trauma and linked to highly aversive emotions. In post-traumatic stress disorder patients, the areas associated with highly negative emotions were the pubic region and inner thighs. Thus, the patient's body may act as a trigger for traumatic memories.

References

Jan 1, 1992·Child Abuse & Neglect·L Young
Aug 1, 1994·The American Journal of Psychiatry·D P BernsteinJ Ruggiero
Aug 5, 1998·Journal of Traumatic Stress·K Wenninger, J R Heiman
Jun 19, 2001·International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders : Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity·R A SansoneD Monteith
Jul 13, 2001·Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik, medizinische Psychologie·B HaafM Bohus
Apr 2, 2009·Anxiety, Stress, and Coping·Lisa M HathawayJonathan B Banks
Jun 12, 2010·Journal of Psychiatric Research·Jina PaguraJitender Sareen
Oct 23, 2010·Comprehensive Psychiatry·Randy A SansoneMichael W Wiederman
Dec 7, 2010·European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience·Nicolas RüschChristian Schmahl
Jan 19, 2011·Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy·Anne M FinucaneMarianne Halvorsen
Mar 16, 2011·Journal of Affective Disorders·Muriel A HagenaarsAgnes van Minnen
Jan 1, 2014·Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation·Nikolaus KleindienstAnne Dyer

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Nov 4, 2016·Journal of Clinical Medicine·Tanya Saraiya, Teresa Lopez-Castro
Sep 27, 2018·Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy·Aoife ClarkeFilippo Varese
Jun 4, 2019·Health & Social Care in the Community·Maureen MacGinleyJane Mowll
Jan 16, 2018·Trauma, Violence & Abuse·Caroline Bradbury-JonesEija Paavilainen
Jan 9, 2021·Journal of Child Sexual Abuse·Rachel Lev-WieselSusan Weinger

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anxiety Disorders

Discover the latest research on anxiety disorders including agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder here.