Posttraumatic Response Research Articles

Patterns and transitions of posttraumatic stress symptoms and posttraumatic growth in trauma-exposed youth: A latent transition analysis.

The present study examined the transition patterns in latent classes of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic growth among a sample of youth 4-13months after an explosion accident in China. Latent profile analyses identified consistent three classes (Resilient, Growing, and High-Symptom) at both waves. Latent transition analysis found most Resilient individuals remained stable while most Growing and High-symptom individuals transferred. Logistic regression predicting transition pathways suggests younger individuals, males, and those who lack social support are prone to experience reduced post-traumatic growth, whereas individuals with higher trauma exposure are prone to develop PTSD. Our study provides empirical evidence supporting qualitative transitions in PTSD and post-traumatic growth levels from a person-centred perspective. This adds to the current knowledge on the heterogeneity of post-traumatic responses of human beings and offers valuable guidance for post-traumatic interventions among youths.

Post-traumatic Responses to Intimate Partner Violence among Victims: Social Network Analysis

Post-traumatic Responses to Intimate Partner Violence among Victims: Social Network Analysis

Reducing intrusive memories and promoting posttraumatic growth with Traveler: A randomized controlled study.

Over recent decades, serious games have become a promising intervention approach for addressing psychological problems by providing users with computerized, engaging, and interactive experiences. An innovative serious game, Traveler, has been developed specifically as an intervention tool for managing posttraumatic responses immediately after trauma. The game incorporates the principle of visuospatial interference, the core elements of Tetris, such as spatial displacement and mental rotation, and the critical phases of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. To test the intervention efficacy and feasibility of Traveler, we conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 105 young adults. Participants were randomly assigned into three groups: a wait-list control group, a group undergoing five-session written exposure therapy, or a group engaging in one session of Traveler gameplay. Outcome measures included intrusive memories (i.e. vividness of traumatic images, disgust at traumatic images, flashback frequency, and flashback impact) and posttraumatic growth measured by the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Traveler significantly outperformed the control and written exposure therapy groups in reducing intrusive memories and enhancing posttraumatic growth, with effects persisting at a 30-day follow-up. Thus, Traveler offers a promising brief and early intervention technique for addressing posttraumatic responses. Yet, its clinical applicability requires further investigation.

A Longitudinal Examination of HIV Risk Perception Accuracy among Sexual Minority Men with History of Childhood Sexual Abuse.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) with history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are at high risk for HIV acquisition. One reason is posttraumatic responses compromise ability to accurately appraise risk for danger/vulnerability. Health behavior change models and related interventions assume risk perception can be changed in an enduring manner. Given paucity of studies examining how risk perception changes or sustains over time post-intervention, this underlying assumption is not confirmed. Among this particularly high-risk group who struggle with perceiving risk due to trauma-related cognitions, it may be accuracy of risk perception is fluid. The study primarily aimed to examine accuracy of HIV risk perception over time post-HIV prevention behavioral intervention. Leveraging data from a larger RCT, N = 190 MSM in Boston, MA and Miami, FL USA completed a psychosocial baseline assessment, an intervention aimed to increase awareness of personal HIV risk level, then four follow-up assessments three months apart for a year. Linear mixed effect models were used to examine the degree to which accuracy of HIV risk perception (vs. traditional construct of risk perception with no information about accuracy) predicts sex risk behavior over time delineated by between-person (trait level) and within-person (state level) effects. Majority (92%) of participants fluctuated in HIV risk accuracy over time post-intervention. Within-person risk accuracy (one's accuracy at any given timepoint) predicted sex risk behavior (condomless sex not protected by adherent PrEP) over time, but not between-person (one's average of accuracy). Findings have implications for intervention and counseling related to specific HIV prevention strategies.

Patterns and predictors of symptom burden and posttraumatic growth among patients with cancer: a latent profile analysis.

