Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to compare the trauma sensitive beliefs of trauma victims, non-victims and psychiatric controls. The Post-Traumatic Cognitions Inventory was used to assess both pre-trauma and post-trauma beliefs. Participants: Eighty-two participants were recruited and these were allocated into different groups according to the criteria on the Posttraumatic diagnostic scale. The groups comprised; Trauma no PTSD, Trauma persistent PTSD, Trauma recovered PTSD, a psychiatric control group and a community control group. The groups were compared on measures including beliefs, PTSD severity, anxiety and depression. Results: The persistent PTSD group had significantly more negative beliefs than all of the groups apart from the psychiatric control group. These two groups did not differ on any of the measures other than the criteria for feeling helpless or terrified during the traumatic event or the threat of injury, by which they were allocated into the separate groups. Pre-trauma beliefs were significantly more negative in these two groups than in the other groups. Conclusions: The overlap between PTSD and other psychiatric problems such as depression is evident from these findings and the usefulness of the PTCI in the assessment of disorders other than PTSD is suggested. The results supports Foa & Riggs' confirmation hypothesis (1993) and other studies which have suggested the importance of previously held negative beliefs in the onset and maintenance of PTSD.