Social Cognition Performance in Individuals with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract

Social cognition, the ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of oneself and others, is central to optimal navigation of the social world. Accumulating evidence suggests disruptions in social cognition may underlie the interpersonal dysfunction commonly experienced by individuals with several psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Exposure to psychological trauma can have lasting and debilitating effects on an individual, with a subset developing PTSD as a result, marked by symptoms of re-experiencing, mood disturbances, arousal changes, emotional dysregulation, and in turn, poor interpersonal and general functioning. Here, we investigated the effects of psychological trauma exposure on sociocognitive performance across the domains of emotion comprehension in prosody, theory of mind (ToM), and moral reasoning. This thesis contributes unique findings to the PTSD literature by demonstrating that individuals diagnosed with PTSD stemming from chronic childhood trauma experience alterations in emotional comprehension of prosody, ToM performance, and moral reasoning. Furthermore, we have integrated and summarized literature on the interaction of morality, moral transgressions, the experience of shame and guilt, and the emergence of associated adverse mental health outcomes experienced in a military context. In summary, we have demonstrated that sociocognitive skills are disrupted in individuals exposed chronic psychological trauma and that moral emotions such as guilt and shame play an important role in the emergence of PTSD and its resistance to treatment. These disruptions may represent a central therapeutic focus in the pursuit to ameliorate the interpersonal difficulties experienced in trauma and stress-related disorders.