Recent potential traumatic events and high PTSD-symptom levels are not associated with an increase in negative beliefs or expectations about oneself: A prospective, comparative, population-based study

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 adult 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.