The Effect of Traumatic Experience Retrieval on Wishful Thinking in a Sample of University Students with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52839/0111-000-089-007Keywords:
Traumatic experience retrieval, Wishful thinking, Post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd), Psychological traumaAbstract
The current research aims to investigate the effect of traumatic experience retrieval on wishful thinking among a sample of University of Anbar students diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). To achieve the research aims, the researchers adopted a quasi-experimental design, utilizing two measurement tools: the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and a wishful thinking scale constructed and validated by the researchers. A sample of 301 male and female students who had experienced traumatic events related to the loss of a close person, such as a parent or relative, was selected. Of these, 90 were diagnosed with varying levels of PTSD (full, partial, or no PTSD). Using random sampling, 30 students were selected and divided into three experimental groups (representing the different PTSD levels) and exposed to an experimental situation designed to trigger traumatic memory retrieval through videos depicting sudden loss narratives. Wishful thinking levels were measured pre- and post-exposure. The results indicated that 17.9% of the sample had a high level of PTSD and 14.62% exhibited a high level of wishful thinking, with a positive correlation between the two variables. The results also showed statistically significant differences in wishful thinking levels among the three groups (full, partial, and no PTSD), favoring the group with severe traumatic experience (full PTSD). Furthermore, the findings revealed that traumatic experience retrieval (the experimental exposure) led to a statistically significant increase in wishful thinking among the partial PTSD group. Additionally, a significant decrease in wishful thinking was observed in the full PTSD group, which the researchers interpret as possibly reflecting an exhaustion of the defensive mechanism or an initial shift in thinking patterns. Finally, the results indicated no significant change in wishful thinking levels in the group without PTSD, confirming that the change is linked to the traumatic experience itself rather than the experimental stimulus.
Downloads
References
المراجع العربية:
[1] العزاوي، فاتن جمعة حسين (2019). التفكير الرغبوي وعلاقته بالشخصية الاندفاعية لدى طلبة المرحلة الثانوية. رسالة ماجستير غير منشورة، كلية التربية للعلوم الإنسانية، جامعة ديالى، العراق.
[2] عبدالله، تمارة طالب و محمد، إيمان محمد رشيف (2022). مهارات التعلم اليقظ وعلاقتها بالتفكير الرغبوي لدى طالبات قسم رياض الأطفال. مجلة ديالى للأبحاث الإنسانية،2(100).
[3] ابساط، إبراهيم أبوبكر محمد (2024). اضطراب ما بعد الصدمة لدى طلاب جامعة درنة ممن تعرضوا لفيضان وادي درنة وفقا لبعض المتغيرات. مجلة القرطاس للعلوم الانسانية والتطبيقية. 4(25)، 116- 176.
[4] الهيتي، محمد حميد محمد (2019). اضطرابات ضغوط ما بعد الصدمة وعلاقتها بالتشوهات المعرفية لدى طلبة الجامعة، العراق. مجلة الأستاذ للعلوم الإنسانية والاجتماعية، 1(7)، 253-276.
[5] القاعود، تيماء جهاد، الشقران، حنان إبراهيم (2022). التشوهات المعرفية وعلاقتها بظهور أعراض اضطراب الشخصية الحدية لدى طلبة الجامعات الأردنية. مجلة الجامعة الإسلامية للدراسات التربوية والنفسية، 30(2)..
[6] الدليمي، عادل جاسم أحمد، والعبيدي، سامي شاكر حسين. (2022) التفكير بالتمني لدى طلبة الجامعة. مجلة علم النفس المدرسي الإيجابي، 6(9) ، 4350، 4360.
[7] محرزي، جبران بن داحش علي. (2021). اضطراب ما بعد الصدمة وعلاقته بقلق المستقبل لدى عينة من طلبة المرحلة الثانوية بمدارس الحد الجنوبي (رسالة ماجستير غير منشورة). كلية التربية، جامعة أسيوط.
المراجع الأجنبية:
[1] Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders. New York: International Universities Press.
[2] Dalgleish, T., & Power, M. J. (2004). Handbook of cognition and emotion. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.
[3] Ellis, A. (1962). Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy. New York: Lyle Stuart.
[4] Freh, F. M., & Chung, M. C. (2021). Posttraumatic stress disorder and depression among Iraqi internally displaced persons: The role of resilience. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 67(2), 163–172.
[5] Freh, F. M., & North, C. S. (2025). Posttraumatic stress disorder, general psychopathology, and suicidality among Yazidi women in Iraq kidnapped and/or raped by ISIS in 2014. Archives of women's mental health, 10.1007/s00737-025-01594-x. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-025-01594-x
[6] Gilovich, T. (1991). How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life. Free Press.
[7] Guilford, J. P. (1954). Psychometric methods (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
[8] Kleim, B., Graham, B., Fihosy, S., Stott, R., & Ehlers, A. (2014). Reduced specificity in episodic future thinking in posttraumatic stress disorder. Clinical Psychological Science, 2(2), 165–173.
[9] Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. New York: Springer.
[10] Meichenbaum, D. (1994). A Clinical Handbook Practical Therapist Manual for Assessing and Treating Adults with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Institute Press.
[11] Murphy, S., Fonagy, P., & Hobbs, C. (2014). Mental health problems in children and young people involved with social services: An exploration of the impact of adverse life experiences. Child Abuse Review, 23(3), 159–173.
[12] Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Wisco, B. E., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Rethinking rumination. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3(5), 400–424.
[13] Rubin, D. C., Boals, A., & Berntsen, D. (2019). Current PTSD symptomatology distorts memory for past symptoms. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 32(2), 280–287.
[14] Ursano, R. J., Fullerton, C. S., & McCaughey, B. G. (1994). Individual and Community Responses to Trauma and Disaster. The Structure of Human Chaos. Cambridge University Press.
[15] Wells, A., & Matthews, G. (1996). Modelling cognition in emotional disorder: The S-REF model. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34(11–12), 881–888.
[16] Zhang, Y., Zhang, H., & Zhang, L. (2018). The impact of past trauma on psychological distress among Chinese students: The roles of cognitive distortion and alexithymia. Journal of Affective Disorders, 235, 1–6.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal Of Educational and Psychological Researches
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
