Trauma-Related Altered States of Consciousness (TRASC) and Functional Impairment II: Perceived Causal Relationships in an Online Sample

People with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often experience symptoms tied to normal waking consciousness (NWC-distress) and trauma-related altered states of consciousness (TRASC). This study examined how these two symptom types relate to social and occupational problems. Both NWC-distress and TRASC independently predicted self-reported interpersonal and work difficulties. However, individuals attributed their social and work problems more strongly to NWC-distress than to TRASC. The findings suggest that dissociative symptoms may be perceived as less disruptive to daily functioning than other PTSD symptoms, pointing to potential targets for clinical assessment and intervention.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Research supports the existence of a dissociative subtype of posttraumatic stress disorder, although studies have not directly compared the perceived impact of dissociative versus nondissociative posttraumatic symptoms on social and occupational functioning. In addition, research is beginning to differentiate between posttraumatic distress associated with normal waking consciousness (NWC) and dissociative experiences of trauma-related altered states of consciousness (TRASC) along multiple phenomenological dimensions. The current study investigated perceived causal relationships between posttraumatic symptoms associated with NWC-distress and TRASC on the one hand and interpersonal and occupational functioning on the other. Although both TRASC and NWC-distress independently accounted for variance in self-reported interpersonal and occupational problems, perceived causal relationship results showed that individuals tended to attribute their social and work-related problems more strongly to NWC-distress than to TRASC. Future research directions are discussed.