Symptom-focused theories of trauma and posttraumatic response have yielded many valuable clinical insights, ultimately leading to a number of empirically supported approaches to diagnosing and treating trauma survivors. Limitations observed in these approaches have led some trauma-focused researchers and clinicians to examine the role not only of symptoms, but of interpersonal factors on trauma and posttraumatic response. The study of such interpersonal factors is the mainstay of contemporary interpersonal theory, although at present research and clinical intervention concerning trauma has been largely detached from the insights of contemporary interpersonal theory.

In this paper, we review and integrate the disparate literatures on trauma and interpersonal theory.

We conclude that synthesizing these two literatures is not only feasible, but may also generate useful clinical insights and provide directions for future research relevant to trauma.