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PTSD Symptom Severity (ptsd + symptom_severity)
Selected AbstractsTen-year follow-up study of PTSD diagnosis, symptom severity and psychosocial indices in aging holocaust survivorsACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2009R. Yehuda Objective:, We performed a longitudinal study of holocaust survivors with and without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by assessing symptoms and other measures at two intervals, approximately 10 years apart. Method:, The original cohort consisted of 63 community-dwelling subjects, of whom 40 were available for follow-up. Results:, There was a general diminution in PTSD symptom severity over time. However, in 10% of the subjects (n = 4), new instances of delayed onset PTSD developed between time 1 and time 2. Self-report ratings at both assessments revealed a worsening of trauma-related symptoms over time in persons without PTSD at time 1, but an improvement in those with PTSD at time 1. Conclusion:, The findings suggest that a nuanced characterization of PTSD trajectory over time is more reflective of PTSD symptomatology than simple diagnostic status at one time. The possibility of delayed onset trajectory complicates any simplistic overall trajectory summarizing the longitudinal course of PTSD. [source] PTSD symptoms, substance use, and vipassana meditation among incarcerated individualsJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 3 2007T. L. Simpson The present study evaluated whether Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptom severity was associated with participation and treatment outcomes comparing a Vipassana meditation course to treatment as usual in an incarcerated sample. This study utilizes secondary data. The original study demonstrated that Vipassana meditation is associated with reductions in substance use. The present study found that PTSD symptom severity did not differ significantly between those who did and did not volunteer to take the course. Participation in the Vipassana course was associated with significantly greater reductions in substance use than treatment as usual, regardless of PTSD symptom severity levels. These results suggest that Vipassana meditation is worthy of further study for those with comorbid PTSD and substance use problems. [source] Latent difference score approach to longitudinal trauma researchJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 6 2006Lynda A. King In this article, the authors introduce a latent difference score (LDS) approach to analyzing longitudinal data in trauma research. The LDS approach accounts for internal sources of change in an outcome variable, including the influence of prior status on subsequent levels of that variable and the tendency for individuals to experience natural change (e.g., a natural decrease in posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] symptoms over time). Under traditional model assumptions, the LDSs are maximally reliable and therefore less likely to introduce biases into model testing. The authors illustrate the method using a sample of children who experienced significant burns or other injuries to examine potential influences (i.e., age of child,adolescent at time of trauma and ongoing family strains) on PTSD symptom severity over time. [source] Heart rate of motor vehicle accident survivors in the emergency department, peritraumatic psychological reactions, ASD, and PTSD severity: A 6-month prospective studyJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 5 2006Eric Kuhn This small-scale study investigates the relationships between the heart rate of motor vehicle accident survivors presenting in the emergency department (ED) and acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity. It also examines the relationships between the survivor's heart rate in the ED and peritraumatic dissociation and peritraumatic distress reported 2 weeks posttrauma. Fifty motor vehicle accident (MVA) survivors were assessed 2 weeks, 1 (N = 42), 3 (N = 37), and 6 months (N = 37) post-MVA. The heart rate in the ED predicted self-reported ASD symptom severity and clinician-rated PTSD symptom severity at 6 months but not at 1 or 3 months. Survivors' heart rate in the ED was significantly correlated with peritraumatic dissociation but not peritraumatic distress. These findings support the role of elevated ED heart rate as a predictor of both ASD and chronic PTSD symptom severity and may help to clarify the discrepant findings of previous research. [source] Thought suppression mediates the relationship between negative mood and PTSD in sexually assaulted womenJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 5 2006M. Zachary Rosenthal Sexually victimized individuals often report chronic attempts to avoid unpleasant internal experiences (e.g., thoughts, emotions, memories) as a means of affect regulation. The aim of this study was to expand upon previous findings by examining the relationships among negative mood, thought suppression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of adult women with a history of sexual assault after age 14 and assault-related intrusions in the past week. Chronic thought suppression partially mediated the relationship between negative mood and PTSD symptom severity after covarying the use of worry to control unpleasant thoughts. Findings extend previous studies and suggest that chronic thought suppression may help explain the link between negative mood and PTSD. [source] Psychophysiological reactivity in female sexual abuse survivorsJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 4 2001Annmarie McDonagh-Coyle Abstract This study examined psychophysiological reactivity in 37 female childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors. After assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychiatric comorbidity, and trauma history, we conducted a psychophysiological assessment of forehead muscle tension, electrodermal activity, and heart rate during a mental arithmetic task and 4 script-driven imagery tasks (neutral, consensual sex, pleasant, and trauma). PTSD symptom severity correlated positively with psychophysiologic changes and negative emotions during the trauma imagery task. During mental arithmetic, PTSD symptom severity correlated negatively with autonomic changes and positively with negative emotions. These results extend earlier PTSD research showing trauma-specific increased psychophysiological reactivity related to CSA in women with PTSD. They further suggest a negative association between PTSD severity and autonomic reactions to mental arithmetic. [source] Self-Efficacy Mediates Effects of Exposure, Loss of Resources, and Life Stress on Posttraumatic Distress among Trauma SurvivorsAPPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, Issue 1 2009Aleksandra Luszczynska Trauma exposure, loss of resources, and stressful life events are usually listed among key predictors of posttraumatic adaptation. Our studies investigated if self-efficacy (i.e. beliefs about ability to deal with posttraumatic adversities) mediates the relationships between these peri- and post-traumatic risk factors and mental health. Study 1 investigated these relationships among 50 Hurricane Katrina survivors infected with HIV. Specifically, it was hypothesised that the effects of exposure and loss of resources (measured 1 year after the disaster) on posttraumatic symptoms and general distress (measured 2 years after disaster) would be mediated by self-efficacy (assessed 1 year after trauma). Study 2, enrolling 70 survivors of motor vehicle accidents, tested the mediating effect of self-efficacy in the relationship between stressful life events (reported at approximately 7 days after the trauma) and PTSD symptom severity and number (measured 90 days later). Results of both studies confirmed the mediating effects of beliefs about the ability to deal with posttraumatic adversities, whereas the direct effects of trauma exposure, number of stressors, and losses on mental health were negligible. Our findings indicate that although self-efficacy beliefs are affected by trauma and stressful life events (in particular, balance of negative and positive events), they should facilitate posttraumatic adaptation. 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