Betrayal trauma theory (see Freyd, 1996) posits betrayal events often require "betrayal blindness" in order to limit awareness or memory of information regarding the betrayal. This occurs in order to maintain a connection that is necessary for survival. BTT may be applied to events that generally would not be considered traumatic, such as adultery or discrimination. In order to maintain connections within relationships, institutions, and social systems upon which there is a dependency, people (acting as victims, perpetrators, and witnesses) may show betrayal blindness. This dissertation consists of two studies investigating betrayal blindness and betrayal trauma history as they relate to charitable behavior. Study 1 included 467 college students at the University of Oregon who completed self-report measures of trauma history and a behavioral measure requesting a hypothetical donation. Contributions were requested for three scenarios that varied in level of betrayal: natural disaster, external genocide, and internal genocide. Results indicated no significant main effects for trauma history or type of event. However, people were less willing to donate to the group of recipients and the genocide conditions at low levels of emotional arousal. Additionally, those who have experienced high betrayal traumas also were less likely to donate at low emotional response values. Given the lack of significant findings in this experiment, a second study was conducted using a repeated measures design. Study 2 involved 634 undergraduate students at the University of Oregon. In addition to the measures from Study 1, participants also completed additional self-report measures assessing trait measures of prosocial tendencies, social desirability, personality, emotion regulation, and betrayal awareness. There were no main effects on charitable behavior for personality traits, prosociality, emotion regulation, social desirability, or betrayal awareness. Significant order effects were observed when comparing the type of event and betrayal level of event. A between-subjects approach revealed people donated less money to the higher betrayal versions of both types of scenarios. Across both studies, increased affect, particularly guilt, was associated with more charitable behavior. Although there are several limitations of these studies, the findings represent an important first step exploring prosocial behavior within a betrayal trauma framework.

Experiencing interpersonal betrayals or trust violations can often create negative consequences for victims when creating new relationships. Past studies have found that trauma from previous betrayals can impair trust and thereby trust behavior for victims in the future. However, little research has been done to empirically characterize this connection and existing studies have provided conflicting results. The goal of this study was to explore the relationship between past trust violations, measured through the Brief Betrayal Trauma Survey (BBTS), and present self-reported trust and trust behavior. Differences in trust behavior between those with or without a history of betrayals was measured through an experimental economic trust game. Results found that those with a history of betrayal trauma had marginally lowered self-rated trust in strangers. While a history of betrayal trauma did not yield main effects on either first or average investments in the trust game, those with a history of betrayal had similar first and average investments in partners regardless of visual cue trustworthiness. Victims of betrayal seem to lack discriminatory trust behavior or possibly disregard visual cues entirely. These findings add to the current understanding of how victims of interpersonal betrayal interpret and respond to visual cues both initially and across multiple interactions and is especially relevant for those who aim to form close relationships with these individuals such as care providers.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Ashland Theological Seminary, 2007. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 184-189).

Betrayal trauma theory posits that victims of abuse perpetrated by someone close are more likely to dissociate from awareness of the abuse in order to protect the needed relationship. Shame may likewise protect the relationship by turning the victim's attention inward, thereby increasing the likelihood that the abusive environment will be overlooked. In this dissertation, the associations between shame, dissociation, and betrayal trauma were examined in two experimental studies. A third study examined the consequences of chronic shame. Aims were to determine whether shame and dissociation have a unique link with high betrayal traumas (HiBT), to understand the nature of the relationship between shame and dissociation, and to investigate the consequences of chronic shame. In study 1, 124 female trauma survivors were randomly assigned to a high or low betrayal threat condition. Greater exposure to HiBT but not low betrayal traumas (LoBT) predicted increased shame and dissociation following high betrayal threat. Greater exposure to LoBT but not HiBT predicted increased fear following non-betrayal threat. Compared to non-dissociators, dissociators from threat endorsed more negative psychological consequences. In study 2, 127 female trauma survivors completed a dissociation induction and battery of questionnaires. The bypassed shame theory, which proposes that dissociation serves to disconnect from the pain of shame, was examined. Results partially supported bypassed shame theory. Although feelings of shame led to a larger dissociation response to the induction, dissociation did not interrupt shame but rather led to even higher shame. Implications are discussed for a possible contributing role of shame to betrayal blindness. In study 3, 247 trauma survivors completed online questionnaires addressing chronic shame hypotheses. Regression results revealed that all forms of chronic shame, especially trauma-focused shame, predicted negative health consequences. Correlation results revealed that HiBT was associated with more types of negative outcomes compared to LoBT and that HiBT but not LoBT was associated with chronic shame. Taken together, results indicate that, like dissociation, shame may be both an adaptive and detrimental response following betrayal trauma and that emotional and cognitive responses other than fear warrant attention in trauma research and practice.

