A Social Identity Model of Trauma and Identity Change: A Novel Theory of Post-Traumatic Stress, Resilience and Growth

Project Information

SIMTIC

Grant agreement ID: 884927

DOI

10.3030/884927

EC signature date 1 October 2020

Start date 1 January 2021

End date 31 December 2026

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 2 493 707,50

EU contribution

€ 2 493 707,50

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK
Ireland

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - SIMTIC (A Social Identity Model of Trauma and Identity Change: A Novel Theory of Post-Traumatic Stress, Resilience and Growth)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Understanding risk and resilience associated with traumatic life experiences is an important public health concern. In an era of marked by climate catastrophe, ongoing wars and gender based violence, evidence that social identities lie at the heart of traumatic experiences can offer hope to those affected by trauma. This project seeks to understand whether physiological, clinical and socio-political of stress and trauma arise from changes in the nature, extent and quality of our social identities rather than the traumatic experience per se. We are centrally concerned with whether identity change induced by trauma or group supports treatments can affect health. Understanding this role for group based identities allows us to understand how best to support people adversely affected by trauma. We also examine whether social identity mechanisms might drive collective growth and social change. Theoretical integration and an accessible overview of this emerging field is a final core ambition of the project.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

There are four discrete work packages associated with this project.
The first and second work package examines the impact of group and identities on physiological markers of stress. To date we have achieved this objectives in two ways. We have conducted analysis, known as secondary analysis on existing large data sets. These analyses have shown that multiple group membership (Gallagher et al, 2021), community integration (McMahon, 2022), religious group membership (McMahon, under review) impact on allostatic load, cardiovascular reactivity and immune responses to vaccine. In an unanticipated finding we also found evidence that economic inequality had all the hallmarks of stress, and as such had an impact on cardiac reactivity (Ryan et al., 2022). Though delayed by COVID and we have now started experimental studies where we are directly exploring the impact of identities groups on markers of stress such as cortisol and cardiac output in the lab. To date we have published one pilot study that attempts to examine the role of positionality or status on cardiovascular reactivity (McMahon et al., 2023). Additional studies are in train examining the impact of identity salience, identification and disidentification on responses to stress in those affected and unaffected by prior trauma.

Work package 2 is the most ethically and practically complicated element of our work. It involves tracking people who are participating in support groups. This work was affected by the suspension of face to face supports across Ireland during the Covid 19 pandemic. During this time, there were very few services offering group-based supports and it took some time for this to come back on stream. We used this time to develop our protocol fully, secure ethical approval and review the literature. The literature review allowed us to develop two systematic review protocols one of which is now published (Griffin et al., 2023). These are important contributions drawing together the current state of the art in this field. In an entirely new line of research that arose from these reviews, we have also begun to explore the role of disidentification processes, the active rejection of the group, on health (Lashkay et al., 2023) Our empirical work is now also underway. We have completed one paper that has examined the role of identity resources in determining physiological indicators of health in students making the transition to University during COVID times. The paper is now under review (Griffin et al., under review).

Work package 3 is concerned with post traumatic growth. A key idea already evidenced is that traumatic experiences can have positive consequences for both the self and the group, if people have access to social identity resources. Our first paper evidencing this effect has been published showing that multiple group memberships can be a platform for individual post traumatic growth in people affected by brain injury (Griffin et al 2022). A second paper using qualitative accounts offers preliminary evidence of collective post traumatic growth in rape survivors (Muldoon et al., 2023).

A book with Cambridge University press outlining the theoretical integration of the ideas relating to the project is planned and is anticipated will be completed and published in 2024/5.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

To date there are a number of ways in which the project has progressed understanding beyond the state of the art. A key breakthrough ambition of this work package is evidence that social identity processes impacts physiological indicators of acute stress in those who and have not been exposed to prior trauma. We have published three papers (Gallagher et al, 2021, McMahon et al, 2022; Ryan et al., 2022) now that evidences this effect using existing large data sets (McMahon et al., 2023). We have published one experimental data set is evidencing that how group status affects cardiovascular reactivity. We plan to offer in our forthcoming studies other social identity mechanisms that underlie this effect. This extends the current literature well beyond the state of the art.
Work package 2 examines the impact of acquiring a group in the aftermath of trauma on health and well being. In effect it takes the evidence of work package 1 as to the value of groups and identities and explores whether offering a new social identity or additional social identity resources can mitigate the impact of trauma. A key break through will be evidence that these social identity changes impact our participants health. This longitudinal research will break new ground if we can establish a role for social identities in causally mediating the relationship between experience of trauma and physiological and clinical sequelae.

In work package 3 we have already made serious progress beyond the state of the art. This work has offered preliminary evidence that post traumatic growth may result from enhanced and altered social identities (Griffin et al., 2022; Skrodzka, under review) and have offered qualitative evidence that trauma may drive new or enhanced identities – a phenomena we have labelled collective post traumatic growth (Muldoon et al., 2023). We are in the process of developing a quantitative measure of this construct and aim to establish that this phenomenon lies at the heart of changing social or political attitudes and can therefore drive social change.
The totality of the project and the integration of this knowledge for scientists and practitioners alike is the task of work package 4. A commitment to scientific dissemination (12 high impact peer review articles) as well as dissemination with wider audience lies at the heart of this work package. The orientation to changes in group memberships in the aftermath of trauma has already allowed us to consider how how old and new identities, including trauma related identities interrelate to affect sociopolitical and health outcomes (Muldoon et al, 2021). Thinking about trauma in terms of social identity continuity and social identity change represents a new horizon for social psychiatry and clinical psychology that will facilitate new understandings and treatments. Progress beyond the state of the art is being brought together and the totality of the project will be published (open access) in a major new volume with Cambridge University Press in a book (Muldoon, 2024) target for scholars and practitioners in the field.

Similar but Different: Trauma affects how we see ourselves and connect to others