Greater Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Research Articles

Resource loss, coping, alcohol use, and posttraumatic stress symptoms among survivors of Hurricane Katrina: a cross-sectional study.

To assess the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the faculty, staff and students at a university located in New Orleans, LA. A cross-sectional, Web-based survey. A local college university in New Orleans, LA. A total of 364 faculty, staff and students surveyed during mid July 2006 to September 2006. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, coping, resource loss, and substance use. The study revealed substantial degree of resource loss and consequences due to Katrina. Approximately 22 percent of respondents had PTSD symptoms one year post-Katrina. Positive coping was strongly protective of PTSD symptoms in our sample. Alcohol and drug consumption, on the other hand, was associated with greater PTSD symptoms. Coping, alcohol use, and personal and family injury were also associated with resource loss. Survivors of a disaster need mental health and substance use services and resources well beyond the first year post disaster, and the student population should be factored in any evacuation planning.

Mental health of Somali adolescent refugees: The role of trauma, stress, and perceived discrimination.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine relations between trauma exposure, post-resettlement stressors, perceived discrimination, and mental health symptoms in Somali adolescent refugees resettled in the U.S. Participants were English-speaking Somali adolescent refugees between the ages of 11 and 20 (N = 135) who had resettled in the U.S. Participants were administered an interview battery comprising self-report instruments that included the UCLA Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Index, the War Trauma Screening Scale, the Every Day Discrimination scale, the Adolescent Post-War Adversities Scale, and the Acculturative Hassles Inventory. Results indicated that cumulative trauma was related to PTSD and depression symptoms. Further, post-resettlement stressors, acculturative stressors, and perceived discrimination were also associated with greater PTSD symptoms after accounting for trauma, demographic, and immigration variables. Number of years since resettlement in the US and perceived discrimination were significantly related to depressive symptoms, after accounting for trauma, demographic, and immigration variables. Further research elucidating the relations between post-resettlement stressors, discrimination, and mental health of refugee adolescents may inform intervention development.

PTSD symptoms predict waking salivary cortisol levels in police officers

This study examines whether pre- or post-dexamethasone salivary cortisol is related to cumulative critical incident exposure, peritraumatic responses, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity. Thirty active duty police officers completed the study protocol, which included measures of peritraumatic emotional distress, peritraumatic dissociation, duty-related trauma exposure, and PTSD symptoms. Salivary cortisol was consolidated into three outcome variables: (1) pre-dexamethasone free cortisol levels at 1, 30, 45, and 60 min after awakening, (2) post-dexamethasone cortisol levels at the identical wake times, and (3) percentage of cortisol suppression. Control variables included age, gender, average daily alcohol use, night shift work, routine work environment stressors, and salivary dexamethasone levels. Zero order correlations showed that greater levels of PTSD symptoms, peritraumatic distress, and peritraumatic dissociation were associated with lower levels of pre-dexamethasone cortisol levels on awakening, but were not associated with the other two cortisol variables. A trend was also noted for older subjects to have lower pre-dexamethasone cortisol on awakening. When these four predictors were entered simultaneously in a regression analysis, only age and PTSD symptom severity significantly predicted pre-dexamethasone awakening cortisol levels. These results replicate previous research indicating a relationship between greater PTSD symptoms and lower levels of basal cortisol on awakening, and extend this finding to a previously unstudied non-treatment seeking population, urban police.

MMPI-2 based subgroups of veterans with combat-related PTSD: differential patterns of symptom change after treatment.

Considerable research has focused on the use of the MMPI to assess posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through identification of mean profile configurations and the development of PTSD subscales. Little work, however, has addressed the heterogeneity of profiles evident in PTSD populations. This study investigated the MMPI-2 profiles of 158 Australian treatment-seeking Vietnam veterans with combat-related PTSD to identify distinct subgroups. Three robust subgroups were identified on the basis of their MMPI-2 profile and compared on PTSD and associated symptomatology. These subgroups consisted of a mild PTSD group with subclinical personality pathology, and two severe PTSD groups that differed in levels of personality disturbance and general psychopathology. Most notably, differences between these latter two groups occurred in the areas of externalization, alienation, and propensity for acting out. These groups were labeled as subclinical, trauma profile, and global. The groups demonstrated significant differences in the patterns of recovery after treatment. The subclinical group demonstrated little change after treatment. In contrast, the trauma profile and global groups both improved, although the trauma profile group demonstrated greater PTSD symptom reduction than the global group.

Patterns of Violent Behavior and Victimization Among African American Youth

This study examines differences in reported problems among African American youth exposed to violence and victimization. Results suggest that a substantial number of African American youth are exposed to direct victimization while in transit to and from school, while others are indirectly victimized by way of peer victimization. Additional support is found for the impact of violence on mental health status, in that subjects exposed to violence reported greater post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms compared to youth who were not exposed to violence. In light of these findings, it is suggested that future studies continue to examine the impact of violence on the emotional development of youth.

Stability and change in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms following breast cancer treatment: a 1-year follow-up.

While some recent research has examined the prevalence and severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms following cancer treatment, no research has examined temporal change or stability in these symptoms in cancer survivors. Female breast cancer survivors (n=46) participated in an initial telephone interview and a follow-up interview 12 months later. PTSD symptoms associated with breast cancer were assessed using the PTSD Checklist-Civilian version (PCLC). In general, PTSD symptoms in this population did not diminish over time. While group analyses indicated that PCLC-total and subscale scores were stable across the two assessments, analyses of PCLC scores indicated that many patients exhibited fairly large (>0.5 S.D.) increases and/or decreases in PCLC-total or subscale scores. Some evidence suggested that decreases in PCLC scores between the two study assessments were associated with greater social support and experience of fewer traumatic stressors prior to breast cancer diagnosis. Most significantly, the research suggested that women with greater PTSD symptoms at the initial interview were less likely to participate in the follow-up interview. Implications of this for research and clinical management of PTSD in this population are discussed.

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms after bone marrow transplantation for breast cancer.

On the basis of revisions of DSM criteria, questions have been raised concerning the occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among adults who have been diagnosed and treated for life-threatening illnesses. The present study examined the prevalence and correlates of PTSD symptoms among women who had undergone autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) for breast cancer. Participants were 43 women who had undergone ABMT for breast cancer an average of 19 months previously (range = 2 to 62 months) and had no clinical evidence of disease at their most recent follow-up visit. PTSD symptoms and quality of life were assessed using standardized self-report instruments. Between 12% and 19% of participants were likely to meet DSM-IV criteria for the current diagnosis of PTSD. Women who were less well educated, had more advanced disease at the time of the transplantation and had longer hospital stays for the transplantation reported more symptoms of PTSD. Greater PTSD symptomatology was associated with reports of poorer physical health, mental health, and sleep quality. Comparisons with previous research suggest that rates of PTSD are higher among women who undergo ABMT as opposed to less intensive forms of breast cancer treatment. These findings are consistent with the view that development of PTSD symptoms is associated with the degree of life threat. The clinical significance of PTSD in this patient population is underscored by findings indicating that greater PTSD symptoms are associated with poorer health-related quality of life.