The study identified different patterns of symptom burden and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among patients with cancer and to explored the effects of sociodemographic, disease-related, and family resilience factors, which could provide reference for the development of personalized nursing measures. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 329 patients with cancer who were undergoing treatment. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to explore the patterns of symptom burden and PTG among patients with cancer, and multiple logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of different patterns. Based on the fit indicators of LPA, a three-class pattern model of posttraumatic responses was shown to be optimal, including resisting, struggling, and growth groups. In the resisting group (34.34%), patients reported low symptom burden and low PTG; in the struggling group (19.15%), patients showed a high symptom burden and moderate PTG; in the growth group (46.51%), patients showed low symptom burden and high PTG. Moreover, patients with cancer with high levels of family resilience were more likely to fall into the struggling and growth groups. Specifically, those with lower scores in the optimistic attitude and higher scores in the family and social support dimension of family resilience were more likely to fall into the struggling group, whereas those with lower scores in the transcendence and spiritual belief dimensions of family resilience were more likely to fall into the resisting group. Additionally, patients with at least three children were more likely to fall into the struggling group. This study showed heterogeneity in symptom burden and PTG patterns among patients with cancer. Patients' growth must include both psychological growth and the mitigated symptom burden. Family factors may be intervention targets to improve the growth patterns.

Refreshing, necessary exposure to the problem with exposure therapies for trauma: Commentary on Rubenstein et al. (2024).

In this invited commentary, I address what I see as the major contributions Rubenstein et al. (2024) have made to challenging the hegemony of exposure therapies for trauma-exposed persons. These include a thorough review of the history of the rise of exposure therapies, the identification of posttrauma responses as forms of anxiety disorders, and an extensive discussion of the neurobiology of the trauma response. Additionally, Rubenstein et al. expose the very high dropout rates in studies of exposure therapies and ways in which many traumatized people have not found them helpful. This article brings the so-called "gold standard" back to its rightful position as one possible, occasionally helpful way of assisting some, but not all, traumatized people. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Structural links from trait emotional intelligence to life satisfaction and depressive symptoms in women with breast cancer: post-traumatic responses as mediators

PurposeThe diagnosis of a disease such as breast cancer (BC) can be experienced as a sudden, unexpected, and life-threatening event accompanied by considerable uncertainty. This experience can precipitate the development of post-traumatic symptoms and depression. Conversely, certain individuals exhibit the capacity to reframe this traumatic event and transform it into an opportunity for personal growth. Existing research shows that individuals with high trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) tend to experience fewer post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTS), and greater post-traumatic growth (PTG). The aim of this study was to investigate the interrelationship among these variables and specifically examine whether PTS and PTG play a mediating role between trait EI, depression, and life satisfaction.MethodsQuestionnaires were administered to 338 women with BC to assess trait EI, PTS, PTG, depression, and life satisfaction.ResultsResults highlighted that trait EI was negatively related to PTS and depression and positively related to PTG and life satisfaction. In addition, both PTS and PTG showed a mediating role in the relationship between trait EI, depression, and life satisfaction. This study highlights the close link between depressive symptoms and post-traumatic cognitions in women with BC.ConclusionCurrent findings highlight links between trait EI, PTS, PTG, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction. Clinicians could use these findings when developing interventions aimed at alleviating PTS, such as low mood and worry, and facilitating PTG. This study demonstrated that trait EI can reduce PTS and increase PTG, therefore it is important to include programs aimed at fostering trait EI.

Glial cells react to closed head injury in a distinct and spatiotemporally orchestrated manner

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide. Acute neuroinflammation is a prominent reaction after TBI and is mostly initiated by brain-resident glial cells such as microglia, NG2-glia and astrocytes. The magnitude of this reaction paves the way for long-lasting consequences such as chronic neurological pathologies, for which therapeutic options remain limited. The neuroinflammatory response to TBI is mostly studied with craniotomy-based animal models that are very robust but also rather artificial. Here, we aimed to analyze the reaction of glial cells in a highly translational but variable closed head injury (CHI) model and were able to correlate the severity of the trauma to the degree of glial response. Furthermore, we could show that the different glial cell types react in a temporally and spatially orchestrated manner in terms of morphological changes, proliferation, and cell numbers in the first 15 days after the lesion. Interestingly, NG2-glia, the only proliferating cells in the healthy brain parenchyma, divided at a rate that was correlated with the size of the injury. Our findings describe the previously uncharacterized posttraumatic response of the major brain glial cell types in CHI in order to gain a detailed understanding of the course of neuroinflammatory events; such knowledge may open novel avenues for future therapeutic approaches in TBI.

