No distance is too far between friends: associations of comfortable interpersonal distance with PTSD and anxiety symptoms in Israeli firefighters

Abstract

Background: Previous research indicates that PTSD patients may show alterations in interpersonal distance regulation (IDR). However, it is not clear whether altered IDR is correlated with psychopathology after trauma and whether attentional processes might be involved in these alterations. Objective: The current study investigated IDR and attentional processing in a sample of Israeli firefighters. Method: Twenty-four participants completed an experimental IDR task as well as measures of PTSD and anxiety. During the task, event-related potentials were recorded to assess attentional processing as reflected in the P1 and N1 components. Results: Participants who did not choose a closer distance towards friends than strangers experienced greater anxiety. Moreover, participants who showed attentional avoidance towards strangers reported more PTSD symptoms. By contrast, participants who showed hypervigilant attention towards strangers reported greater anxiety. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate an association between IDR, PTSD, and anxiety after trauma. Future studies should re-investigate these associations in larger samples and explore potential implications for prevention and treatment.

Out of touch? How trauma shapes the experience of social touch – neural and endocrine pathways

“…Reduced pleasantness and comfort of social touch after trauma exposure may result in a negative attitude towards social touch (Maier et al, 2020b;Mielacher et al, 2023;Trotter et al, 2018) and subsequently its avoidance. Previous studies have established that trauma-exposed individuals prefer larger interpersonal distances, even with friends, and especially regarding men (Bogovic et al, 2014;Haim-Nachum et al, 2021;Lüönd et al, 2022;Maier et al, 2020b;Vranic, 2003).…”

Social touch in the age of computational ethology: Embracing as a multidimensional and complex behaviour

“…Moreover, trauma can affect individual comfortable interpersonal distance, with individuals with anxiety and PTSD preferring to be farther away from other people than healthy controls (Haim-Nachum et al, 2021). Thus, personality factors and effects of trauma on social touch preferences need to be integrated as higher-level interaction factors in computational ethology models of embracing.…”

Getting Closer or Keeping Distance? The Role of Prefrontal Cortex and Temporoparietal Junction in Interpersonal Comfort and Emotional Approach

“…Beyond this extreme integration, interpersonal distance serves as a social signal for approach/avoidance in our social interaction (Lloyd, 2009). Different comfortable interpersonal distance has been described as a hallmark of different personalities (Abdevali et al, 2021;Humphrey et al, 2021), attachment styles (Kaitz et al, 2004;Yukawa et al, 2007), and psychopathologies (Duke & Mullens, 1973;Haim-Nachum et al, 2021;Lüönd et al, 2022). Interpersonal distance has the potential to reveal our emotional and mental attitudes towards others.…”