TY - JOUR
T1 - Imagery rescripting
T2 - The value of an added positive emotion component
AU - Geschwind, Nicole
AU - Keasberry, Evelyn
AU - Voncken, Marisol
AU - Lobbestael, Jill
AU - Peters, Maarten
AU - Rijkeboer, Marleen
AU - van Heugten-van der Kloet, Dalena
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors
PY - 2024/3/16
Y1 - 2024/3/16
N2 - Background and objectives: Imagery Rescripting (ImRs) aims to reduce trauma-related negative emotions and intrusions. Positive emotions during ImRs may aid coping with the consequences of trauma, but protocols vary in the extent to which they explicitly target such positive emotions. We used a multiple-day design with a trauma film paradigm to investigate whether adding an explicit positive emotion component to ImRs improved intervention effects in a non-clinical sample. In addition, we explored potentially differential effects on high, medium, and low arousal positive affect. Methods: Participants (n = 105) were randomly assigned to either a standard ImRs condition, to an ImRs condition with an added explicit positive emotion component targeting joy (ImRs+), or to a non-intervention control (NIC) condition. Participants watched a trauma film on day 1, received the condition-specific intervention on day 2, and completed additional post-assessments of positive and negative affect on day 3. In addition, participants recorded intrusions from the trauma film from day 1 until day 3. Results: Compared to standard ImRs and NIC, ImRs + significantly increased positive affect. Exploratory analyses showed that this increase concerned medium and high, but not low arousal positive affect. No significant between-group differences were found for negative affect and intrusion-related outcomes. Limitations: Floor effects for intrusions and negative affect limited our ability to fully investigate the potential benefits of targeting positive affect. Conclusions: Adding a positive emotion component to ImRs reliably improved positive affect. More research is needed to determine whether explicitly targeting positive affect improves efficacy of ImRs for intrusion-related outcomes.
AB - Background and objectives: Imagery Rescripting (ImRs) aims to reduce trauma-related negative emotions and intrusions. Positive emotions during ImRs may aid coping with the consequences of trauma, but protocols vary in the extent to which they explicitly target such positive emotions. We used a multiple-day design with a trauma film paradigm to investigate whether adding an explicit positive emotion component to ImRs improved intervention effects in a non-clinical sample. In addition, we explored potentially differential effects on high, medium, and low arousal positive affect. Methods: Participants (n = 105) were randomly assigned to either a standard ImRs condition, to an ImRs condition with an added explicit positive emotion component targeting joy (ImRs+), or to a non-intervention control (NIC) condition. Participants watched a trauma film on day 1, received the condition-specific intervention on day 2, and completed additional post-assessments of positive and negative affect on day 3. In addition, participants recorded intrusions from the trauma film from day 1 until day 3. Results: Compared to standard ImRs and NIC, ImRs + significantly increased positive affect. Exploratory analyses showed that this increase concerned medium and high, but not low arousal positive affect. No significant between-group differences were found for negative affect and intrusion-related outcomes. Limitations: Floor effects for intrusions and negative affect limited our ability to fully investigate the potential benefits of targeting positive affect. Conclusions: Adding a positive emotion component to ImRs reliably improved positive affect. More research is needed to determine whether explicitly targeting positive affect improves efficacy of ImRs for intrusion-related outcomes.
KW - Broaden and build theory
KW - Imagery rescripting
KW - Intrusions
KW - Positive affect
KW - Posttraumatic stress disorder
KW - Trauma film paradigm
U2 - 10.1016/j.jbtep.2024.101958
DO - 10.1016/j.jbtep.2024.101958
M3 - Article
SN - 0005-7916
VL - 84
JO - Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
JF - Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
M1 - 101958
ER -