The role of shame in posttraumatic stress symptoms : a systematic review : the impact of inter-parental conflict, parental mental health, the parent-child relationship and features of the conflict on child well-being

• Main Author: Hollway, Tara
• Published: Queen's University Belfast 2015
• Subjects: 616.85
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.695370

Although research has advanced understanding of the mechanisms underlying PTSD, identifying shame as playing a role in posttraumatic stress symptoms, much remains unknown about the mechanisms that link trauma, shame and posttraumatic stress symptoms. To aid theoretical understanding and the development of appropriate therapies, a systematic search of the literature on shame and posttraumatic stress symptoms was conducted. Twelve articles met inclusion criteria and their quality was assessed against predetermined quality indicators. Higher levels of shame were significantly associated with greater posttraumatic stress symptoms. Effect sizes were moderate to high. The review lends support to the argument that shame plays a significant role in creating and/or maintaining the sense of on-going threat associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms and should be considered when designing interventions. The Impact of Inter-Parental Conflict, Parental Mental Health, the Parent-Child Relationship and Features of the Conflict on Child Well-Being. Path analysis was employed to explore the relationship between inter-parental conflict and child well-being mediated by parental mental health and the parent-child relationship. The moderating roles of type of conflict, child as cause of conflict, and nature of conflict resolution were also examined. The sample consisted of 5337 nine-year old children involved in the Growing up in Ireland study. Analyses indicated that child well-being was largely unrelated to parental mental health, type of conflict, child as cause of conflict and conflict resolution. Inter-parental conflict significantly predicted child well-being for fathers only, mediated by the father-child relationship. The parent-child relationship, and in particular parent-child conflict, exerted the greatest effect on the model.