Social_constraints
In psychology, social constraints can be defined as "any social condition that causes a trauma survivor to feel unsupported, misunderstood, or otherwise alienated from their social network when they are seeking social support or attempting to express trauma-related thoughts, feelings, or concerns."[1] Social constraints are most commonly defined as negative social interactions which make it difficult for an individual to speak about their traumatic experiences.[2] The term is associated with the social-cognitive processing model, which is a psychological model describing ways in which individuals cope and come to terms with trauma they have experienced.[3] Social constraints have been studied in populations of bereaved mothers, individuals diagnosed with cancer, and suicide-bereaved individuals.[4][5][6] There is evidence of social constraints having negative effects on mental health. They have been linked to increased depressive symptoms as well as post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in individuals who have experienced traumatic events.[7][2] There seems to be a positive association between social constraints and negative cognitions related to traumatic events.[7] Social constraints have also been linked to difficulties in coping with illness in people who have been diagnosed with terminal illness such as cancer.[3]