Date of Award
1-1-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Psychology
First Advisor
Sarah A. Bilsky
Second Advisor
John N. Young
Third Advisor
Stefan E. Schulenberg
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Fear is often the primary emotion associated with anxiety and stress-related disorders with research suggesting that the expression of fear varies greatly between individuals and has been hypothesized to be associated with differences in behavioral inhibition, personality, as well as temperament. One theory which has been used to conceptualize variations in temperament is the reinforcement sensitivity theory which consists of the behavioral inhibition system (BIS), behavioral approach system (BAS), and the fight, flight, freeze system (FFFS), with the latter being of particular interest in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Variations in FFFS sensitivity has been linked to variations in psychopathology with the type of response an individual engages potentially impacting symptoms post-trauma. To date, limited work has examined FFFS in relation to posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in humans, with even fewer having done so using experimental methods. The goal of the current study was to further understand how the fight, flight, freeze system might affect the development of PTSS and to explore the relationship between the individual domains (fight, flight, freeze) and PTSS severity using a trauma film paradigm. Findings revealed that total FFFS and a freeze response predicted an increase in PTSS at one-week follow-up. Surprisingly, FFFS was not associated with changes in negative affect. Further insight into the association between the fight flight freeze system and posttraumatic stress symptoms will likely improve our conceptualization of PTSD, and may help to identify individuals who are at increased risk of developing PTSS following trauma exposure.
Recommended Citation
Murtagh, Jaime P., "Temperamental Fear as a Vulnerability Factor for Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms: An Examination of Fight, Flight, Freeze Using a Trauma Film Paradigm" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2962.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2962