Post-traumatic responses to workplace violence among nursing professionals: a collaborative and comparative study in South Korea and Hong Kong

BackgroundWorkplace violence has had a significant and negative psychological impact on nursing professionals worldwide. Concerted worldwide efforts to improve work environments have not yet removed nursing professionals from the threat of violence. It is highly essential to conduct comparative research in various working environments where the nurses of each country have unique experiences of workplace violence. The aim of this study was to examine the differences in the rate, associated factors, and post-traumatic responses to workplace violence between South Korean and Chinese nurses in Hong Kong among East Asian countries.MethodsA cross-sectional, correlational study design recruited a total of 471 registered nurses (319 South Korean nurses and 152 Chinese nurses in Hong Kong; overall response rate = 78.5%) at online communities in South Korea and Hong Kong. The data were collected by conducting a Qualtrics survey from January 15, 2020, to July 24, 2021. A structured questionnaire was administered for data collection, including rate of workplace violence, perception of workplace violence, attitudes toward workplace violence, coping styles, post-traumatic cognitions, post-traumatic stress disorder, post-traumatic growth, and mental health indicators (depression, anxiety, and stress). T-test, chi-squared, and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted.ResultsIn our sample, 30.7% South Korean nurses and 31.6% Chinese nurses in Hong Kong had experienced workplace violence. South Korean and Chinese nurses in Hong Kong with experience of workplace violence had lower perceptions of it. Nurses with experience of workplace violence reported lower levels of mental health, and this trend was more prominent among South Korean nurses.ConclusionsOur study findings showed a positive association between workplace violence and post-traumatic responses in both settings. We found that the close monitoring of post-traumatic responses associated with workplace violence could be improved by enhancing nurses’ perception of workplace violence.

Predicting profiles of post-trauma adaptation in first responders and civilians after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings: The role of distress, growth, and emotion regulation.

Responses to trauma are often characterized either by the presence or absence of psychological distress; however, the process of adapting after trauma also includes potential positive change. While some studies document that the majority of individuals exposed to single event terrorism report low levels of psychological distress, more research is needed to understand different adaptation profiles following this type of trauma, and the factors that might predict responses. We examined post-trauma responses in 257 first responders/medical professionals (66.8 percent) and civilians (33.2 percent) exposed to the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings. Data for post-trauma profiles-post-traumatic growth (PTG), post-traumatic stress, and emotion regulation-and profile predictors-trauma proximity, trauma history, and coping flexibility-were collected approximately 2.5 years after the bombings. Latent profile analysis identified response profiles, and multinomial logistic regression identified demographic, event-specific, and psychological predictors of profile membership. Four profiles emerged: (1) symptomatic, (2) resistant, (3) resilient, and (4) struggling growth. First responder role decreased the odds of belonging to the struggling growth profile, as compared to the symptomatic profile. Greater coping flexibility and adaptive emotion regulation increased the odds of membership in the struggling growth, rather than symptomatic profile. A subset of individuals experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms years after trauma exposure may also be utilizing flexible, adaptive coping strategies and experiencing PTG. First responders may have difficulty experiencing simultaneous -distress and growth, and interventions designed to promote healthy post-trauma adaptation for this population could be tailored accordingly.

Changes in Lipid biomarker related to trauma severity in intertrochanteric fracture patients.

This study aimed to identify whether there are elevations or declines in specific plasma lipids in intertrochanteric fracture (ITF) patients which might serve as potential biomarkers for assessing the severity of trauma, or therapeutic targets for controlling post-traumatic responses. Ten metal work removal patients were enrolled. Their preoperative blood samples served as the control group (C group). Their 24-hour postoperative blood samples served as the moderate trauma group (M group). The ITF group was composed of 12 intertrochanteric fracture patients. A total of 707 lipid species were identified from 32 plasma samples (10 controls, 10 moderate trauma and 12 ITF samples). We first identified 31 lipids that were elevated and 6 lipids that were decreased in the more severe trauma group in aged patients, with an especially strong relationship among 14 lipids that are candidates as markers for trauma severity evaluation. Fourteen lipids were identified as potential markers of bone trauma. The definition of important lipids in trauma may not only provide guidance for the formulation of optimum ITF operation time, but may also have importance in other traumatic models, and in further understanding the components of the systemic inflammatory response for new drug targets.

The impact of family function on post-traumatic reactions of Chinese adolescents infected with COVID-19: a latent profile study.

Since the end of 2019, Corona Virus Disease 2019, also known as COVID-19, has broken out in various countries. However, the change of China's COVID-19 prevention and control policy and the sharp increase in the number of infected people are making the teenagers have post-traumatic reactions. Negative post-traumatic reactions include: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety. Positive post-traumatic reaction mainly refers to post-traumatic growth (PTG). The purpose of this study is to explore the post-traumatic reaction, which refers to PTSD, depression, anxiety and the co-occurrence pattern of growth after trauma and to further explore the influence of family function on different categories of Post-traumatic Reactions. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to explore the co-occurrence of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and PTG. Multiple logistics regression was used to analyze the influence of family function on different categories of post-traumatic response. There were three categories of post-traumatic reactions in adolescents infected with COVID-19 adolescents infected with COVID-19, namely: growth class, struggling class, and pain class. Multivariate Logistic regression showed that the growth class and struggling class were affected by problem solving and behavior control in family function, while the growth class and pain class were affected by problem solving, roles, behavior control, and general functioning. Multiple logistic regression showed that the growth class and struggling class were affected by problem solving and roles. The findings of this study provide evidence for the identification of high-risk individuals and the provision of effective interventions in clinical practice, as well as the influence of family functioning on the different categories of PTSD among adolescents infected with COVID-19.

Remote damage after spinal cord injury

After spinal cord injury pathological changes in the lesion site and adjacent segments are described in detail. Data are accumulating on the tissue response in the areas of the spinal cord and even the brain distant from the epicentre of spinal cord injury. The concept of plasticity and post-traumatic responses in remote lumbar regions, which contain a specific circuits of interneurons known as the central pattern generator, is particularly important for the recovery of motor function. Among the factors influencing the plasticity of neuronal connections and regenerative potential in the area remote from the lesion epicentre, myeloid infiltration, microglial reactivity, neuroinflammation, and molecular rearrangements of the extracellular matrix are only beginning to be systematically studied. After thoracic spinal cord injury rapid responses develop in the lumbar cord that are characteristic of disintegration of the axons of the descending tracts. These shifts are accompanied by glial reactivity, synapse elimination, imbalance between excitation and inhibition, and disruption of connections in neural networks. This severity of these remote changes depends on the type and severity of the injury, which determines the different involvement and degree of destruction of the descending motor pathways. The review presents an analysis of experimental data on the responses and reorganization of the neural network in the lumbar spinal cord after injury in the proximal regions. The lesional biomarkers are of particular interest as a possible cause of pathological changes in distant areas. These molecules are released from dying cells at the epicenter of injury, appear in the cerebrospinal fluid, and acting as injury-associated molecular patterns and alarmins, can exert a neurotoxic effect in areas remote from the epicenter of injury.

Sociodemographic circumstances, health, and life experience shape posttraumatic distress trajectories among individuals exposed to smoke during a large-scale coal mine fire.

The 2014 Hazelwood coal mine fire in the Latrobe Valley, Australia, distributed toxic smoke into surrounding communities over 45 days. This study investigated risk and protective factors associated with four trajectories of posttraumatic distress (resilient, recovery, delayed-onset, chronic) among exposed adults. Participants (N = 709) completed surveys in 2016-2017 and 2019-2020 assessing mine fire-related particulate matter (PM2.5 ) exposure; sociodemographic, physical, and mental health variables; and exposure to other traumatic and recent stressful events. Mine fire-related posttraumatic distress was measured using the IES-R; trajectories were determined according to established clinical significance thresholds. Relative risk ratios (RRRs) were generated from multivariate multinomial regressions. The resilient trajectory was most common (77.0%). The chronic trajectory (8.5%) was associated with loneliness, RRR = 2.59, 95% CI [1.30, 5.16], and physical health diagnoses, RRR = 2.31, 95% CI [1.32, 4.02]. The delayed-onset trajectory (9.1%) was associated with multiple recent stressful events, RRR = 2.51, 95% CI [1.37, 4.59]; mental health diagnoses, RRR = 2.30, 95% CI [1.25, 4.24]; loneliness, RRR = 2.05, 95% CI [1.09, 3.88]; and male gender, RRR = 2.01, 95% CI [1.18, 3.44]. Socioeconomic advantage protected against chronic, RRR = 0.68, 95% CI [0.53, 0.86], and delayed-onset trajectory membership, RRR = 0.68, 95% CI [0.50, 0.94]; social support protected against chronic trajectory membership, RRR = 0.67, 95% CI [0.49, 0.92]. PM2.5 exposure did not determine trajectory. These findings enhance understanding of longer-term posttraumatic responses to large-scale smoke events and can inform mental health initiatives within at-risk communities.

Voluntary Search-and-Rescue Workers’ Experiences After Witnessing Trauma in the Earthquake Field

Turkey has an earthquake-prone geography, and as in Turkey, when professional resources are not sufficiently available in a community hit by a disaster, volunteer search-and-rescue workers’ help is crucial for quickly meeting disaster-area needs. However, few studies focus on volunteer search-and-rescuer’s post-traumatic reactions although trauma literature has grown regarding professional search-and-rescue teams’ post-traumatic responses. Based on this gap in the literature, this study was conducted. This qualitative study provides an in-depth understanding of secondary trauma and vicarious post-traumatic growth among 13 search-and-rescue team workers involved in disaster relief activities following the 2020 Izmir earthquake in Turkey. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and an interpretive phenomenological approach was used. The findings revealed that the participants suffered secondary traumatic stress symptoms, namely, hyperarousal, intrusive images, and thoughts but experienced vicarious post-traumatic growth in discovering personal strength, relating to others, appreciating life, and striving to do their job better. This study’s findings can be a source for developing psychosocial post-disaster support services and interventions for volunteers and be used to improve pre-field preparation training content for voluntary search-and-rescue teams. The findings also underlined the fact that focusing on facilitating vicarious post-traumatic growth is as crucial as overcoming voluntary search-and-rescue workers’ post-traumatic stress.

Influence of maladaptive personality traits on women's posttraumatic cognitions of IPV.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a problem for women worldwide. One factor that affects the severity of women's distress in the aftermath of IPV is how they make meaning of the violence they experienced. Posttraumatic meaning-making takes the form of 3 distinct posttraumatic cognitions: self-blame, other negative thoughts about oneself, and negative thoughts about the world. Women's posttraumatic cognitions in the aftermath of IPV are in part a function of personality. Research on personality and posttraumatic cognitions has focused primarily on the influence of normative personality traits, although maladaptive personality traits are more common in clinical assessment. One of the most common models of maladaptive traits is DSM-5's Alternative Model of Personality Disorder (AMPD), which contains 5 maladaptive variants of normative personality traits (Antagonism, Detachment, Disinhibition, Negative Affect, and Psychoticism). Although there is increasing research on the AMPD traits in general, there is limited research on the influence of these traits on women's response to IPV specifically. In this study we examine the association between AMPD traits and posttraumatic cognitions of IPV in a sample of women exposed to IPV (N = 199) using a Bayesian approach to multiple regressions. Results suggest that IPV and Negative Affect were the primary influences on all 3 IPV-related posttraumatic cognitions and that other traits had differential effects depending on the type of posttraumatic cognition under analysis. These findings clarify our understanding of individual differences in posttraumatic response and have implications for the treatment of women exposed to IPV. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Long-Term, Community-based Approach for Affected People Having Problems With Mental Health and Lifestyle Issues After the 2011 Fukushima Disaster: the Fukushima Health Management Survey.

A Mental Health and Lifestyle Survey (MHLS) has been conducted yearly as part of the Fukushima Health Management Survey since 2012, in order to monitor different health issues related to long-term evacuation of affected people after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. This survey is a mail-based one of nearly 210,000 affected people living in the evacuation zone at the time of the disaster. Another purpose of the MHLS is to provide efficient interventions by telephone based on the results of the survey. Significant findings contributing to understanding of non-radiological health effects caused by long-term evacuation were obtained from the MHLS, directly connecting to telephone-based interventions for over 3,000 respondents per year. In this article, the mental health outcomes of the MHLS, including depressive symptoms and posttraumatic responses, are reviewed, and the usefulness of telephone-based interventions is discussed. The evidence showed that, despite improvement of core mental health outcomes, the prevalence of respondents at high risk of some psychiatric problems remained high compared to that among the general population in Japan. In particular, several mental health consequences of respondents staying outside of Fukushima Prefecture were higher than those staying inside Fukushima. Along with further efforts to increase the response rate, we need to continue and modify the MHLS to meet the requirements of the affected people and communities.

The virtue of religious faith and its relationship to posttraumatic stress disorder in victims of torture: the unique outcomes of men and women

ABSTRACT Three aspects of religious faith: faith-as-faithfulness; faith-as-trust; and faith-as-experience were examined in the lives of torture survivors with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Fetzer Scale items: Positive and Negative Religious Coping (PRC & NRC), Religious Practices (RP), and Daily Spiritual Experiences (DSE) were applied to a sample of 111 asylees. While none of the correlational hypotheses from the total sample showed a significant association between the variables of PRC, RP, and DSE to PTSD, a post hoc gender analyses revealed significant posttraumatic responses between women and men. Men showed a positive and significant association between PTSD, PRC and NRC, and women, a significant, negative association between Religious Social Support and PTSD. A multiple regression analysis investigated whether NRC, RP and DSE would predict significant variance with PTSD. Only NRC was shown to be a unique, significant predictor of PTSD above and beyond any beneficial effects of Religious Social Support (RSS).

Thinking hierarchically about posttraumatic response: Commentary on Lehinger etal. (2022).

Lehinger etal.'s (2022) study on the associations between posttraumatic stress symptoms, posttraumatic cognitions, and alcohol use in sexual assault survivors extends previous research on posttraumatic response to sexual trauma. The study is useful for these purposes but it also raises other interesting questions about the nature of posttraumatic response and the structure of psychopathology more generally. In this commentary, we describe Lehinger etal.'s (2022) study and its findings and discuss their potential relevance for emerging transdiagnostic, hierarchical models of psychopathology.

Traumatized Perception of the Self and Time in Ian McEwan’s The Cement Garden and The Child in Time

The purpose of this study is to decipher the relationship between trauma and the differentiating perception of the self and time by discussing varying post-traumatic responses of the traumatized characters in Ian McEwan’s The Cement Garden (1978) and The Child in Time (1987). To this end, the study applies trauma theory to examine the traumatized characters’ altered perception of temporality and the self, and to discuss to what extent the characters in the novels can overcome the impacts of the traumatic experiences they have. The two novels revolve around traumatized victims that lose the conscious perception of the self and temporality in reality after the traumatic experience. The Cement Garden depicts the post-traumatic challenges of four siblings, called Jack, Julie, Tom and Sue after their mother’s death. The Child in Time unveils Stephen and Julie’s process of working through their ordeal after the disappearance of their little daughter, Kate in parallel to Stephen’s friend Charles’s acting out his traumatic childhood by regressing to his boyhood. The critical approach to the characters’ response to their traumas concludes that trauma disrupts people’s perception of time and the self, leading either to tragedy when they lose the balance between their defense mechanisms and the trauma reality, or to awakening to their renewed life when they reconcile with their trauma reality.