The relationship between trauma type, coping style, and posttraumatic symptomatology: A retrospective online study

Background Previous research has shown that interpersonal trauma is associated with higher rates of posttraumatic stress symptoms, with coping responses playing a vital role in individual differences in symptom presentation. The present online study examined differential associations between trauma type, coping styles, and trauma-related symptomatology to deepen understanding of variation in trauma-related symptomatology. Methods The sample included N = 300 participants who reported a traumatic life event within the past 18 months, assessed with the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5). Events were classified into interpersonal and non-interpersonal trauma. Participants completed retrospective questions assessing posttraumatic coping strategies, current levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, anxiety, stress, and life satisfaction. Results The present study reports secondary analyses. Correlational analyses within both trauma groups revealed positive relationships between avoidant coping and trauma-related symptoms. Group comparisons revealed higher levels of trauma-related symptoms, lower life satisfaction, and greater use of avoidant coping strategies in the interpersonal trauma group compared to the non-interpersonal trauma group. Furthermore, avoidant coping explained a significant proportion of variance in posttraumatic stress symptoms within both trauma groups, and trauma type itself accounted for significant unique variance in posttraumatic stress symptoms across the entire sample. Finally, exploratory mediation analyses provided evidence consistent with a partial mediation of the association between trauma type and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Conclusions These findings suggest that avoidant coping may be an important factor in understanding differences in trauma-related symptoms across trauma types. The results also point to potential intervention and prevention targets that should be evaluated in longitudinal research.