Partners of sex addicts report symptoms similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder in a mental health crisis known as betrayal trauma. Behaviors that constitute sexual addiction include viewing pornography, a behavior often claimed to affect no one but the user. This article presents an analysis of 1,191 qualitative responses to an item on the Trauma Inventory for Partners of Sex Addicts (TIPSA), with particular emphasis on respondents’ self-reported disruption to relationships outside of the marriage/romantic relationship (e.g., with their children, employers, friends) following discovery of betrayal. Phenomenological analysis was conducted on participants’ responses to determine if other relationships are/are not being significantly affected. Seven themes of disruption were found, including impairment to functioning, difficulty fulfilling roles, preoccupation, loss of identity, shame, getting stuck, and moving on. A discussion is included on the implications of these findings, including the implications for therapists who work with sex addicts and their partners and recommendations for policy changes.

This dissertation describes a qualitative study that explored the perceived barriers to reporting military sexual assaults that servicewomen experienced following a sexual assault while on active duty. The study aimed to answer the following research questions: (1) What barriers to reporting did servicewomen who survived sexual assault in a military setting perceive?; (2) What role did betrayal (the act of going against a promise) play in their decision? Semi-structured interviews with three servicewomen who were sexually assaulted while on active duty and did not report the assaults were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Four superordinate themes emerged from the data including (1) external factors, (2) internal processes, (3) interpersonal aspects, and (4) need for a cultural shift. A review of existing literature, research methodology implemented, a review of results including supporting quotes from participant narratives, and a discussion of the results will be presented in this dissertation. A minority stress model adapted for servicewomen will be explored, as well as implications for clinicians and suggestions for future research.

No description available.

No description available.

Bad Paper follows the lives of former military service members, who have received an other-than-honorable discharge, but also have service-connected post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Due to the "suck it up" culture of the military, many of these veterans would not report any psychological troubles in fear of being labeled "weak" and potentially affecting their promotions. With no outlet for their PTSD, drugs and alcohol became a way of "self-medicating," which led to their dismissal from the service. A dishonorable discharge, commonly called "bad paper," from the military disqualifies veterans from receiving help from the VA. The process to overturn this status is arduous and veterans must navigate the bureaucracy of the Veterans Affairs (VA) administration as well as the individual military branches with virtually no help from either.

xv, 103 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / The purpose of the current study was to examine the role of sociocultural factors in posttraumatic stress. The two major aims were to add to current knowledge about why women report higher rates of posttraumatic stress than men and to explore the role of ethnicity in response to trauma. Using an online survey with a college sample (n = 1041) and a community sample (n = 199), the findings confirmed prior research that traumas high in betrayal (e.g., abuse by a close other) are more strongly associated with symptoms of posttraumatic stress than traumas lower in betrayal (e.g., natural disaster or abuse by someone not close to the victim). Women also reported higher rates of depression, anxiety, and reexperiencing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but not avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms. The hypothesis that betrayal trauma would mediate the association between gender and PTSD reexperiencing symptoms was statistically significant although the effect was not substantial. Gender role socialization may also moderate the relationship between gender and PTSD reexperiencing, whereby men with more egalitarian beliefs had lower scores than men with more conservative beliefs. This study also investigated the rates of traumatic events among Asian and Pacific Islander (API) populations, and cultural correlates of posttraumatic stress. It included one of the few non-clinical samples of API adults from the community in the U.S. as well as a cohort of API students. Notable differences between the younger and older API participants were found in the reporting of various traumatic events. In particular, young API men reported adult sexual assault with surprising frequency at nearly 20% for both close and not close perpetrators which is several times more than the older API men. The influence of participants' concern with loss of face (LOF) on PTSD symptoms was also examined. The prediction that concern with LOF would moderate the effect of traumatic experiences on posttraumatic stress for APIs was not supported although LOF was directly associated with PTSD symptoms. These results add to the growing body of evidence that interpersonal violence and posttraumatic stress are issues that require attention among API populations. / Committee in charge: Jennifer Freyd, Co-Chairperson, Psychology; Sanjay Srivastava, Co-Chairperson, Psychology; Jeffrey Measelle, Member, Psychology; Jocelyn Hollander, Outside Member, Sociology