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Although the disclosure of traumatic experiences is believed to influence trajectories of post-trauma recovery, less is known about individual differences that affect survivors' motivation to share. The current project describes the development and evaluation of the Disclosure Expectancy Scale (DExS), a novel instrument intended to assess survivors' expectations about the potential risks and benefits of disclosure. Items targeting both positive and negative expectancies were generated based on existing research and the authors' clinical experience with various survivor populations. Preliminary analyses in trauma-exposed undergraduates (N = 359) offer support for hypothesized positive and negative expectancy dimensions with evidence for the convergent and discriminant validity of scores. Subsequent evaluation in active-duty, help-seeking military personnel (N = 35) provides further evidence of validity based on correlations with relevant clinical measures. A final regression demonstrating unique effects of initial disclosure expectancies on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity following trauma-focused treatment highlights the predictive validity of DExS scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chronic childhood trauma is consistently linked to negative mental health outcomes in adulthood, but research exploring specific paths of risk remains limited. The aims of the current study were to examine trauma cognitions as intervening variables in the relation of chronic victimization with perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, variables implicated in transdiagnostic risk for psychopathology., Method: Semistructured interviews were used to identify university students reporting exposure to systematic physical and/or sexual violence prior to age 18 ( n = 101) versus those experiencing other Criterion-A events ( n = 254). Trauma cognitions (self, world, and self-blame) and thwarted interpersonal needs (burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness) were measured using scores from the posttrauma cognitions inventory (PTCI) and the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-10 (INQ-10). Path models in these cross-sectional data were evaluated to assess the indirect effects of chronic abuse on burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness through self, world, and blame cognitions., Results: An initial model indicated associations of chronic victimization on self ( p = .044) and world ( p = .005) scales of the PTCI and a unique effect of self-beliefs on INQ-10 burdensomeness ( p < .001). An indirect effect of abuse on burdensomeness through self-beliefs was supported ( p = .050). A second model identified direct effects of PTCI self ( p < .001) and world ( p < .001) scores on thwarted belongingness as well as an indirect effect of chronic abuse on belongingness through world beliefs (p = .026)., Conclusions: While typically assessed within the context of posttraumatic stress disorder, results suggest that shifts in fundamental beliefs about the self and the world may have more general impacts on perceptions of burdensomeness and belonging in survivors of early, systematic abuse. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).