The impact of dual process theory and belief in a just world on trauma

Traumatic experiences are multifaceted phenomena that unexpectedly infiltrate individuals' lives and leave profound impacts on their mental and emotional well-being. Such traumatic experiences are the kind that exceed an individual's coping capacity, often leading to impairments or disruptions in their cognitive and emotional capacities. Traumatic experiences can affect not only the individuals who directly experience the traumatic event but also those who are secondarily exposed to these experiences. Individuals secondarily affected by traumatic experiences can experience secondary traumatic stress. In this study, the effects of certain personal factors of individuals aged 18 and above from the general population, as well as their intuitive/analytical thinking styles and beliefs in a just world, on levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and secondary traumatic stress are examined, along with the relationship between primary and secondary traumatic stress. For the purpose of the study, the data were collected from 257 participants aged 18 and above from the general population using the Demographic Information Form, Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, Personal and General Belief in a Just World Scale, Cognitive Reflection Test, and DSM-V Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Scale. Based on the results of the analyses, it was observed that primary traumatic stress predicts secondary traumatic stress, and participants with higher primary traumatic stress scores also have higher secondary traumatic stress scores. It was found that personal belief in a just world negatively predicts both primary and secondary traumatic stress. However, no significant relationship was observed between general belief in a just world and both primary and secondary traumatic stress. Furthermore, the findings indicate that analytical thinking style negatively predicts primary traumatic stress, but no significant relationship was observed between secondary traumatic stress scores and cognitive reflection test scores.