Work

The roles of cognitive control and coping self-efficacy in posttraumatic stress symptoms following a motor vehicle collision.

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Evaluating posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) shortly after trauma offers a more precise understanding of interrelated variables. This study examined how cognitive control performance, assessed after a trauma recall trigger, moderates the relationship between coping self-efficacy (CSE) and PTSS over a 3-month period postmotor vehicle collision. METHOD: = 84) postcollision. Cued cognitive control was assessed at Time 2 using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and was completed after listening to an audio transcription of the collision. PTSS and CSE self-report measures were administered at each time point. RESULTS: Mixed-effects modeling showed an interaction of CSE and WCST on PTSS, with relations dependent on time. At Time 1, higher CSE was associated with lower PTSS when WCST performance was high or average. At Time 2, higher CSE was related to lower PTSS across all levels of WCST performance. At Time 3, lower CSE was associated with higher PTSS, when WCST performance was low or average. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight self-evaluation processes, cognitive control in the presence of trauma recollection, and time as factors in posttrauma adaptation. Implications for intervention are offered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Source: Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice and Policy

DOI: 10.1037/tra0001853

Authors: Rachael B. Peck, Kristin W. Samuelson, Kotaro Shoji, Charles C. Benight

Institutions: University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Human Environments

Language: English

Topic: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: National Institute of Mental Health