A Psycholinguistic study on Reassurance Seeking Behvaior: The Role of Trauma Beliefs, Brooding Inner Speech, and Perceived Agency.

Shrushti Jain

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.81593

A Psycholinguistic study on Reassurance Seeking Behvaior: The Role of Trauma Beliefs, Brooding Inner Speech, and Perceived Agency.

Author(s)	Ms. Shrushti Jain
Country	India
Abstract	Objective: Although psychological literature consistently links post-traumatic distress to difficulties in interpersonal functioning, the specific cognitive-linguistic mechanisms that translate internal trauma-related schemas into external interpersonal behaviors require further empirical clarification. This study proposed and evaluated an integrated psycholinguistic model to examine the relationship between trauma-related beliefs and reassurance-seeking behavior. Specifically, the study investigated whether brooding inner speech acts as a mediator in this pathway, and whether an individual's perceived sense of agency functions as a critical conditional moderator on the outcome behavior. Materials and Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from a sample of 249 young adults (N = 249), who completed an anonymous survey taken through google forms, containing validated psychometric measures: the Trauma-Related Cognitions Scale (TRCS), the Evaluative/Critical subscale of the Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire–Revised (VISQ-R), the Sense of Agency Scale (SoAS), and the Reassurance Seeking subscale of the Depression-Interpersonal Relationships Inventory (DIRI-RS). A moderated mediation path analysis was conducted using Jamovi, Conditional process path analysis with 5,000 bias-corrected bootstrap resamples was implemented within a structural modeling framework to test the hypothesized mediation and moderation pathways simultaneously. Results: Results revealed that trauma-related beliefs emerged as a highly significant direct positive predictor of reassurance-seeking behavior (B = 0.37, β= 0.24, p< .001). Conversely, sense of agency operated as a significant independent negative predictor (B = -0.23, β= -0.14, p = .034), functioning as a personal protective buffer against excessive reassurance seeking. Unexpectedly, trauma-related beliefs showed a significant negative relationship with brooding inner speech (B = -0.28, β= -0.22, p = .001), pointing to a possible “cognitive shutdown” or verbal numbing defense mechanism in response to trauma. Conclusions: These findings suggest that reassurance-seeking behaviors among trauma-exposed individuals operate as deep-seated schemas, rather than being pulled through active internal verbal rumination or continuous self-critical dialogue. Clinically, the results shift the therapeutic focus away from merely processing past memories or silencing critical internal monologues. Instead, interventions should focus intensely on rebuilding a client's present-moment sense of personal empowerment, self-efficacy, and operational authorship (agency) over their cognitive and interpersonal lives.
Keywords	Trauma Beliefs, Brooding Inner Speech, Sense of Agency, Reassurance Seeking, Path Analysis.
Field	Sociology > Philosophy / Psychology / Religion
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-06-16
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.81593

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A Psycholinguistic study on Reassurance Seeking Behvaior: The Role of Trauma Beliefs, Brooding Inner Speech, and Perceived Agency.

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