Social engagement, self-efficacy, and posttraumatic stress symptoms across 6 months of psychotherapy.
OBJECTIVE
The current study was conducted in a naturalistic treatment setting to examine whether and how perceptions about social engagement, trauma coping self-efficacy, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) influence one another across 6 months of psychotherapy for trauma survivors.


METHOD
The sample included 183 clients who reported exposure to traumatic events and significant PTS (PCL-5 ≥ 33). Participants (Mage  = 37.8, 53.6% female) completed surveys at intake, 3 months, and 6 months into treatment. A cross-lagged panel analysis was used to test the relationships among perceived social engagement, coping self-efficacy, and PTS across three assessment points.


RESULTS
PTS at 3-months was a mediator in the relationship between intake perceived social engagement and 6-month coping self-efficacy and between intake perceived social engagement and 6-month perceived social engagement.


CONCLUSIONS
PTS several months into treatment may serve as a mechanism between intake perceived social engagement and functional outcomes such as coping self-efficacy.
['Shoji|Kotaro|K|0000-0001-6677-1391', 'Smith|Andrew J|AJ|', 'Sano|Riko|R|', 'Samuelson|Kristin W|KW|0000-0002-6077-5524', 'Benight|Charles C|CC|']
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological D000328:Adult D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D011613:Psychotherapy D020377:Self Efficacy D058992:Social Participation D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
social engagement posttraumatic stress treatment coping self-efficacy functional outcomes social functioning