Self-concept clarity and trauma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Is self-concept clarity a mediating factor between experiences of adult trauma and level of trauma symptomology?
IRAS ID
307631
Contact name
Bill Sellwood
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Lancaster University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 7 days
Research summary
This study will investigate the relationships between traumatic experiences that happen in adulthood and the development and severity of post-trauma symptoms. It will explore whether or not a person’s understanding of who they are, their beliefs and values (also known as Self-Concept Clarity or SCC), provides a link between adult trauma experiences and post-traumatic symptoms occurring later on. Common symptoms following a trauma include fear, shock, withdrawal or sadness. Other symptoms include intrusive thoughts, which can manifest in nightmares or flashbacks. Sometimes individuals experience avoidance and emotional numbing, or are easily startled or aware of potential danger, known as hyper-arousal. People might experience symptoms in different ways, if at all, and self-concept clarity might affect how these symptoms occur.
Eligible participants are adults seeking support from an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service in Lancashire. Invitations to participate will be sent via email to people who have previously consented to being contacted for research purposes. Individuals who read the email and accept the invitation to participate can click a link to Qualtrics, where they will be asked to complete online questionnaires that collect information about their background, such as age and ethnicity, self-concept clarity, experiences of trauma throughout life and symptoms of trauma. The questionnaires should take no longer than 35 minutes to complete.
Resultant data will be used to explore the relationships between adult trauma experiences, the development of trauma symptoms, and whether or not self-concept clarity links the two together. Previous research identified links between childhood trauma and self-concept clarity, so this study hopes to expand on these findings by exploring adult trauma and self-concept clarity.
Should a link be found between self-concept clarity and trauma experienced in adulthood, it could have meaningful implications for interventions focusing on increasing self-concept clarity in people with mental health difficulties following trauma.REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/WM/0118
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jul 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion