Tarbutton, Emem
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Professor: Dr. Valerie Bussell
ABSTRACT:
Associations between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and different coping strategies were examined in this research study. A convenience sample was gathered (n = 97) at Houston Baptist University in Houston, Texas. The questionnaire included the PTSD-8 scale, the Counterfactual Thinking for Negative Events Scale, and the Brief COPE. Findings supported only two of the study predictions and failed to do so for the remaining four. There was a significant positive correlation between religious coping and nonreferent upward counterfactual thinking (r = 0.256, p = 0.047). Differences in downward counterfactual thinking between non-military and military veteran college students (t (95) = -3.532, p = 0.001) were also reported, despite the limited population size gathered for military veterans. Overall, study findings suggest that this area of research is growing and better understanding of how individuals cope with trauma is necessary for future research.
