The Role of Negative Affect Intensity and the Fear of Emotions in Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Severity Among Victims of Childhood Interpersonal Violence

Heightened negative affect (NA) intensity and the tendency to negatively evaluate emotions may be associated with the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress symptoms. However, the specific role of these vulnerabilities has yet to be explored. Thus, this study was conducted to examine the influence of NA intensity and the fear of emotions in posttraumatic symptom severity among 102 childhood interpersonal violence victims. Fear of emotions significantly predicted posttraumatic symptom severity above and beyond NA intensity and NA. Findings suggest that posttraumatic outcomes may not be influenced by an underlying vulnerability of heightened NA intensity, but instead, are affected by the extent to which emotional responses are negatively evaluated. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for interventions and future research on posttraumatic responding.