Which features define the 'negative alterations in cognitions and mood' cluster in PTSD?

Which features define the 'negative alterations in cognitions and mood' cluster in PTSD?

• A. Distorted blame of self or others, persistent negative beliefs about the world, inability to recall aspects of the trauma, persistent negative emotional state, diminished interest or participation in activities, detachment, inability to experience positive emotions.
• B. Hyperverbal communication and increased sociability.
• C. Hyperarousal symptoms only.
• D. Complete absence of any emotional response.

Answer: (A)

The core idea is the PTSD symptom cluster that reflects negative changes in thoughts and mood after trauma. This set includes distorted blame of oneself or others for the event, persistent negative beliefs about the world (for example, seeing the world as completely dangerous), and memory gaps for parts of the trauma (dissociative amnesia). It also covers a persistent negative emotional state such as fear, guilt, anger, or shame, along with diminished interest in activities, feelings of detachment from others, and an inability to experience positive emotions. Together, these features show how the trauma reshapes cognition and affect, leading toward cynicism, numbness, and withdrawal rather than outward hyperreactivity. The other options describe patterns that aren’t this mood-and-thought symptom cluster—one suggests increased sociability, another reduces the presentation to arousal alone, and another implies a complete emotional void, which isn’t how this PTSD domain typically presents.

The core idea is the PTSD symptom cluster that reflects negative changes in thoughts and mood after trauma. This set includes distorted blame of oneself or others for the event, persistent negative beliefs about the world (for example, seeing the world as completely dangerous), and memory gaps for parts of the trauma (dissociative amnesia). It also covers a persistent negative emotional state such as fear, guilt, anger, or shame, along with diminished interest in activities, feelings of detachment from others, and an inability to experience positive emotions. Together, these features show how the trauma reshapes cognition and affect, leading toward cynicism, numbness, and withdrawal rather than outward hyperreactivity. The other options describe patterns that aren’t this mood-and-thought symptom cluster—one suggests increased sociability, another reduces the presentation to arousal alone, and another implies a complete emotional void, which isn’t how this PTSD domain typically presents.