Fight, flight, and freeze: Threat sensitivity and emotion dysregulation in survivors of chronic childhood maltreatment

被引:33
作者
Thompson, Kristen L. [1 ]
Hannan, Susan M. [1 ]
Miron, Lynsey R. [1 ]
机构
[1] No Illinois Univ, Dept Psychol, De Kalb, IL 60115 USA
关键词
Child maltreatment; Emotion regulation; Reinforcement sensitivity; Fight-flight-freeze sensitivity; REINFORCEMENT SENSITIVITY; PERSONALITY; TRAUMA; PSYCHOPATHOLOGY; DIFFICULTIES; AGGRESSION; VALIDATION; STRESS;
D O I
10.1016/j.paid.2014.05.005
中图分类号
B84 [心理学];
学科分类号
04 ; 0402 ;
摘要
Chronic childhood maltreatment (C-CM) is thought to result in permanent neurobiological alterations to the brain that manifest as a threat-sensitivity trait. However, extant research has yet to identify this trait in the context of existing personality theories. The current study utilized the fight-flight-freeze system (FFFS), a brain subsystem of the revised reinforcement sensitivity theory of personality, to identify the threat-sensitivity trait proposed to result from C-CM. Research suggests that C-CM is associated with both FFFS sensitivity and emotion dysregulation (ED), whereby increased threat-sensitivity is thought to contribute to greater ED. Accordingly, C-CM was expected to predict FFFS sensitivity, which was expected to mediate the relationship between C-CM and ED in an undergraduate sample (N = 471). Participants were separated into three maltreatment groups: C-CM, non-chronic CM (NC-CM), and no CM. Results indicated that individuals with a history of C-CM reported greater FFFS sensitivity and ED than those with a history of NC-CM or no CM. Analysis of the significance of the indirect effect of C-CM on ED via FFFS sensitivity indicated that FFFS sensitivity partially mediated this relationship. Specifically, individuals with C-CM, compared to no CM, reported greater FFFS sensitivity, which significantly accounted for a portion of their increased ED. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
引用
收藏
页码:28 / 32
页数:5
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