Rorschach Indicators of PTSD

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahi Arnon ◽  
Gadi Maoz ◽  
Tali Gazit ◽  
Ehud Klein
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Retrospective Study ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Comprehensive System ◽  
Exner's Comprehensive System ◽  
Projective Techniques ◽  
Inkblot Test

The complexity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) makes it difficult to assess and diagnose the syndrome. Most diagnostic tools are based on self-report questionnaires and are thus susceptible to both conscious and unconscious biases. Projective techniques, including the Rorschach inkblot test, might overcome these shortcomings. This retrospective study analyzed 187 Rorschach protocols, 4 or more years after the diagnosis (PTSD vs. non-PTSD) had been determined. The protocols were coded into the computer version of Exner’s Comprehensive System (RIAP5) (Exner, 2005) and then analyzed statistically, using linear regression. A 13-item model was found to significantly predict 36.6% of PTSD patients.

scholarly journals Intensive EMDR to Treat Patients With Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Series

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannelies Bongaerts ◽  
Agnes Van Minnen ◽  
Ad de Jongh
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Complex Ptsd ◽  
Symptom Scale ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Emdr Therapy

There is mounting evidence suggesting that by increasing the frequency of treatment sessions, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment outcomes significantly improve. As part of an ongoing research project, this study examined the safety and effectiveness of intensive eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in a group of seven (four female) patients suffering from complex PTSD and multiple comorbidities resulting from childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse, and/or work and combat-related trauma. Treatment was not preceded by a preparation phase and consisted of 2 × 4 consecutive days of EMDR therapy administered in morning and afternoon sessions of 90 minutes each, interspersed with intensive physical activity and psychoeducation. Outcome measures were the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and the PTSD Symptom Scale Self-report questionnaire (PSS-SR). During treatment, neither personal adverse events nor dropout occurred. CAPS scores decreased significantly from pre- to posttreatment, and four of the seven patients lost their PTSD diagnosis as established with the CAPS. The results were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) on the CAPS and PSS-SR were large: 3.2, 1.7 (prepost) and 2.3, 2.1 (prefollow-up), respectively. The results of this case series suggest that an intensive program using EMDR therapy is a potentially safe and effective treatment alternative for complex PTSD. The application of massed, consecutive days of treatments using EMDR therapy for patients suffering from PTSD, particularly those with multiple comorbidities, merits more clinical and research attention.

Three Studies on the Reliability and Validity of a Self-Report Measure of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Assessment ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Lauterbach ◽  
Scott Vrana
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
The Impact

This paper describes three studies of the reliability and validity of a newly revised version of the Purdue Posttraumatic Stress Disorder scale (PPTSD-R). The PPTSD-R is a 17-item questionnaire that yields four scores: Reexperiencing, Avoidance, Arousal, and Total. It is highly internally consistent (α = .91), and the scores are relatively stable across time. The PPTSD-R is highly correlated with other measures of PTSD symptomatology and moderately correlated with measures of related psychopathology, providing preliminary support for the measure's convergent and discriminant validity. It reliably distinguishes between groups of people who were and were not traumatized, it is sensitive to the impact of different types of traumatic events, and (within a clinical sample) it discriminates between those who did and did not seek treatment for difficulty coping with the traumatic event being assessed. The PPTSD-R shows promise as a measure of PTSD symptoms in the college population.

scholarly journals Influence of Spirituality on Depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Suicidality in Active Duty Military Personnel

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurel L. Hourani ◽  
Jason Williams ◽  
Valerie Forman-Hoffman ◽  
Marian E. Lane ◽  
Belinda Weimer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Military Personnel ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Active Duty ◽  
Combat Exposure ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Active Duty Military

Understanding the role of spirituality as a potential coping mechanism for military personnel is important given growing concern about the mental health issues of personnel returning from war. This study seeks to determine the extent to which spirituality is associated with selected mental health problems among active duty military personnel and whether it moderates the relationship between combat exposure/deployment and (a) depression, (b) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and (c) suicidality in active duty military personnel. Data were drawn from the 2008 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among Active Duty Military Personnel. Over 24,000 randomly selected active duty personnel worldwide completed an anonymous self-report questionnaire. High spirituality had a significant protective effect only for depression symptoms. Medium, as opposed to high or low, levels of spirituality buffered each of the mental health outcomes to some degree. Medium and low spirituality levels predicted depression symptoms but only among those with moderate combat exposure. Medium spirituality levels also predicted PTSD symptoms among those with moderate levels of combat exposure and predicted self-reported suicidal ideation/attempt among those never deployed. These results point to the complex relationship between spirituality and mental health, particularly among military personnel and the need for further research.

scholarly journals Factor structure, internal consistency and reliability of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL): an exploratory study

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 215-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo de Paula Lima ◽  
Sandhi Maria Barreto ◽  
Ada Ávila Assunção
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Events ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Oblique Rotation ◽  
Language Version ◽  
Temporal Reliability

INTRODUCTION: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder resulting from exposure to traumatic events. The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL) is a self-report measure largely used to evaluate the presence of PTSD. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the internal consistency, temporal reliability and factor validity of the Portuguese language version of the PCL used in Brazil. METHODS: A total of 186 participants were recruited. The sample was heterogeneous with regard to occupation, sociodemographic data, mental health history, and exposure to traumatic events. Subjects answered the PCL at two occasions within a 15 days’ interval (range: 5-15 days). RESULTS: Cronbach’s alpha coefficients indicated high internal consistency for the total scale (0.91) and for the theoretical dimensions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) (0.83, 0.81, and 0.80). Temporal reliability (test-retest) was high and consistent for different cutoffs. Maximum likelihood exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted and oblique rotation (Promax) was applied. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) index (0.911) and Bartlett’s test of sphericity (χ² = 1,381.34, p < 0.001) indicated that correlation matrices were suitable for factor analysis. The analysis yielded three symptom clusters which accounted for 48.9% of the variance, namely, intrusions, avoidance, and numbing-hyperarousal. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide additional data regarding the psychometric properties of the PCL, including internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and factor validity. Results are discussed in relation to PTSD theoretical models.

The Los Angeles Symptom Checklist: A Self Report Measure of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Assessment ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynda A. King ◽  
Daniel W. King ◽  
Gregory Leskin ◽  
David W. Foy
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Symptom Checklist ◽  
Report Measure

Prevalence and predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder in adult survivors of childhood cancer: A report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. CRA10002-CRA10002
Author(s):  
M. Stuber ◽  
K. Meeske ◽  
B. Zebrack ◽  
K. Krull ◽  
K. Stratton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Childhood Cancer ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Cancer Survivor ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Childhood Cancer Survivors ◽  
Childhood Cancer Survivor ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Childhood Cancer Survivor Study

CRA10002 Background: This study examined prevalence and demographic- and disease-related correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among 6,542 adult childhood cancer survivors and 368 siblings from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Methods: Subjects were dichotomized based on full PTSD criteria, using the Foa PTSD self-report measure to assess posttraumatic stress symptoms of intrusion of unwanted memories, avoidance of event reminders, and increased startle response, and the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 and the SF-36 subscale, role limitation due to emotional health, to evaluate clinical distress or impaired function. A self-report questionnaire provided demographic information and medical abstraction provided cancer reatment data. Multivariable generalized linear models were used to compare prevalence of PTSD among cancer survivors to siblings and to examine relationships between PTSD and demographic and disease-related factors. Relative risks (RR) were calculated based on a Poisson distribution with robust error variances. Results: Five hundred eighty-nine (9%) childhood cancer survivors and 8 (2%) siblings met criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD (RR = 3.83, 95% CI 1.96–7.48, p < 0.0001). Among cancer survivors, there was significantly more PTSD reported by women from minority backgrounds (p < 0.05). Other demographic factors associated with PTSD were having less than a college education (p < 0.05), being unmarried (p < 0.001), having an annual income less than $20,000 (p < 0.05) and being unemployed (p = 0.001). Risk of PTSD was significantly higher for survivors diagnosed at ages 15 to 20 years (p < 0.05). PTSD was more common among survivors treated with intensive chemotherapy (p < 0.05) or radiation therapy (p < 0.001) and who relapsed or developed a second malignant neoplasm (p < 0.001). Neuroblastoma and Wilms tumor survivors had a significantly lower risk of PTSD than did leukemia survivors (p < 0.05). Conclusions: While the majority of childhood cancer survivors did not demonstrate PTSD, a clinically significant number did meet diagnostic criteria. Prospective assessment of survivors with high risk demographic-, diagnosis-, and treatment-related characteristics should be considered as part of long-term health screening. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Increased risk of attempted suicide in Australian veterans is associated with total and permanent incapacitation, unemployment and posttraumatic stress disorder severity

