Abstract
Background
Persistent and exaggerated negative beliefs or expectations about oneself is one of the symptoms of PTSD (DSM-5), but the extent to which recent potential traumatic events (PTEs) increase these beliefs is largely unknown.
Methods
To examine this effect, a two-wave prospective study design (T1–T2) was applied. We extracted data from the Victims in Modern Society (VICTIMS)—study assessing PTEs and PTSD-symptomatology and the Core study Personality assessing self-esteem (2018–2023), that were conducted with the population-based Dutch LISS panel. General Linear Models (GLM) were performed to compare the one-year course of self-esteem (T1–T2) among adult respondents exposed to PTEs (N = 754) between T1 and T2 and a non-exposed comparison group (N = 4918). Intercorrelations of self-esteem (T1–T2) within subgroups were compared using Fisher Z-Transformation.
Limitations
We did not examine potentially delayed effects of PTEs on self-esteem after T2.
Results
The course of self-esteem did not differ between the comparison group and PTE groups with and without high PTSD-symptom levels (PTSS), although the last group had a lower self-esteem. Within the PTE group, those with higher levels of the PTSD-symptom ‘negative beliefs about oneself’ did not differ in the course of self-esteem, although they had a lower self-esteem. Intercorrelations of self-esteem were high and hardly differed between subgroups.
Conclusions
We found no evidence that PTEs and PTSS systematically increase negative beliefs about oneself. Affected adults respondents with PTSS already had lower pre-event self-esteem levels. Findings question the diagnostic utility of the DSM-5 criterion referring to negative beliefs or expectations about oneself.
Persistent and exaggerated negative beliefs or expectations about oneself is one of the symptoms of PTSD (DSM-5), but the extent to which recent potential traumatic events (PTEs) increase these beliefs is largely unknown.
Methods
To examine this effect, a two-wave prospective study design (T1–T2) was applied. We extracted data from the Victims in Modern Society (VICTIMS)—study assessing PTEs and PTSD-symptomatology and the Core study Personality assessing self-esteem (2018–2023), that were conducted with the population-based Dutch LISS panel. General Linear Models (GLM) were performed to compare the one-year course of self-esteem (T1–T2) among adult respondents exposed to PTEs (N = 754) between T1 and T2 and a non-exposed comparison group (N = 4918). Intercorrelations of self-esteem (T1–T2) within subgroups were compared using Fisher Z-Transformation.
Limitations
We did not examine potentially delayed effects of PTEs on self-esteem after T2.
Results
The course of self-esteem did not differ between the comparison group and PTE groups with and without high PTSD-symptom levels (PTSS), although the last group had a lower self-esteem. Within the PTE group, those with higher levels of the PTSD-symptom ‘negative beliefs about oneself’ did not differ in the course of self-esteem, although they had a lower self-esteem. Intercorrelations of self-esteem were high and hardly differed between subgroups.
Conclusions
We found no evidence that PTEs and PTSS systematically increase negative beliefs about oneself. Affected adults respondents with PTSS already had lower pre-event self-esteem levels. Findings question the diagnostic utility of the DSM-5 criterion referring to negative beliefs or expectations about oneself.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 527-534 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Affective Disorders |
| Volume | 380 |
| Early online date | 28 Mar 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 28 Mar 2025 |
Keywords
- PTSD
- Self-esteem
- Negative beliefs
- Prospective
- Population
- Dsm-5
- LISS panel