The relationship of metacognition and cognitive functions in posttraumatic stress disorder

Introduction: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that might evolve after exposure to traumatic events, manifested by four basic symptoms sets such as re-experiencing, avoidance, mood, over-excitation, and cognition problems. Nevertheless, there are many studies showing the negative effect of PTSD on cognitive functions. The most functional definition of metacognition, which is defined as thinking action about thinking itself, has been found to be related to psychopathologies. Aim: Among the individuals who had a traffic accident, which is a traumatic life event, it is aimed in the research to compare cognitive functions and metacognitionperformances among the patients with PTSD and participants who did not develop PTSD because of a traffic accident. Method: The study included 96 people, 43 of whom were admitted to the Dokuz Eylul University Forensic Medicine Department and 53 of them were control groups. Structured Clinical Interview was performed for DSM-5 in diagnosis and confirmation of the participants and PTSD Scale (CAPS) Applied by Clinician. Then, "Life Events Checklist for DSM-5, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, Childhood Trauma Scale, Peritraumatic Dissociation Scale" scales, Metacognition- 30 Scale to measure metacognition (MCQ-30) and neuropsychological tests (Stroop Test, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Digit Symbols, Trail Making Test A and B) were applied. Findings: The average of the metacognition scale total scores of the people who developed PTSD was significantly higher than the average of the total scores of the non-developers (p<0,05). When the cognitive function averages of the two groups were compared, no significant difference was monitored. When the relationship between cognitive functions and metacognition performances was examined, a significant relationship was found (p<0,05). Conclusion: The results reveal that dysfunctional metacognitions, that is, the positive and negative beliefs of the people about their own thoughts, may lead to the emergence of PTSD. As result of the analyses, the strength of the relationship between PTSD and metacognition was revealed and the importance of metacognition model was revealed both as a marker and treatment method in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.. Keywords: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Metacognition, Cognitive Function