Web-based intervention improves social acknowledgement and disclosure of trauma, leading to a reduction in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. (November 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Xu, Wei; Wang, Jianping; Wang, Zhiyun; Li, Yifei; Yu, Wei; Xie, Qiuyuan; He, Li; Maercker, Andreas
• Is Part Of: Journal of health psychology. Volume 21:Number 11(2016:Nov.)
• Page Start: 2695
• Page End: 2708
• Publication Date: 2016-11
• Subjects: disclosure of trauma -- mediation -- posttraumatic stress disorder -- social acknowledgement -- web-based intervention; Clinical health psychology -- Periodicals; 613.019
• DOI: 10.1177/1359105315583371
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-1053

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of web-based intervention on social acknowledgement and disclosure of trauma and to examine the mediating effect of the improvement in social acknowledgement and disclosure of trauma on the reduction of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. A randomized controlled trial was used, with 21 participants in a web-based intervention group and 29 participants in a wait-list control group completing a pre-test and post-test. Results showed that social acknowledgement and disclosure of trauma improved significantly after 1-month intervention, and this improvement mediated the reduction in the posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed.