Traumatic Exposure (traumatic + exposure)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Canada

CNS: NEUROSCIENCE AND THERAPEUTICS, Issue 3 2008
Michael Van Ameringen
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has become a global health issue, with prevalence rates ranging from 1.3% to 37.4%. As there is little current data on PTSD in Canada, an epidemiological study was conducted examining PTSD and related comorbid conditions. Modified versions of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) PTSD module, the depression, alcohol and substance abuse sections of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), as well as portions of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were combined, and administered via telephone interview in English or French. Random digit dialing was used to obtain a nationally representative sample of 2991, aged 18 years and above from across Canada. The prevalence rate of lifetime PTSD in Canada was estimated to be 9.2%, with a rate of current (1-month) PTSD of 2.4%. Traumatic exposure to at least one event sufficient to cause PTSD was reported by 76.1% of respondents. The most common forms of trauma resulting in PTSD included unexpected death of a loved one, sexual assault, and seeing someone badly injured or killed. In respondents meeting criteria for PTSD, the symptoms were chronic in nature, and associated with significant impairment and high rates of comorbidity. PTSD is a common psychiatric disorder in Canada. The results are surprising, given the comparably low rates of violent crime, a small military and few natural disasters. Potential implications of these findings are discussed. [source]


Disaster mental health workers responding to ground zero: One year later

JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 2 2008
Erin Scott Daly
The current study examined anniversary reactions in mental health disaster relief workers following traumatic exposure at the site of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks. Despite relatively low levels of symptom reporting, workers endorsed an increase in both negative mood symptoms and functional impairment at the one-year anniversary of their traumatic exposure (compared to 6 months postexposure). For those individuals who met at least partial criteria for PTSD immediately following exposure, overall self-reported PTSD symptoms tended to increase from 6 to 12 months. This tendency resulted specifically from an increase in hyperarousal symptoms. Although few endorsed symptoms at clinical levels, our results demonstrate that disaster relief workers may experience an increase in symptomatology at the anniversary of their traumatic exposure. [source]


An evaluation of the psychometric properties of the traumatic events questionnaire in primary care patients

JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 1 2008
Eric F. Crawford
This study examined the reliability of reports of traumatic experiences across the Traumatic Events Questionnaire (TEQ; S. Vrana & D. Lauterbach, 1994) and the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI; World Health Organization, 1998), and evaluated other psychometric properties of the TEQ in 154 primary care patients. Agreement rates for various traumatic experiences were moderate to substantial, with sexual abuse showing 87% agreement, and other forms of trauma exhibiting rates from 81,74%. The TEQ yields a trauma intensity score, which produced stronger correlations with self-reported PTSD symptoms and problematic anger than the sum of traumas experienced. Trauma intensity also proved to be a powerful predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnostic status. Results support the TEQ as a measure of traumatic exposure in primary care populations. [source]


The relationship among cognitive schemas, job-related traumatic exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder in journalists,

JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 4 2003
Caroline M. Pyevich
Abstract American newspaper journalists (N = 906) participated in a study examining a cognitive mediational model for explaining the relationship between exposure to work-related traumatic events and work-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results indicated (a) greater exposure to work-related traumatic events was associated with work-related PTSD symptoms, as well as negative cognitive schemas; (b) cognitive beliefs partially accounted for PTSD symptoms, but the full cognitive mediational model was not supported. Implications include targeting interventions for journalists who experience traumatic stress and modifying theories about PTSD symptoms in journalists. [source]


The psychological impact of forced displacement and related risk factors on Eastern Congolese adolescents affected by war

THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 10 2010
Cindy Mels
Background:, While the current knowledge base on the mental health effects of displacement is mainly limited to refugees residing in industrialised countries, this paper examines the impact of war-induced displacement and related risk factors on the mental health of Eastern Congolese adolescents, and compares currently internally displaced adolescents to returnees and non-displaced peers. Methods:, Data were collected from a community sample of 819 adolescents aged 13 to 21 years, attending one of 10 selected schools across the Ituri district in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Respondents completed culturally adapted self-report measures of posttraumatic stress symptoms (using the Impact of Event Scale , Revised) and internalising and externalising behaviour problems (by means of the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist , 37 for Adolescents). Associated factors studied were age, sex, parental death, exposure to war-related violence and daily stressors. Results:, Internally displaced persons (IDPs) reported highest mean scores for the IES-R and the HSCL-37A internalising scale, followed by returnees, while non-displaced adolescents scored significantly lower. However, ANCOVA tests showed that posttraumatic stress and internalising symptoms were mainly associated with traumatic exposure and daily stressors and not with displacement status. Externalising problem scores were associated with traumatic exposure, daily stressors and displacement. Remarkably, death of father was associated with fewer externalising problems. Sex was differently associated with internalising and externalising problems through traumatic and daily stressors. Conclusions:, As IDPs are highly exposed to violence and daily stressors, they report most psychological distress, when compared to returnees and non-displaced peers. The distinct mental health outcomes for returned youngsters illustrate how enhancing current socio-economic living conditions of war-affected adolescents could stimulate resilient outcomes, despite former trauma or displacement. [source]


Does prior psychological health influence recall of military experiences? a prospective study

JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 4 2008
Jennifer Wilson
In a prospective study, we evaluated pre- and postdeployment psychological health on recall of risk factors to assess recall bias. Measures of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), PTSD Checklist (PCL), and symptom clusters from the PCL were obtained from 681 UK military personnel along with information on traumatic and protective risk factors. Postdeployment psychological health was more important in explaining recall of traumatic experiences than predeployment psychological health. Predeployment intrusive cluster scores were highly associated with traumatic exposures. Postdeployment, but not predeployment GHQ showed small effects for most risk factors. With the exception of intrusive thoughts, there is insufficient evidence to suggest predeployment psychological status would be useful in correcting for recall bias in subsequent cross-sectional studies. [source]