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Abstract
Background: There is evidence suggesting that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity and CIU severity are linked and partially mediated by the high-anxious defense mechanism. What is unclear is whether emotional suppression, as a defense serving the opposite purpose for high-anxious defense, can also act as a mediator and whether this mediational effect is partly influenced by time since trauma and trauma type.
Aims: To investigate whether emotional suppression mediated the links between PTSD and CIU symptom severities, and PTSD and psychiatric co-morbid symptom severities. It then examined whether the mediating effect would be moderated by how long ago the trauma occurred and trauma type.
Methods: One hundred CIU patients were compared with 60 allergy patients. They completed questionnaires measuring PTSD, psychiatric co-morbidity and emotional suppression.
Results: Suppressing depression mediated the relationship between PTSD and psychiatric co-morbidity. How long ago the trauma occurred and trauma type moderated the mediational effect of suppressing depression.
Conclusions: Following a past trauma, CIU patients may develop PTSD symptoms which influence their psychological well-being through using different levels of emotional suppression, especially suppressing depression. The levels depend on the severity of PTSD symptoms, trauma history and whether they experienced interpersonal traumas.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.