Abstract

This scoping review aimed to describe how imagination has been conceptualized, measured and used in the scientific literature on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex posttraumatic stress disorder. To this end, a systematic search was conducted in Web of Science, Scopus, and Medline for articles in English and Spanish published between 1987 and 2024. A total of 45 studies met the inclusion criteria. This review was preregistered in Open Science Framework. The results showed definitions and measurements related to concepts associated with imagination, but not formal definitions of imagination as a specific construct. Regarding its relationship with PTSD and complex posttraumatic stress disorder, imagination is described as a risk or protective factor for PTSD and is mainly linked to therapies that use guided imagination strategies. The literature relating imagination to complex PTSD was limited. The results are discussed based on the specialized literature on trauma and imagination.