Previous research on vulnerability to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
has been restricted by the absence of prospective studies that measure
individual differences prior to traumatization. This study investigated
the predictors of analogue post-traumatic intrusive cognitions using a
fully prospective design. Non-patient participants completed a range of
predictor measures before being exposed to a film about a traumatic
fire. Film-induced changes in negative mood were also assessed. Subsequent
intrusions were measured both within the experimental session and for a
further seven days. The hypothesized predictors were: neuroticism, trait
anxiety, extraversion, depression, a general tendency to suppress unpleasant
thoughts, beliefs about being “at risk” from fire, mental
imagery, self-rated proneness to intrusions and negative mood changes. The
results showed that intrusions were predicted by film-induced increases in
negative mood, thought suppression tendencies, beliefs about vulnerability
to fire and self-rated proneness to intrusive cognitions. The findings are
discussed in relation to the literature on thought suppression and
cognitive processes in PTSD.