Social support and trauma therapy: An experimental study on the effect of a support figure when presented with a shocking image.

Abstract

Background. Social support is positively connected to psychological and physical health effects and seems to have an important role in coping with stressful experiences. Objective. The purpose of this experimental study is to test if social support (vs. no support) serves as an inhibiting factor on feelings of unpleasantness due to presentation of a shocking image and during recollection of that image. Methods. Forty participants provided subjective ratings of unpleasantness while looking at a shocking image in one of two conditions: social support or alone. Participants also gave ratings of unpleasantness and vividness during recall of the shocking image. Results. There was no difference between the conditions in terms of levels of unpleasantness during presentation of the shocking image. During recollection of the image conditions differed in levels of unpleasantness, where the social support condition felt less unpleasant than the alone condition. In terms of vividness no significant results were found. Conclusions. This study suggests that the mere presence of a social support figure does not have a reducing effect on experiencing feelings of unpleasantness when confronted with an aversive image. Neither does it have a reducing effect on vividness of an aversive image during later recollection. However, social support does seem to reduce feelings of unpleasantness when the memory of an aversive image is recalled later.