Monitoring and blunting: Implications for combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder

✍ Scribed by Zahava Solomon; Rivka Arad; Mario Mikulincer

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 677 KB
• Volume: 4
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0894-9867
• DOI: 10.1002/jts.2490040205

✦ Synopsis

The current study mmines the impact of monitoring-blunting stralegies on combat-related psychopathology among soldiers who suflered a combat slress reaction episode during the 1982 Lebanon War. For lhis purpose, we assessed subjects' habitual use of monitoring and blunting, their mental healdl staliis 2 years are participation in war (PTSD, general pvchialric hymptomatology, and problems in social functioning), their trauma-relaled intrusion and avoidance tendencies, and their habitual coping styles. Results show [hat sol- diers who rely primarily on monitoring stralegies suffer [he least from Iraumarelated psychopathology. The use of blunting slralegies was associuled wilh more severe psychopathology. In addition, monitors tend to rely on problemfocused coping strategies, while blunters tend to rely on emotion-focused coping strategies. Results are dkcussed in terms of Miller's conceptualization of styles of information seeking under threat.