Metacognition and PTSD-DS in adolescents

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Understanding metacognition in adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder and its dissociative subtype

  • IRAS ID

    319450

  • Contact name

    Devin Terhune

  • Contact email

    devin.terhune@kcl.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    King's College London

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    5 years, 1 months, 2 days

  • Research summary

    The proposed study seeks to explore whether metacognitive abilities in adolescents are reduced amongst those with the dissociative subtype of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, more significantly than those with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder only, and in comparison to a healthy control group who are predicted to perform better than both of the aforementioned groups. The purpose of the study is to overcome the observed heterogeneity in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and to clarify whether the Dissociative Subtype is a meaningful subgroup within the broader diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in adolescents. The overarching aim of this research is to determine whether and to what extent adolescents with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Dissociative Subtype in particular, display aberrant metacognition. Towards this end, I will study metacognition for memory and perception in adolescents with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. My central prediction is that adolescents with Dissociative Subtype will display compromised global metacognition relative to the non-dissociative subtype and healthy controls, and that metacognitive sensitivity will scale with severity of dissociative and post-traumatic symptomatology. It is expected that this study will help to clarify the function of metacognition in Dissociative Subtype and more specifically in adolescents who may be deemed a more vulnerable client group in comparison to adults.

  • REC name

    North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    23/NW/0277

  • Date of REC Opinion

    20 Nov 2023

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion