PTSD Symptoms and Life Satisfaction of Homicidally Bereaved Individuals: Trial Attendance, Trial-Related Factors, and Perceived Social Support

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms During the First Six Months After Traumatic Brain Injury

Consequences of nondomestic violence are known to be multifaceted with high rates ofemotional and psychological problems in addition to physical injuries, and victims reportmany trauma related symptoms. This study explore if perceived social support (PSS) (SocialProvisions Scale [SPS]) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (Impact ofEvent Scale [IES-22]) are interrelated among adult victims at four assessment points upuntil eight years after the exposure to physical assault; soon after the event (T1), threemonths after T1 (T2), one year after T1 (T3), and eight years after T1 (T4). One hundredand forty-three subjects participated at T1, 94 at T2, 73 at T3, and 47 accepted afollow-up at T4. At T1, 138 of 143 completed the questionnaires within 16 weeks after theincident. PTSD symptoms were highly correlated across time (p < .001);PSS were significantly correlated only between T1 and T2 (p < .001),T1 and T3 (p < .05), and between T2 and T3 (p <.05). Cross-lagged analyses showed an inverse relationship between prior PSS and laterPTSD symptoms across all time points (ps < .05); not proved betweenprior PTSD symptoms and later PSS (ps > .1). PSS at T1 was anindependent predictor of PSS one year and eight years after the incident. We conclude thathigher perception of social support protects against the development of PTSD symptoms;diminished perception of social support increases the risk of developing PTSD symptoms.These findings suggest that PSS after experiencing a violent assault should be consideredas an important factor in natural recovery in the long run, as well as essential alongsidepsychiatric treatment. Establishing psychosocial interventions for victims of physicalviolence in the acute phase may prevent prolonged trauma reactions.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are associated with functional impairments, yet little is known about their influence on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) motivation among women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Understanding how PTSD and MDD symptoms influence PrEP motivation is particularly important given survivors of IPV have an increased risk for HIV acquisition. The present study assessed the association between PrEP motivation with latent profiles of PTSD and MDD symptoms among women survivors of IPV. Data were collected from a sample of 285 women from Baltimore, MD, and New Haven, CT. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was performed to identify distinct patterns of depressive and PTSD symptoms among women survivors of IPV. Binary logistic regression was performed to examine the association of profile membership on PrEP motivation. A six-profile solution was determined to best fit the data. Profiles were characterized by: Profile 1, very low depressive and very low PTSD symptoms (28.07%); Profile 2, average depressive symptoms and low (below the mean) PTSD symptoms (21.05%); Profile 3, high depressive symptoms and low (below the mean) PTSD symptoms (9.8%); Profile 4, moderate depressive symptoms and high PTSD symptoms (15.78%); Profile 5, high PTSD avoidance and average depressive symptoms (17.1%); Profile 6, high depressive and high PTSD symptoms (8%). We found that, the odds of being in Stage 3 of the PrEP Motivational Cascade (PrEParation; defined by having access to a medical provider to prescribe PrEP, be willing to take PrEP, and self-identifying as an appropriate candidate for PrEP) compared to Stage 1 of the PrEP Motivational Cascade (Precontemplation; defined by being eligible for PrEP, but not willing to take PrEP and/or not self-identifying as an appropriate candidate for PrEP) were lower for women assigned to the low depressive symptoms and low PTSD symptoms profile (Profile 1 of the LPA) compared to women in the high depressive symptoms and High PTSD symptoms profile (Profile 6 of the LPA, OR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.06-0.76, p = 0.02). Women assigned to the low PTSD symptoms and average depressive symptoms profile (Profile 2 of the LPA) had lower odds of being in Stage 3 (PrEParation) compared to Stage 1 (Precontemplation) compared to women assigned to the high depressive symptoms and High PTSD symptoms profile (Profile 6 of the LPA, OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.07-0.92, p = 0.037). Women survivors of IPV with higher PTSD and MDD symptoms expressed greater motivation to engage in PrEP compared to women survivors with low PTSD and low MDD symptoms. Findings support the CDC's clinical PrEP recommendations to integrate depression screening into PrEP services, but there is a critical need to also include PTSD screening. Further, MDD and PTSD symptoms may present differential barriers to PrEP motivation among women survivors of IPV. Precision care could synchronize trauma-informed practices and mental health treatment to engage survivors in PrEP services.

ObjectivesOur objective was to determine if symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are associated with peritraumatic dissociation, and if this association is modified by trauma prior to police...

Background: Studies on mental health rates among primary school children are still limited, particularly related to psychological trauma and its relationship to other mental health challenges. Objective: The objective of this study was to 1) examine the prevalence of PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms in primary school children before the Covid-19 pandemic; 2) identify the relationship between PTSD, depression and anxiety symptoms; and 3) investigate potential gender differences in PTSD symptoms. Methods: This is the first cross-sectional study examining the rates of trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety symptoms in primary school children before the covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia. Two hundred and twenty-one students participated in this study. They were recruited from four primary schools that volunteered to participate in this study. PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Child PTSD Symptoms Scale-5 (CPSS-5), The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale version (CESD), and the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) were used to survey psychological symptoms. Results: Most of the students, or 54.3% of them, have experienced at least one traumatic event. Of 221 students, 39.4% reported having PTSD symptoms, 38% reported having depressive symptoms, and 19% reported having anxiety symptoms. Female students were more likely to report PTSD symptoms compared to male students. The first regression analysis model indicated that depressive symptoms were the only significant predictors of PTSD. In the second model, religion, family income, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms were significant predictors of depressive symptoms. In the third model, depressive symptoms were the sole significant predictors of anxiety. Conclusion: The study reveals that primary school children experience high levels of trauma, PTSD, depression, and anxiety, especially before the COVID-19 pandemic. During the early phases of the pandemic, these mental health issues have been largely neglected in Malaysia, with limited preventative and therapeutic interventions available. Future research should focus on documenting the prevalence of these issues in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Symptoms of Acute Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Patients With Acute Hand Injuries

Family resilience theory suggests that families can collectively overcome distress and build resilience, while empirical research shows that parents can influence their children’s Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The aim of this study is to examine the intergenerational associations between resilience and traumatic exposure, with PTSD symptoms within mother-daughter dyads. The sample included 309 Rwandan mother-daughter dyads who had experienced traumatic events. Participants completed the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 to assess PTSD symptoms, the Life Events Checklist to measure traumatic experiences, and the Nicholson McBride Resilience Questionnaire to evaluate their resilience levels. The data were analyzed using Actor-Partner Interdependence Model statistical techniques. Results show associations of mothers’ resilience and resilience of their daughters with mothers’ resilience negatively associated with their own and their daughters’ PTSD symptoms, while daughters’ resilience is negatively associated with their own and their mothers’ PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, mothers’ traumatic experiences were positively associated with both their own PTSD symptoms and those of their daughters. In contrast, daughters’ traumatic experiences were only associated with their own PTSD symptoms. Resilience and traumatic experiences of mothers and daughters mutually impact their PTSD symptoms, suggesting that interventions targeting both resilience and trauma could benefit both generations. Furthermore, parents transmit not only their PTSD symptoms but also their resilience. Notably, the resilience of children can have a reciprocal impact positively influencing both their own well-being and that of their parents.

In this study, we evaluated whether peritraumatic dissociation (PD) was associated with symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and whether this association was modified by trauma prior to police work. Symptoms of depression, PTSD, peritraumatic dissociative experience (PDE), and trauma prior to police work were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, PTSD Checklist-Civilian, PDE questionnaire, and the Brief Trauma questionnaire, respectively, in 328 police officers. Separate regression models were used to assess if either symptoms of depression or PTSD were associated with PD stratified by prior trauma. Means were adjusted for race, number of drinks per week, and smoking. PD was associated with symptoms of PTSD and depression (β = 0.65, p < .001 and β = 0.27, p < .001, respectively). PD was positively associated with symptoms of PTSD regardless of prior trauma (β = 0.61, p < .001(without prior trauma), 0.75, p < .001 (with prior trauma). In contrast to PTSD, depression symptoms were significantly associated with PD scores in individuals with prior trauma (β = 0.47, p < .001), but not in individuals without prior trauma (β = 0.13, p = .165). This is a cross-sectional study. Outcomes were obtained via self-report and were not clinically diagnosed. Aspects of both the trauma event as well as the symptoms and severity of PD may have introduced recall bias. These results add to the literature indicating that PD plays a role in symptoms of PTSD and depression and how prior trauma may modify this relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record

To estimate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in those injured and not injured by landmines or unexploded ordnance (UXO) in rural Lao People's Democratic Republic and to determine whether the perception of social support was associated with PTSD symptom severity. A community survey was conducted among 190 people injured by landmines or UXO and 380 age-, sex- and neighbourhood-matched non-injured individuals in the Sepone district of Savannakhet Province, the part of the Lao People's Democratic Republic most heavily bombed during the Viet Nam War. Using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, trained health-care workers conducted face-to-face interviews to assess PTSD symptoms and level of perceived social support. Multiple linear regression was performed to explore the association between social support and other factors and PTSD. The prevalence of PTSD was higher among the injured (10%) than among the non-injured (4%), but the level of perceived social support was not significantly different between the two groups. A higher level of perceived social support was associated with milder symptoms of PTSD. Women, older people and those with a formal education were more often and more severely affected by PTSD. The perception of strong social support might help to alleviate the symptoms of PTSD among people injured by landmines or UXO in rural parts of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Psychosocial interventions should be incorporated in assistance for the injured because they have more severe and longer-lasting symptoms of PTSD than the non-injured.

BackgroundDisaster experiences have been associated with higher prevalence rates of (mental) health problems. The objective of this study was to examine the independent relation between a series of single disaster experiences versus the independent predictive value of a accumulation of disaster experiences, i.e. a sum score of experiences and symptoms of distress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).MethodsSurvivors of a fireworks disaster participated in a longitudinal study and completed a questionnaire three weeks (wave 1), eighteen months (wave 2) and four years post-disaster (wave 3). Ten years post-disaster (wave 4) the respondents consisted of native Dutch survivors only. Main outcome measures were general distress and symptoms of PTSD.ResultsDegree of disaster exposure (sum score) and some disaster-related experiences (such as house destroyed, injured, confusion) were related to distress at waves 2 and 3. This relation was mediated by distress at an earlier point in time. None of the individual disaster-related experiences was independently related to symptoms of distress. The association between the degree of disaster exposure and symptoms of PTSD at waves 2 and 3 was still statistically significant after controlling for symptoms of distress and PTSD at earlier point in time. The variable ‘house destroyed’ was the only factor that was independently related to symptoms of PTSD at wave 2. Ten years after the disaster, disaster exposure was mediated by symptoms of PTSD at waves 2 and 3. Disaster exposure was not independently related to symptoms of PTSD ten years post-disaster.ConclusionsUntil 4 years after the disaster, degree of exposure (a sum score) was a risk factor for PTSD symptoms while none of the individual disaster experiences could be identified as an independent risk factor. Ten years post-disaster, disaster exposure was no longer an independent risk factor for symptoms of PTSD. Since symptoms of PTSD and distress at earlier waves perpetuate the symptoms at later waves, health care workers should aim their resources at those who still have symptoms after one and a half year post-disaster, to prevent health problems at medium and long-term.

This study examined the association between workplace supervisors' perceptions of social support and the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among Japanese midwives who experienced trauma while providing perinatal care. We employed a descriptive cross-sectional design and collected data using a self-reported questionnaire. Participants were 144 Japanese midwives working in hospitals. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation analysis, chi-square tests, and a binomial logistic regression analysis. Ninety-one midwives had experienced at least one traumatic event in the workplace within the past 12 months. Midwives in the high-PTSD-risk group (Impact of Event Scale-Revised [IES-R] score ≥25) comprised 11% of the sample. The total score of perceived social support from the supervisor was negatively associated with the IES-R total score (r = -0.213, p = .043). Social support from workplace supervisors was not associated with PTSD symptoms when adjusted for midwives experiencing verbal abuse or intimidating behavior from the mother or her family. Although not significant, midwives who had experienced verbal abuse or intimidation from mothers or their families were four times more likely to meet the criteria for the high-PTSD-risk group (odds ratio = 4.188, p = .07). Perceived social support from workplace supervisors could reduce midwives' PTSD symptoms, but it was not effective for midwives traumatized by verbal abuse or intimidated from expectant mothers or their family members. It is important to establish an organizational and educational system that allows midwives to receive ongoing support from supervisors in the workplace.

