Navigating the Paradox: The role of Thought Suppression in PTSD Symptom Severity in Youth Post-Trauma

Page, Dominic (2025) Navigating the Paradox: The role of Thought Suppression in PTSD Symptom Severity in Youth Post-Trauma. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Overview: Traumatic exposure is common among children and adolescents, with many going on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD profoundly affects emotional, cognitive, and social development in youth. However, debate continues regarding the mechanisms of PTSD and related disorders in child and adolescent populations, as well as the specific symptom profiles that trauma exposed youth present with.

Methods: This thesis portfolio comprises two papers. First, a systematic review and meta-analyses were conducted to examine associations between five subtypes of childhood maltreatment - emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect – and PTSD, depression, and anxiety in children and adolescent populations. Second, an empirical paper analysed pre-existing data to investigate thought suppression’s predictive influence on PTSD symptom trajectory over time, whilst accounting for cognitive moderators.

Results: The systematic review found that all maltreatment subtypes showed mild to moderate positive associations with all mental health outcomes. Emotional abuse had the strongest and most consistent association with adverse mental health outcomes, while physical neglect had the weakest, with cultural factors moderating observed associations. The empirical paper revealed that early thought suppression may function as a benign short-term coping strategy, yet prolonged reliance on suppression strategies predicted greater PTSD severity over time. Notably, mild to moderate thought suppression at both time points was not linked to elevated PTSD symptoms, suggesting a more nuanced relationship. Trauma-related appraisals and data-driven processing moderated this relationship, suggesting that cognitive biases shape PTSD symptom trajectories.

Conclusion: Together, these papers advance the understanding of how childhood trauma affects mental health and the cognitive mechanisms that sustain post-traumatic stress. The findings have both theoretical and clinical implications, emphasising the need for targeted interventions that address maladaptive cognitive processes to improve outcomes for trauma-exposed youth.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	29 Oct 2025 13:40
Last Modified:	29 Oct 2025 13:40
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100832
DOI:

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