On the relation between mind wandering, PTSD symptomology, and self-control

Nicholaus P Brosowsky; Alyssa C Smith; Dan Smilek; Paul Seli

doi:10.1016/j.concog.2022.103288

On the relation between mind wandering, PTSD symptomology, and self-control

Conscious Cogn. 2022 Mar:99:103288. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103288. Epub 2022 Feb 10.

Authors

Nicholaus P Brosowsky¹, Alyssa C Smith², Dan Smilek², Paul Seli³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Electronic address: nicholaus.brosowsky@umanitoba.ca.
² Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
³ Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.

PMID: 35151968
DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103288

Abstract

Here we examined the association between mind wandering, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology, and self-control. In a large undergraduate sample (N = 5,387), we assessed trait-levels of spontaneous and deliberate mind wandering, self-control, and PTSD symptomology. Results indicated that, while PTSD symptomology was uniquely positively associated with spontaneous mind wandering, it was negatively associated with deliberate mind wandering and self-control. These findings suggest that the mechanism(s) underlying everyday mind wandering may also underlie PTSD symptomology and traumatic intrusions. Moreover, the unique negative association between PTSD symptomatology and self-control suggests that PTSD is characterized not only by impairments in inhibiting unwanted thoughts (as indexed by mind wandering), but also by impairments in inhibiting other unwanted behaviors.

Keywords: Attention; Intrusive thoughts; Mind wandering; Spontaneous cognition; Trauma.

MeSH terms

Attention
Humans
Self-Control*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*
Students