(PS10-7) Cognitive-behavioral and Peritraumatic Factors Associated with Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Following Two Emergency Campus Lockdowns

Consistent with the cognitive-behavioral model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), research has found associations among posttraumatic cognitions, avoidance coping, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Additionally, exposure and physical proximity to traumatic events has been found to be associated with PTSS. Less is known, however, about the occurrence of these relationships in the context of adverse events that affect communities at large, such as “armed and dangerous person” university lockdowns. This study evaluated cross-sectional predictors of PTSS following two sequential campus lockdowns.

Campus community members (N = 287) completed self-report measures 4 weeks after two unrelated “armed and dangerous person” university lockdowns, including the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 Item (DASS-21), the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory—Avoidance Subscale (COPE-Avoid) and the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI). Additionally, participants retrospectively reported levels of peritraumatic fear, direct exposure to firearms, and physical proximity to each lockdown-inciting incident.

We used a hierarchical linear regression to predict PCL-5 scores. DASS-21 was entered in Block 1, followed by peritraumatic fear, firearm exposure, and physical proximity in Block 2. In Block 3, COPE-Avoid, PTCI, and interactions between PTCI and proximity to each lockdown-inciting incident were entered.

In Block 1, DASS-21 explained 37.1% of the variance in PCL-5 scores (R2 = .371), which was significant (F[1, 285] = 78.40, p < .001). Block 2 accounted for an additional 14.7% of the variance, which was a significant increase (∆F[5, 281] = 20.06, p < .001, ∆R2 = .147). Block 3 also significantly improved the variance explained by 11.8%, (∆F[9, 277] = 13.60, p < .001, ∆R2 = .118). In the final model, significant main effects only emerged for peritraumatic fear, proximity to the second incident, COPE-Avoid, and PTCI. This model also indicated a significant interaction between PTCI and proximity to the first incident, with the slope of PTCI’s association with PCL-5 incremented for individuals who reported close proximity.

In support of the cognitive-behavioral model of PTSD, results indicated that posttraumatic cognitions, avoidance coping, and physical proximity were robustly associated with greater PTSS, even after controlling for general distress and peritraumatic fear. Moreover, proximity moderated the relationship between posttraumatic cognitions and PTSS, consistent with the notion that individuals who were closest to the adverse events would be especially vulnerable to subsequent maladaptive thought patterns. Our findings highlight paths for early screening of PTSS and shed light on the clinical characteristics of individuals who have experienced community-wide adverse events, such as university lockdowns. Limitations include reliance on self-report, cross-sectional data. Future research should test these relationships prospectively, examine potential protective factors, and investigate how broader societal factors (e.g., media use) can influence the experience of PTSS after community stressors.