Do Past Events Sow Future Fears? Temporal Disintegration, Distress, and Fear of the Future Following Collective Trauma

Trauma survivors often report experiencing temporal disintegration (e.g., time slowing down, the present feeling disconnected from the past and future) during and after trauma, yet how these distorted time perceptions relate to psychological adjustment and views of the future is poorly understood. We examined the relationships between prior adversity, temporal disintegration, distress, and fear of future trauma following two collective traumas: cross-sectionally among college students following a university-based active shooter event and longitudinally using data from a national sample following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Temporal disintegration was significantly associated with elevated distress, which was related to greater fear of future trauma. Individuals who experienced prior adversity were especially likely to report temporal disintegration following collective trauma, suggesting that prior adversity may render individuals vulnerable to subsequent deleterious response patterns. Trauma-related temporal disintegration may have lasting implications for psychological adjustment and for how people perceive their futures, especially among individuals with a history of adversity.