Anxiety buffer disruption theory posits that a systemic breakdown of the psychological system that manages anxiety plays an important role in the etiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Traumatic life events undermine the capacity of one’s cultural worldview, self-esteem, and close relationships to manage anxiety, rendering people unable to cope with the distress produced by these events and thus leading to the hyperarousal, intrusive thoughts and emotions, negative alterations in cognitions or mood, and avoidance of trauma-related stimuli that are the defining features of PTSD. Evidence linking disrupted anxiety-buffer functioning to this disorder and implications for therapy are discussed.
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