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 552-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katelyn Kerr ◽  
Madeline Romaniuk ◽  
Sarah McLeay ◽  
Andrew Khoo ◽  
Michael T Dent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Suicide Attempt ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
History Of

Background: Military veterans have higher rates of suicidality and completed suicides compared to the general population. Previous research has demonstrated suicidal behaviour is higher in US combat veterans who are younger, suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety and score lower on measures of health. However, research on predictors of suicide for Australian veterans is limited. The aim of this study was to identify significant demographic and psychological differences between veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder who had attempted suicide and those with posttraumatic stress disorder who had not, as well as determine predictors of suicide attempts within an Australian cohort. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 229 ex-service personnel diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder who had attended a Military Service Trauma Recovery Day Program as outpatients at Toowong Private Hospital from 2007 to 2014. Patients completed a battery of mental health self-report questionnaires assessing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol use, anger, depression, anxiety and quality of life. Demographic information and self-reported history of suicide attempts were also recorded. Results: Results indicated the average age was significantly lower, and the rates of posttraumatic stress disorder, anger, anxiety and depression symptoms were significantly higher in those veterans with history of a suicide attempt. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity, unemployment or total and permanent incapacity pension status significantly predicted suicide attempt history. Conclusion: Among a cohort of Australian veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder, psychopathology severity, unemployment and total and permanent incapacity status are significantly associated with suicidality. This study highlights the importance of early identification of posttraumatic stress disorder and psychopathology, therapeutic and social engagement, and prioritisation of tangible employment options or meaningful and goal-directed activities for veterans deemed unable to work.

A Single-Case fMRI Study EMDR Treatment of a Patient With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Richardson ◽  
Steve R. Williams ◽  
Sam Hepenstall ◽  
Lloyd Gregory ◽  
Shane McKie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Marked Change ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Female Participant ◽  
Traumatic Memory ◽  
Safe Place ◽  
Fmri Study

This study assessed the effects of a session of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) with auditory alternating bilateral stimulation (ABS) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of brain activations. A case study was conducted with a female participant who was suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder following a severe assault. The fMRI scan began with safe-place imagery, for purposes of comparison, and then attention to the trauma memory without ABS. After this, ABS was provided as she began using EMDR procedures to process the traumatic memory. At postsession, the traumatic memory showed robust and significant changes on self-report measures. The initiation of the EMDR protocol with provision of ABS was associated with a marked change in brain activation within the prefrontal cortex demonstrating a ventromedial shift. The authors argue that the structure of the EMDR protocol encourages such a ventromedial activation, which is then intensified by ABS to overcome the block to information processing that has been preventing natural healing from occurring spontaneously.

scholarly journals Relationship between Traumatic Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Flood Victims: Roles of Fear and Self-Disclosure

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijuan Quan ◽  
Bijun Lv ◽  
Xiao Zhou ◽  
Guanghai Hou ◽  
Qingsong Sang
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Traumatic Experience ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
Traumatic Exposure ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one of the most prevalent psychopathologies experienced by victims following natural disasters. The severity of traumatic experience may be a critical risk factor for the development of PTSD. Nevertheless, other factors may also lead to PTSD. We propose that fear and self-disclosure could be two important factors. Previous studies have examined their unique roles in PTSD, but their combined role in PTSD has been rarely assessed. To fill this gap, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between severity of traumatic exposure, fear, self-disclosure, and PTSD among victims following flood disaster. Methods: one hundred ninety-nine participants completed self-report questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were obtained using SPSS 17.0 and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to obtain correlations between major variables. Results: results indicated that severity of traumatic exposure not only had a direct effect on PTSD, but also it had an indirect effect on PTSD via activating victims’ fear. Moreover, self-disclosure played a buffering role between fear and PTSD. However, the role of fear in PTSD may decrease with increases in levels of self-disclosure. Conclusions: Traumatic exposure had positive predictive effects for PTSD and fear. Self-disclosure had negative predictive effects for PTSD. Fear played a mediating role between severity of traumatic exposure and PTSD, self-disclosure played a moderating role in the relationship between fear and PTSD. Psychological interventions should focus on the regulation of fear and improvement of self-disclosure following traumatic exposure.

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