This prospective study aims to assess the role of fathers' posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (PTSS), the course of these symptoms over the years, and the relationship between these symptoms and their adult offspring's own PTSS and level of differentiation of self. A sample of 123 Israeli father-child dyads (79 ex-prisoners of war [ex-POWs] dyads and a comparison group of 44 veterans' dyads) completed self-report measures. The fathers participated in 2 waves of measurements (1991 and 2008), while the offspring took part in 2013-2014. Increase in the fathers' PTSS over the years was related to high levels of his offspring's PTSS. Among ex-POWs' offspring, self-differentiation mediated the association between the father's PTSS and offspring's PTSS. Thus, a greater increase in the ex-POWs' PTSS over time was correlated to lower levels of the offspring's self-differentiation, which in turn was correlated to higher rates of PTSS. Veterans' PTSS as well as offspring's self-differentiation are mechanisms of the intergenerational transmission of captivity trauma.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms can co-occur with somatic symptoms, associations which may be partly due to threat-responsive changes in the autonomic nervous system. Prior studies support between-person associations of elevated autonomic symptoms with higher PTSD severity. However, there is a need to distinguish between- and within-person variation in symptoms over time. This study used a latent growth model with structured residuals to examine the dynamics of PTSD and autonomic symptoms in a U.S. population-based sample. Participants were 475 adults with an exposure to a potentially traumatic stressor (Mage = 47.89 ± 17.46; 62.9% female; 64.0% Caucasian, 14.3% Black or African American, 13.5% Hispanic, 2.3% Asian, 5.9% mixed race or ethnicity). Data were collected over four time points spaced approximately 1.5 months apart between July 2020 and January 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. PTSD and autonomic symptoms were measured using the Abbreviated Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist and the supradiaphragmatic symptoms subscale of the Body Perception Questionnaire-Short Form. Latent PTSD and autonomic symptoms were positively associated (β = .499, SE = .048). At each wave, within-individual elevations in PTSD symptoms co-occurred with elevations in autonomic symptoms (β range: .221-.317). At several time points, elevated PTSD symptoms also predicted future elevations in autonomic symptoms (β range: .215-.304, p < .05). A history of childhood maltreatment was associated with higher PTSD (β = .309, p < .001) and autonomic symptom intercepts (β = .335; p < .001). Results support the linkage between PTSD and autonomic symptoms over time and suggest that elevations in PTSD symptoms may precede future autonomic symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Patients with cancer experience many stressors placing them at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, yet little is known about factors associated with PTSD symptoms in this population. This study explored relationships among patients' PTSD symptoms, physical and psychological symptom burden, and risk for hospital readmissions. We prospectively enrolled patients with cancer admitted for an unplanned hospitalization from August 2015-April 2017. Upon admission, we assessed patients' PTSD symptoms (Primary Care PTSD Screen), as well as physical (Edmonton Symptom Assessment System [ESAS]) and psychological (Patient Health Questionnaire 4 [PHQ-4]) symptoms. We examined associations between PTSD symptoms and patients' physical and psychological symptom burden using linear regression. We evaluated relationships between PTSD symptoms and unplanned hospital readmissions within 90-days using Cox regression. We enrolled 954 of 1,087 (87.8%) patients approached, and 127 (13.3%) screened positive for PTSD symptoms. The 90-day hospital readmission rate was 38.9%. Younger age, female sex, greater comorbidities, and genitourinary cancer type were associated with higher PTSD scores. Patients' PTSD symptoms were associated with physical symptoms (ESAS physical: B = 3.41; P < .001), the total symptom burden (ESAS total: B = 5.97; P < .001), depression (PHQ-4 depression: B = 0.67; P < .001), and anxiety symptoms (PHQ-4 anxiety: B = 0.71; P < .001). Patients' PTSD symptoms were associated with a lower risk of hospital readmissions (hazard ratio, 0.81; P = .001). A high proportion of hospitalized patients with cancer experience PTSD symptoms, which are associated with a greater physical and psychological symptom burden and a lower risk of hospital readmissions. Interventions to address patients' PTSD symptoms are needed and should account for their physical and psychological symptom burden. Cancer 2018. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Post-trauma patients are at risk of developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression. The primary goal of this study is to estimate the prevalence of PTSD and depression symptoms in patients who have been hospitalised for the treatment of physical trauma. Additionally, we wanted to compare the prevalence of PTSD or depression symptoms alone versus PTSD associated with depression symptoms, in orthopaedic post-trauma patients. This study had involved orthopaedic post-trauma patients in the orthopaedic ward and clinic of Hospital Tuanku Jaafar (HTJ), Seremban, Malaysia, using an online questionnaire, which consist of English and Malay language. We then determined the prevalence of depression and PTSD symptoms in orthopaedic post-trauma patients and compared this prevalence to the severity of the injuries sustained and any association between PTSD and depression symptoms. Only 12.9% of the participants are likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and 43.3% of participants have depression symptoms. There is no significant association between patient demographics and severity of the injuries with the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms. However, of those deemed likely to have PTSD, 93.5% of them had both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms as well as depressive symptoms. Only a few of the participants are likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while almost half of the participants are likely to have developed depression. Physicians caring for trauma patients should screen them for early symptoms of PTSD and depression and treat them accordingly.