Citation

Benfer N, Howell MK, Lucksted A, Romero EG, Drapalski AL. Psychiatr. Serv. 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, American Psychiatric Association)

DOI

10.1176/appi.ps.20220397

PMID

36935625

Abstract

Preliminary empirical evidence suggests that self-stigma may be a significant problem for those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although research on self-stigma for persons with PTSD is limited, some PTSD symptoms, such as negative thoughts about oneself, feelings of shame, and avoidance-particularly of social interactions-may be conceptually related to self-stigma, potentially explaining the co-occurrence and relevance of self-stigma in PTSD. This Open Forum reviews how the social cognitive model may explain the co-occurrence of self-stigma and PTSD, considers how this model may inform treatment approaches for self-stigma in PTSD, and identifies next steps to empirically test the proposed theory.

Language: en

Keywords

Mental illness; Prejudice; Cognitive processing theory (CPT); Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); Self-stigma; Social cognitive model